[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 81 (Monday, April 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22386-22387]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10294]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Request for Public Comment on the Improvement of the Adoption and 
Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)

AGENCY: Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), ACF, 
HHS.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: Section 479 of the Social Security Act (the Act) requires that 
a system for the collection of data relating to adoption and foster 
care be developed and regulated. The resultant Adoption and Foster Care 
Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) has been operating since 1994 
and is administered by the Children's Bureau in the Administration for 
Children and Families. The AFCARS collects case level information on 
all children in foster care for whom the State child welfare agency has 
responsibility for placement, care or supervision and on children who 
are adopted under the auspices of the State's public child welfare 
agency. In addition, ACF encourages States to report data on other 
types of adoptions.
    Section 479(c) of the Act requires that the AFCARS system avoid 
unnecessary diversion of resources from agencies responsible for 
adoption and foster care and assure that the data collected is reliable 
and consistent over time. Given that the system has been operating 
since 1994, we believe it is time to assess the system to ensure that 
it continues to comport with the section 479(c) requirements and to 
identify what enhancements and system improvements might be needed.

DATES: Comments will be accepted until June 27, 2003.

ADDRESSES: E-mail written comments to the AFCARS [email protected] 
(there is a space between ``AFCARS'' and ``Project''), or send written 
comments to Children's Bureau, 330 C St., SW., Washington, DC 20447.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding this announcement 
may be submitted to and will be answered by E-mail at the same e-mail 
address as above: AFCARS [email protected] or via the above

[[Page 22387]]

Children's Bureau address, Attention: Penelope L. Maza.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

AFCARS Background

    In recent years, the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System 
(AFCARS) has become the principal data source for information about 
State foster care and adoption populations. It was created, in part, 
due to concerns raised about the lack of national information available 
on children in foster care, their families, foster care settings and 
adopted children. In 1986, Congress amended title IV-E of the Social 
Security Act (the Act) by adding section 479, which requires the 
Federal government to institute a foster care and adoption data 
collection system In response to the law, in 1993, final rules for the 
Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCARS) were published and 
codified in Federal regulations at 45 CFR 1355.40 with requirements for 
States to report adoption and foster care data to a Federal system. As 
of October 1, 1994, States were required to collect and submit the 
AFCARS data to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
    The AFCARS data are submitted semi-annually, in May and November. 
The Department aggregates the data both by State and nationally and 
makes it publicly available on the web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb. The appendices to the regulation, technical bulletins, and 
other AFCARS related resources are also located on the web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/dis/index.htm.

AFCARS Current Uses

    The purpose of the AFCARS is twofold: to address policy development 
and program management issues. Currently, AFCARS data is used in:
    [sbull] Providing data for the calculation of the performance 
measures, statewide assessment and program improvement plans for the 
Child and Family Services (CFS) reviews;
    [sbull] Drawing samples for the CFS reviews and the title IV-E 
eligibility reviews conducted by ACF;
    [sbull] Providing data for the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual 
Report;
    [sbull] Providing the primary data in the formula to distribute 
funds to States for the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) 
under section 477 of the Act;
    [sbull] Identifying the number of finalized adoptions for which a 
State may be awarded adoption incentive funds under the Adoption 
Incentive Program under section 473A of the Act;
    [sbull] Targeting areas for greater or potential technical 
assistance efforts, for discretionary service grants, research and 
evaluation, and regulatory change;
    [sbull] Generating short and long-term budget projections;
    [sbull] Conducting trend analyses and short and long-term program 
planning;
    [sbull] Responding to Congressional requests for current data on 
children in foster care or those who have been adopted;
    [sbull] Responding to questions and requests from other Federal 
departments and agencies, including the General Accounting Office 
(GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the DHHS Office of 
Inspector General (OIG), national advocacy organizations, States, and 
other interested organizations and individuals.

Future of AFCARS

    At the time AFCARS was first implemented, the Children's Bureau 
committed to revisiting AFCARS to assure that the system was producing 
data that were useful to Federal and State governments and to the child 
welfare field. We are beginning the process of revising AFCARS to 
consider improvements that may make the data more accurate and useable 
by soliciting comments from interested parties. Please comment on any 
aspects of AFCARS that you wish. We are particularly interested in 
obtaining input on:
    [sbull] The specific strengths of the AFCARS;
    [sbull] The specific weaknesses of the AFCARS or suggestions for 
areas of improvement, including ideas about how the suggested 
improvement could be made and how the Federal government could 
facilitate the changes;
    [sbull] Data elements currently in the AFCARS that could be deleted 
and any elements that should be added;
    [sbull] Strategies to improve data quality for AFCARS, including 
the use of incentives.
    We also invite comments based on your specific experience and use 
of:
    (1) Demographic and other information on foster children, adopted 
children, foster parents, adoptive parents, birth parents, child 
descriptors such as disability status, prior adoption status, foster 
care information on current and previous foster care episodes and 
discharge;
    (2) Financial information;
    (3) How the data files are structured and how data are submitted.
    Upon receipt of comments within 60-day comment period, ACF will 
analyze the comments and utilize them in determining the necessary next 
steps to improve AFCARS.

    Dated: April 18, 2003.
Joan E. Ohl,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 03-10294 Filed 4-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M