1. Using the CCWIP Data Portal
An e-training for child welfare stakeholders
Wendy Wiegmann
Ca child welfare indicators project

2. Welcome! Please call: (669)900-6833 or (877)369-0926 (Toll Free)
Meeting ID:

3. The Current Placement System* (highly simplified)
the foster care system
a bunch of stuff happens
CHILD IN
CHILD OUT
This is what people outside the system thinks happen.
*Adapted from Lyle, G. L., & Barker, M.A. (1998). Patterns & Spells: New Approaches to Conceptualizing Children’s Out of Home Placement Experiences. Chicago, IL: American Evaluation Association Annual Conference. 3

4. Counterbalanced Indicators of System Performance
rate of referrals/substantiated referrals
home-based services vs.
out of home care
reentry to care
permanency
through reunification,
adoption, or
guardianship
use of least
restrictive
form of care
We really know that child welfare data measurement includes many different outcomes, some which may work against others. Child welfare agencies are striving for a balance between these multiple indicators.
length
of stay
positive attachments to family, friends, and neighbors
stability of care
Source: Usher, C.L., Wildfire, J.B., Gogan, H.C. & Brown, E.L. (2002). Measuring Outcomes in Child Welfare. Chapel Hill, NC:  Jordan Institute for Families,

5. 3 Key Data Views in Child Welfare
Entry
Cohorts
Exit
Point
in Time
In addition to the issue of different (and sometimes competing) measures, it is also important to understand that the data can be examined multiple way, some of which give an accurate picture of what happened/happens to a child in the child welfare system, and others which may skew the picture.
The first question that has to be answered is, “Whose outcomes do I want to measure?”
There basic are 3 choices:
Children in foster care - the active caseload (other terms: point-in-time, cross-section, or census)
Children leaving foster care - children who left placement in the last year (other terms: an exit cohort)
Children entering foster care - children placed during some period of time, usually one year (other terms: an admission cohort)
Each of these approaches represents a different way to sample the children who have ever been in foster care

6. What are the implications?
It is much harder to measure outcomes over time using either a point-in-time or an exit cohort sample because the samples are missing some children:
A point-in-time analysis is missing the kids who left placement
An exit cohort only includes kids who leave
You can’t assess change if you leave out either of these children because their experiences aren’t factored into the outcomes. All children have to be included in the system for monitoring outcomes.

7. PIT Snapshots vs Entry Cohorts
Jan. 1, 2017
Another problem with point-in-time data: the over-capture of long-stayers.
Jan. 1, 2016
Jan. 1, 2018

8. Tracking an Entry Cohort for 1 Year
2016
2017
Dec. 31
Dec. 31
Jul. 7
Jul. 7
Mar. 1
Mar. 1
How Entry Cohorts work
Jan. 1
Dec. 31
Jan. 1
Dec. 31

9. Accessing the CCWIP Data Portal

10. CCWIP Homepage

11. CCWIP Report Index Current Data Extract
Rates Reports Compare Child Welfare Data to Population Data
Federal CFSR Outcomes
State C-CFSR Outcomes

12. Report Selection & Customization
Plain language description of the report and data
C-CFSR Reporting Summary table
Methodology
Drill Down Reports (2 domains):
SINGLE Time Period vs. MULTIPLE
SELECTED Geographic Regions vs. ALL COUNTIES

13. Report Selection & Customization (con’t)

14. Table Select a new report
Modify from SINGLE <-> MULTIPLE time periods and/or from SELECTED REGION <-> SUMMARY TABLE
Select new REGION, TIME PERIOD, and/or DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKOUT

15. Multi Report Option
et cetera …

16. CCWIP Report Index Current Data Extract
Rates Reports Compare Child Welfare Data to Population Data
Federal CFSR Outcomes
State C-CFSR Outcomes

17. Report Selection & Customization
Plain language description of the report and data
C-CFSR Reporting Summary table
Methodology
Drill Down Reports (2 domains):
SINGLE Time Period vs. MULTIPLE
SELECTED Geographic Regions vs. ALL COUNTIES

18. Report Selection & Customization (con’t)

19. Multiple Time Periods Table
Select a new report
Modify from MULTIPLE <-> SINGLE time periods and/or from SELECTED REGION <-> SUMMARY TABLE
Select new REGION, INTERVALS, or SUBSETS
Switch from PERCENT to COUNTS of children
Export table to MS Excel for individual customization

20. Thank You!
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, Casey Family Programs, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

21. Questions?
Wendy Wiegmann Daniel Webster Website: E-Training: