AFCARS

Brief AFCARS Overview

What is AFCARS?

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) collects child-level information from state agencies on all children in foster care and those who have been adopted. States are required to submit AFCARS data semi-annually to the Children's Bureau in Washington, D.C.

What are the AFCARS reporting periods?

AFCARS are submitted to the Children's Bureau twice a year covering the following periods:

• • October 1 thru March 31

  • April 1 thru September 30

3 AFCARS Foster Care Timeliness Elements: 

• • Date child was removed (date of first placement) -- FC Element 22

  • Date that child reached permanency (court outcome of Court Case Closed with a permanency outcome selected) -- FC Element 57

These are two events that must be entered into MaGIK within 60 calendar days from the event date in order to pass FC elements 22 and 57. Timely entry will ensure that these elements are passed.

• • Timely entering of review hearings and outcomes --  A child in foster care must have a review hearing with an outcome no later than 6 months from the date of removal or disposition, whichever occurs first and then every 6 months following until the child’s reaches permanency -- FC Element 5

Common AFCARS errors

Special Needs:

• • A medical exam recorded within 10 days of a child’s placement are recorded on the Health Card on Person Page.      

    • If the child has a diagnosed special need enter it under the medical condition option on the health card, not just within the health exam part. 

2nd Caretaker demographics like DOB, Hispanic origin

• There is a direct correlation between what is checked on the AFCARS removal questionnaire about the family structure and how many people are marked as a caregiver in the family network.

• • Please note this asks family structure not household. If the questionnaire has either married couple or unmarried couple, then you must have at least two people with the role of care giver within the family network. This could even be a mother and a grandmother for unmarried couple.

Foster Care Elements 44, 45 and 46

These relate to the household from which the child was removed. 

• Look at the primary and secondary caregivers in the removal household 

  • May be a person other than the parent 

  • Were living in household at time of removal 

  • Does not reflect marital status unless a couple selection is chosen

    • For the couple, choose married or unmarried. 

    • If a family structure of couple is selected (on the Removal Questionnaire for the child for the removal episode) and only one person has a relationship of caregiver this will also be called out on the tool as a discrepancy and there will be missing data for Element 46 indicated for the second caregiver. 

In Casebook it is necessary to add a relationship of caregiver to the child in the Family Network. If the caregiver is a parent, the relationship of parent does not indicate that the parent is actually a caregiver. Both a relationship of parent and of caregiver has to be selected. Not all parents, however, qualify as caregivers. 

2nd Foster caregiver demographics like DOB, race

• For the resource, the family structure must match the number of applicants. 

  • Example: if unmarried couple is the family structure, there must be two applicants. You cannot have one applicant and the other person listed as a household member. 

  • The picture below displays the correct set up. 

Periodic Review Hearing (element 5)

• A review hearing, periodic or permanency, must be held every six months from the date of removal and every six months thereafter. 

• If the hearing has been held enter the related outcome.

  • The outcome is what tells listening system and reports that the hearing occurred. 

  • The outcomes of hearing not held or hearing continued will not count either. 

This hearing would count

This hearing would not count

Ensure the right child has been marked for the outcome

Tools to Check for Missing AFCARS Data and Data Inconsistencies

AFCARS Checklists

• Foster Care AFCARS Check List

• Adoptions AFCARS Check List

Checklists are found on the person page of AFCARS child→ All DCS Forms→ DCS Folder.

The child Check List will show up-to-date information regardless of the date selected for the report period. The checklist does not require an overnight run to show updates. Updates are shown same day, however for the data to sync, these updates are shown approximately 30 minutes after submission.

The Check List only shows the current AFCARS reporting period (current report includes extensions 45 days after each AFCARS period ends twice a year [September 30th + 45 days and March 31st + 45 days] for any needed AFCARS clean-up to continue).

FCMs or Supervisors can review the AFCARS status of an individual child in foster care or one whose adoption is finalized and check for missing data and inconsistencies on this Check List.

Element and inconsistency guides are available at the bottom of each Check List.

AFCARS Reports

All Available AFCARS reports can be located on the Dashboard-All DCS Forms

AFCARS Reports (5) 

• AFCARS Elements Report for Foster Care – FCM

• AFCARS Elements Report for Foster Care – Supervisor

• AFCARS Elements Report for Adoption – FCM

• AFCARS Element Report for Adoption – Supervisor

• AFCARS Adoptions by Region and County

The report period defaults to the current AFCARS reporting period (current report includes extensions days after each AFCARS period ends twice a year [September 30th + 45 days and March 31st + days] for any needed AFCARS clean-up to continue).  In addition to accessing current report periods, previous reporting periods can be selected.  It is recommended that these tools be checked regularly during an AFCARS period.  When concerning this report, all updates will be available the next day. 

The FCM version of the AFCARS Elements Reports for Foster Care or for Adoption will display all of the AFCARS children being reported for the current AFCARS period for either Foster Care or Adoption who are assigned to the person belonging to that dashboard. It is possible to backup other workers now as their report can be pulled by viewing their dashboard.

The Supervisor version of the AFCARS Elements Reports for Foster Care or for Adoption will display all of the workers assigned to the supervisor belonging to that dashboard and the children assigned to those workers if those children have been in foster care or have been adopted during the current AFCARS period. (Note: If a supervisor is assigned as a worker to a case, the supervisor will need to pull the FCM version of the report to view AFCARS elements for children in that case.) This report allows the supervisor to see at a glance the entire unit’s AFCARS data.

The AFCARS Adoptions by Region and County Report defaults to the current AFCARS episode, but allows the user to select a previous AFCARS episode. Updates are immediate.

Note: Children are only reported in the AFCARS Adoption submission once and that is in the AFCARS period in which the Adoption Decree hearing outcome of Adoption Finalized with or without Subsidy for the child is saved in MaGIK. This save date displays on the report as the Transaction Date and it is what causes the child to appear on this report.

The report furnishes a quick way to track the number of adoptions being finalized and also is another resource to use to see if all adoption finalizations have being entered into MaGIK. The FCM or Supervisor can use their AFCARS Adoption Element Report to track adoption AFCARS data, but local office directors and regional management may find this report useful.

NYTD ELEMENT

This element is high-risk for failure for federal reporting and therefore must be marked appropriately in MaGIK.  This a federal reporting requirement for the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), however, it benefits all federal reporting requirements.  If this information is entered correctly for EVERY child, not just those age 16 and over, DCS can use it as an internal consistency check for race for NYTD, AFCARS and NCANDS populations.  It is paramount for federal reporting to include the child’s U.S. Federally Recognized Tribe’s name in MaGIK when identifying the child as an American Indian/Alaska Native child.  If the child is not identified as a member of a U.S. Federally Recognized Tribe, it is equally important to mark “None” in this drop down box.