Who We Are
The Quality Assurance Branch is focused on assessing child welfare practices, outcomes, and compliance using data and analysis to guide and change policies and practices- improving overall practices for casework staff and outcomes for families.
How Do We Do This
Conducting state-led CFSR case reviews
Using the federal Onsite Review Instrument (OSRI), specialists complete the official CFSR round case reviews to assess whether a state meets federal child welfare requirements by examining how individual cases are handled, including the safety, permanency, and well-being of children involved.
Conducting statewide case reviews
The case reviews assist the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) to improve child welfare outcomes around safety, permanency and well-being. Case review data allows for identifying trends to inform practice change and inform continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities.
Coordinating and Monitoring Kentucky's Program Improvement Plan (PIP)
As a result of the Child and Family Services Reviews conducted, all states are put on a PIP to address any areas needing improvement identified during the review. Once negotiated and approved by the Children's Bureau, states have two years to implement their PIPs.
Coordinating and Monitoring the Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) Goals and Objectives
The CFSP is the five year state plan required for title IV-B funding. The plan includes a mini self-assessment that looks at what the state is doing well and the areas needing improvement, as well as a strategic plan to develop five-year goals.
Programs and Services
Child and Family Services Plan
Every state child welfare agency works in conjunction with federal oversight to implement a variety of services for the benefit of children and families. State child welfare services include prevention efforts, services to identify and protect abused and neglected children, and a service array to treat families and children affected by abuse and neglect. Services are implemented according to formal state plans in compliance with federal requirements around federal funding sources.
State plans may include specific points of compliance with federal law or specific tasks to coordinate service delivery. Plans are based on current service data, analysis of state needs, and federal feedback. State plans meet requirements specific to program and service funding sources. Additionally, the division participates in regular federal reviews of child welfare services and produces regular reports on its services to children and families.
Federal IV-B State Plan
Kentucky's five year child and family service plan complies with and is funded under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act. It is primarily devoted to child abuse prevention and child protective services.
The department's five-year plan was approved in October, 2014, for 2015 - 2019. Each year, the department submits an annual report on progress toward its plan goals to sustain or improve child welfare services, prevent child maltreatment, support families receiving state services, and achieve permanency in a timely manner for children in foster care.
Title IV-E State Plan
Kentucky is pursuing a waiver demonstration project to improve Kentucky’s child welfare system and better serve its families and children.
The act requires Kentucky's state plan for funds awarded under the Child Abuse and Prevention Act. Funding supports prevention activities or activities designed to improve the state's handling of child protective services cases.
Child and Family Services Reviews
Child and Family Services Reviews, authorized by 1994 amendments to the Social Security Act and administered by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are a federal-state collaboration to to assess state capacity to promote positive outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system.
A federal-state review team reviews and evaluates state performance for safety, permanency, and well-being. The reviews examine state programs from two perspectives: outcomes of services provided to children and families and systemic factors affecting the agency's ability to help children and families achieve positive outcomes.
Review teams collect information from various sources to make decisions about state performance. These sources include a statewide assessment by state members of the review team; data; onsite reviews of case records and case-related interviews with children, parents, foster parents, caseworkers and other knowledgeable professionals; and interviews with state and community stakeholders.
Program Improvement Plans
Onsite reviews are designed to identify state program strengths and areas needing improvement. When the review identifies an area needing improvement, the state negotiates a program improvement plan (PIP) with the Federal Administration for Children and Families.
KY Program Improvement Plan
PIPs are negotiated through a two-year implementation period, and PIP products are submitted quarterly.
The Self Assessment
Prior to its 2016 onsite review, Kentucky worked with families, community partners, and representatives of the judiciary to conduct a statewide self-assessment. The self-assessment is a required component of the child and family services review and is used as part of the overall review process.