California Child Welfare Indicators Project

Q4 2013 SlidesCenter for Social Services Research

School of Social WelfareUniversity of California, Berkeley

The California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP) is a collaboration of the California Department of Social Services and the School of Social Welfare, University

of California at Berkeley, and is supported by the California Department of Social Services and the Stuart Foundation

the current placement system*(highly simplified)

*adapted from Lyle, G. L., & Barker, M.A. (1998) Patterns & Spells: New approaches to conceptualizing children’s out of home placement experiences. Chicago: American Evaluation Association Annual Conference

CHILD IN a bunch of stuff happens

CHILD OUT

the foster care system

counterbalancedindicators of system

performance

permanencythrough reunification,

adoption, orguardianship

lengthof stay

stability of care

allegations/victimizations

home-based services vs.

out of home care

positive attachments to family, friends, and neighbors

use of leastrestrictive

form of care

Source: Usher, C.L., Wildfire, J.B., Gogan, H.C. & Brown, E.L. (2002). Measuring Outcomes in Child Welfare. Chapel Hill: Jordan Institute for Families

reentry to care

tracking child welfare outcomes

the view matters…How long do children stay in foster care?

January 1, 2013 December 31, 2013July 1, 2013

Source: Aron Shlonsky, University of Toronto (formerly at CCWIP)

The problem with summary statistics:

The average human has one breast and one testicle. *

* ~Des McHale www.quotegarden.com/statistics.html

definitions

disproportionality: when a group makes up a proportion of those experiencing some event that is higher or lower than that group’s proportion of the population

disparity: a comparison of one group (e.g., regarding disproportionality, services, outcomes) to another group

California:Allegation, Substantiation, Entry, and In Care

Rates per 1,000

Population Data• Allegation, and substantiation rates, entry rates and foster

care caseload in care rates data are based on population data from the California Department of Finance (DOF).

• Please consult the methodology for details.– http://cssr.berkeley.edu/cwscmsreports/methodologies/default.aspx?r

eport=Population

Poverty Data• 2013 estimates of the population of children (ages 0-17) living in

poverty by race/ethnicity• Using the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey

(ACS) 2008-2012 five-year Estimates, poverty multipliers were calculated by race/ethnicity for California and each of its 58 counties

• These multipliers were then applied to population data from the California Department of Financehttp://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/population.aspx

July-December 2008 First Entries California:

Percent Exited to Permanency 60 Months From Entry, by race and placement

http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare

Needell, B., Webster, D., Armijo, M., Lee, S., Dawson, W., Magruder, J., Exel, M., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Putnam-Hornstein, E., Sandoval, A., Yee, H., Mason, F., Benton, C., Lou, C., Peng, C., King, B., & Lawson, J. (2014). CCWIP reports. Retrieved 3/2014, from University of California at Berkeley California Child Welfare Indicators Project website. URL: http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare