Georgia Child and Family Services Review

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Georgia Child and Family Services Review
State Profile 1999 Data Peter Lyons, PhD, April
17, 2001 http//www.childwelfare.net/cfsreview/
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What you will see.

• Why use outcomes indicators?
• Safety or permanency outcome.
• National Standard
• Derivation Where did they come from?
• 1999 Georgia Profile.
• Comments.
• 2000 Estimate
• Meets or exceeds national standard

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Why use outcomes indicators?

• Set of 6 measurements telling "how well we are
  doing"...
• As opposed to "Systemic Factors"
• Broadly What we're supposed to do and what
  resources we have to do it.
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Institutionalizing outcomes indicators
• "Substantial Conformity"
• Repeat review in 2 years

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Safety or permanency outcome indicator

• Negative outcomes
• Maltreatment recurrence
• In 6 months
• Maltreatment in foster care
• Foster care re-entry

• Positive outcomes
• Placement stability
• lt 2 placements
• Adoption time
• lt 24 months
• Reunification time
• lt 12 months

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Safety Outcome Indicator 1

• Recurrence of maltreatment within 6 months
• National Standard lt 5
• Georgia Profile 4.2
• Substantiated reports
• Exceeds standard
• Probably accurate

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Safety Outcome Indicator 2

• Foster care Incidence of maltreatment.
• National Standard lt 0.4
• Georgia Profile 1.1
• Substantiated ?abuse?
• by ?foster parent? or ?residential facility
  staff?
• Ambiguity may lead to inaccuracy.
• Does not meet national standard

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Permanency Outcome Indicator 1

• Foster care re-entry.
• National standard lt 6.
• Georgia profile 4.4.
• 91 of entries in 1999 were new.
• Over 65 is unusual maybe some of the 91 are
  inaccurately labeled ?new.?
• 2000 estimate 7.
• Exceeds national standard.

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Permanency Outcome Indicator 2

• Placement stability (lt 2 placements)
• National Standard gt 89
• Georgia Profile 92
• Children in care less than 12 months from latest
  removal.
• Suspicion that many disruptions are not entered
  into the system. Number may be lower.
• 2000 estimate 95
• Exceeds national standard.

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Permanency Outcome Indicator 3

• Adoption time (lt 24 months).
• National Standard gt 36.
• Georgia Profile 23.
• Probably accurate.
• 2000 estimate 17.
• Does not meet national standard

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Permanency Outcome Indicator 4

• Reunification time (lt 12 months).
• National standard gt 78.
• Georgia profile 63
• Probably accurate
• 2000 estimate 74.
• Does not meet national standard.

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Indicators not Used in Determining Substantial
Conformity

• Number of Children in Care 17 of the Most Recent
  22 Months.
• Point-in-Time Data (last day of FY)
• Georgia 1999 profile 46
• Median Length of Stay in Foster Care
• First-Time Entry Cohort
• Georgia 1999 profile 14 Months
• Will be used in determining conformity in later
  years

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Concluding Comments

• Did not meet 3 outcomes
• Maltreatment in foster care.
• Time to adoption.
• Time to reunification.

• Met or exceeded 3 outcomes
• Maltreatment recurrence.
• Foster care re-entry.
• Placement stability.