Skip to main content

Child-Maltreatment-Research-L (CMRL) List Serve

Browse All Past CMRL Messages

Welcome to the archive of past Child-Maltreatment-Research-L (CMRL) list serve messages (11,000+). The table below contains all past CMRL messages (text only, no attachments) from Nov. 20, 1996 - December 3, 2025 and is updated every two months.

Instructions: Postings are listed for browsing with the newest messages first. Click on the linked ID number to open a message.

Message ID: 11489
Date: 2025-11-20

Author:Andres Arroyo

Subject:*Data Available*: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File FY2024

Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File FY2024 The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect is pleased to announce the release of this dataset: Title: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File FY2024 Investigator(s): Children's Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services Dataset Number: #310 Dataset description page: https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/datasets/dataset-details.cfm?ID=310 Abstract: The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a federally mandated data collection system intended to provide case specific information on all children in foster care for whom the state child welfare agency has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, regardless of eligibility for Title IV-E funds. AFCARS was designed to address policy development and program management issues at both the state and federal levels. The data are also useful for researchers interested in analyzing aspects of the United States' foster care and adoption programs. An interactive AFCARS dashboard that summarizes and displays national and state foster care data by fiscal year is available from the Children's Bureau Web site (https://acf.gov/cb ). AFCARS' reporting periods extend from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect distributes a foster care data file for each fiscal year, as well as updates for previous years, if applicable. The foster care data files contain 104 variables that provide information on child demographics, the number of previous stays in foster care, service goals, availability for adoption, dates of removal and discharge, funding sources, and the biological and foster parents. The AB file format differs from the annual format. The annual files were constructed using the "A" and "B" periods of the respective FY, plus the "A" period of the following FY. Including the subsequent "A" period allowed the capture of reports that may have happened, but had not been resolved, by the end of the FY. The AB file is constructed with only the "A" and "B" periods of the nominal FY. In all other ways, it is identical and undergoes the same cleaning and processing steps as the annual file. This means, however, that aggregate counts derived from an AB file may yield artificially lower counts compared to analogous counts from a previous years' annual file. ________________________________ The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) is a joint project of Duke University , Cornell University , University of California, San Francisco, and Mathematica . Telephone: 607-255-7799 Email: NDACAN@cornell.edu Website: www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov 'X' (Twitter) https://x.com/NDACAN_CU The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect is a service of the Children's Bureau | Administration for Children and Families | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Unsubscribe from the Child Maltreatment Research List (CMRL)

Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File FY2024 The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect is pleased to announce the release of this dataset: Title: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File FY2024 Investigator(s): Children's Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services Dataset Number: #310 Dataset description page: https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/datasets/dataset-details.cfm?ID=310 Abstract: The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a federally mandated data collection system intended to provide case specific information on all children in foster care for whom the state child welfare agency has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, regardless of eligibility for Title IV-E funds. AFCARS was designed to address policy development and program management issues at both the state and federal levels. The data are also useful for researchers interested in analyzing aspects of the United States' foster care and adoption programs. An interactive AFCARS dashboard that summarizes and displays national and state foster care data by fiscal year is available from the Children's Bureau Web site (https://acf.gov/cb ). AFCARS' reporting periods extend from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect distributes a foster care data file for each fiscal year, as well as updates for previous years, if applicable. The foster care data files contain 104 variables that provide information on child demographics, the number of previous stays in foster care, service goals, availability for adoption, dates of removal and discharge, funding sources, and the biological and foster parents. The AB file format differs from the annual format. The annual files were constructed using the "A" and "B" periods of the respective FY, plus the "A" period of the following FY. Including the subsequent "A" period allowed the capture of reports that may have happened, but had not been resolved, by the end of the FY. The AB file is constructed with only the "A" and "B" periods of the nominal FY. In all other ways, it is identical and undergoes the same cleaning and processing steps as the annual file. This means, however, that aggregate counts derived from an AB file may yield artificially lower counts compared to analogous counts from a previous years' annual file. ________________________________ The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) is a joint project of Duke University , Cornell University , University of California, San Francisco, and Mathematica . Telephone: 607-255-7799 Email: NDACANcornell.edu Website: www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov 'X' (Twitter) https://x.com/NDACAN_CU The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect is a service of the Children's Bureau | Administration for Children and Families | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Unsubscribe from the Child Maltreatment Research List (CMRL)