Independent Living and the NYTD: What Does it Mean for Child Welfare Information Systems

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• Independent Living and the NYTD What Does it
  Mean for Child Welfare Information Systems?

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Session Agenda

• Impact of NYTD on SACWIS
• SACWIS Completion Schedules
• NYTD Reviews
• NYTD Funding Considerations
• NYTD Requirements
• Current NYTD TA Resources

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-Impact of NYTD on SACWIS-SACWIS Completion
Schedules

• Many States are focusing on completing their
  SACWIS
• CB has been encouraging States to propose/commit
  to a schedule and budget, and finish on time and
  within budget.
• However, CB acknowledges that changing
  circumstances can justifiably affect the schedule
  
• One of those acceptable changing circumstances
  are new Federal requirements such as NYTD

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-Assessment of NYTD-Will the Childrens Bureaus
SACWIS Review include NYTD?

• The Bureau has the authority to review the SACWIS
• The Bureau may review both unfinished and
  completed SACWIS systems
• The NYTD regulation includes authority for
  reviews

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-Assessment of NYTD-What impact does NYTD have
on a SACWIS Assessment Review (SAR)?

• If your State has had a SAR
• And has an open APD if the cost of NYTD
  development over 100,000, submit a new (or
  include it in the upcoming) APD
• If closed APD, dont need an APD unless
  development costs exceed 5 million. Do submit a
  letter if additional development funds needed.

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-Assessment of NYTD-What impact does NYTD have
on a SACWIS Assessment Review (SAR)?(continued)

• If your State will have a SAR. Describe NYTD
  functionality in
• SAR 72 Produce Other Federal Reports
• Appendix C, 16 Please describe how the system
  supports the data collection requirements in the
  CFCIP. How does the system track independent
  living services being provided to all youth in
  care? How does the system support the collection
  of outcomes for youth at ages 17, 19, and 21 per
  the NYTD requirements?

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-NYTD Funding Considerations-SACWIS Guidance

• If the youth is lt 18 and in foster care, they
  are served by SACWIS then developmental and
  operational costs are covered for
• Services (e.g., new service dropdowns in SACWIS)
• Survey (i.e., the electronic survey instrument)
• Reports/notifications (i.e., generated from the
  system)

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-NYTD Funding Considerations-SACWIS
Guidance(Continued)

• If the youth is gt 18 AND the same SACWIS
  functions as for lt18 then developmental
  costs are covered for
• Services (e.g., new service dropdowns in SACWIS)
• Survey (i.e., the electronic survey instrument)
• Reports/notifications (i.e., generated from the
  system)

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-NYTD Funding Considerations- SACWIS
Guidance(Continued)

• If the youth is gt 18 AND the same SACWIS
  functions as for lt 18 then
• operational costs would not be fully covered by
  SACWIS (IV-E).
• Instead, operational costs would be borne by
  another program (e.g., Chafee, Adult Protective
  Services, State only funds).
• Apply IV-E eligibility rules to 18 19 youth.

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NYTD Funding Considerations- Non-SACWIS Guidance

• Must use the benefiting program cost allocation
  methodology
• If only Chafee benefits, Chafee funding must be
  used, for example
• Submission of the data file (services and
  outcomes)
• Outcomes survey

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-NYTD Information Technology (IT)
Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
The NYTD
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
Upon a First Read
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
As understood by the projects
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
With all the bells and whistles
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
After it was coded.
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
How it was sold to the workers
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
Up and running!
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
Field Support
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-NYTD IT Requirements-(a cautionary tale)
Technical/User Documentation
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-NYTD IT Requirements-
What was really needed
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-NYTD IT Requirements- An NYTD IT Requirements
Exercise

• The 40 Questions
• From the 04/10/2008 CB NYTD webinar
• Policy questions/answers with IT implications
• IT Requirements exercise
• Provide question
• Review answer
• Suggest system requirement(s) derived from the
  answer.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example 1

• Question
• When is the start of the first reporting period?

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
1(continued)

• Answer
• The first reporting period for the NYTD is from
  10/01/2010 03/31/2011.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
1(continued)

• IT Requirement
• The system must be fully implemented by
  09/30/2010.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example 2

• Question
• Are States to produce 6 reports (one separate
  service and one survey report each for 17, 19, 21
  year olds) or 10 reports (adding in separate
  service and survey reports for 18 and 20 year
  olds)?

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
2(continued)

• Answer
• States submit a single data file to ACF
  semiannually comprised of data on all youth in
  the served population, and if applicable, youth
  in the baseline or follow-up population.
• In a year in which data collection is not
  required on the baseline or follow-up populations
  (i.e., FY 2012 when the youth in the initial
  baseline population are 18 years of age), a State
  must still submit to ACF a data file comprised of
  youth of any age who are in the served population
  for a report period.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
2(continued)

• IT Requirements
• The system must generate the NYTD report
  semiannually.
• The system must include services data in the NYTD
  report.
• The system must include outcome data in the NYTD
  report on a defined cycle.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example 3

• Question
• What is the difference between the "served" and
  "baseline" populations?

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
3(continued)

• Answer
• The served population includes any youth who has
  received one or more independent living services
  paid for or provided by the State agency in a
  report period. A youths age and foster care
  status is not relevant to whether he or she is in
  the served population.
• The baseline population is comprised of all youth
  who were in foster care at some point during the
  45 days after their 17th birthday in a specified
  year, regardless of whether the youth receives
  any independent living services.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
3(continued)

• IT Requirements
• The system must automatically distinguish
  between served and baseline youth.
• The system must include alerts/notifications to
  prompt the collection of survey data.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example 4

• Question
• Is referring a youth to a service provided by
  another State agency the same as saying that the
  Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP)
  agency provided that service?

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
4(continued)

• Answer
• No. An independent living service is provided
  by the State agency if it is
• delivered by State agency staff or an agent of
  the agency including a foster parent, group home
  staff, or child care institution staff or
• provided pursuant to a contract between the State
  agency and a provider, agency or any other entity
  regardless of whether the contract includes
  funding for the particular service.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
4(continued)

• IT Requirement
• The system must collect service data provided by
  the State agency, agents of the agency (e.g.,
  foster parents, group homes, child care
  providers), or contracted providers.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example 5

• Question
• How do we survey runaway youth in the baseline
  population?

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
5(continued)

• Answer
• Runaway foster care youth are considered part of
  the baseline population if they are still under
  the placement and care responsibility of the
  State title IV-B/IV-E agency. If the youth is on
  runaway status when the State attempts outcomes
  data collection, the State will report the youth
  as having run away in the outcomes reporting
  status element to explain why that youths
  information was not collected.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
5(continued)

• IT Requirement
• The system must identify runaway youth in the
  NYTD report and leave outcome survey data
  elements blank.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example 6

• Question
• When does CB expect the remaining technical
  details describing the format and transmission
  procedures of the data files to be available?
  Will the file be in XML format?

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
6(continued)

• Answer
• CB does not have an estimate at this time and
  has not made any final decisions about the
  formatting and transmission procedures. We are
  working diligently to make this information
  available to States as soon as possible.

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-NYTD IT Requirements- 40 Questions Example
6(continued)

• IT Requirement
• To be determined as soon as possible.

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-NYTD IT Requirements-
The NYTD
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-NYTD IT Requirements- SACWIS Regional Training
Suggestions

• Start on NYTD now!
• Develop an NYTD project plan
• Schedule
• Resources
• Budget
• Integrate the NYTD project plan into the overall
  SACWIS project plan (if appropriate)

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-NYTD IT Requirements- SACWIS Regional Training
Suggestions

• Requirements and design must be linked
• Program and technical staff must work together
  and contribute
• Business understanding of program
• Technical expertise
• Strong two-way communication

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-NYTD IT Requirements- SACWIS Regional Training
Suggestions

• Consider a youth advisory panel
• Provides strategies for surveying youth
• Internet
• Phone surveys
• Caseworker contacts
• During service provision
• Motivating youth participation in the survey
• Financial Incentives
• Service improvements
• Addressing youth concerns about participation
• Not a test or gotcha

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-NYTD IT Requirements- SACWIS Regional Training
Suggestions

• Make NYTD a win/win/win
• Federal win
• State win
• Youth win

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Current NYTD TA Resources

• July 23 25, NYTD Technical Assistance Meeting
  Hyatt Regency, DC
• NYTD related websites
• The CB NYTD website http//www.acf.hhs.gov/progra
  ms/cb/systems/index.htmnytd
• The NRC for Child Welfare Data and Technology
  http//www.nrccwdt.org/
• The NRC for Youth Development http//www.nrcys.ou
  .edu/yd/

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Current NYTD TA Resources(continued)

• The 40 questions are currently posted at
• The CB NYTD website at http//www.acf.hhs.gov/pro
  grams/cb/systems/nytd/questions.htm
• The 40 questions will be posted at
• The NRC for Child Welfare Data and Technology
  (site URL on previous page)
• The NRC for Youth Development (site URL on
  previous page)

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Current NYTD TA Resources(continued)

• The CB sponsored 2008 Regional Training on
  Strengthening Systems Design
• June 16 18, Baltimore
• July 7 10, San Francisco
• July 28 31, Atlanta (act NOW space
  available!)
• August 18 21, San Antonio
• PowerPoints are posted on the Regional Training
  Events page at http//www.state-itc.org/Webinars_W
  ebcasts/RTC_Events.html

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Current NYTD TA Resources(continued)

• To attend the Atlanta training or find out which
  State staff attended the training contact
• Emily Buckham
• Meeting/Event Manager
• State Information Technology Consortium
• 703.742.7143 Direct
• buckham_at_systemsandsoftware.org

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Current NYTD TA Resources(continued)

• This recorded presentation will be available at
  the SITC Child Welfare Resources page at
  http//www.state-itc.org/cw_resources.html
• Requirements/design cartoons from The Cartoon
  Project at http//www.projectcartoon.com/

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• Questions?

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Presenters Contact Information

• Margreta Silverstone, Senior Child Welfare
  Program Management Analyst
• Email margreta.silverstone_at_acf.hhs.gov
• Phone [phone]
• Miranda Lynch, Lead Child Welfare Program
  Specialist
• Email miranda.lynch_at_acf.hhs.gov
• Phone [phone]
• David Baker, Senior Computer Systems Analyst
• Email david.baker_at_acf.hhs.gov
• Phone [phone]