New Challenges and Opportunities in Child Welfare Outcomes and Information Technologies

• NCJ Number: 151424
• Journal: Journal of the Child Welfare League of America Volume: 73 Issue: 5 Dated: special issue (September/October 1994) Pages: 359-378
• Author(s): M E Courtney; R C Collins
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Despite longstanding concern on the part of child welfare policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, basic information is lacking about child welfare service outcomes; the child welfare information base can be improved using management information systems to track children over time and throughout the child welfare service system.

Abstract

Existing information systems designed to produce data on child welfare service outcomes have several limitations: (1) Most States routinely purge some or all data from their computer case records when certain case characteristics change; (2) In most States, information about various child welfare services is kept in separate databases; (3) The narrow range of data collected in existing information systems hinders their use in analyzing child welfare population trends and effects of case characteristics on outcomes; and (4) Unreliable reporting makes the interpretation of child welfare data problematic. A management information system for the next century is proposed to provide meaningful information on child welfare service outcomes. This system recognizes that children and families should be tracked longitudinally through the child welfare system, that child welfare data systems should incorporate information about the entire child welfare service system, that child welfare information systems should be user-friendly and give priority to the needs of caseworkers and administrators, and that child welfare data systems should be information-rich. Child welfare legislation enacted in 1986 and 1993 provides a basis for improved information. In particular, the 1993 legislation authorizes the creation of Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information Systems. Further, child welfare outcome indicators can be used to develop core knowledge on child welfare service outcomes. The creation of reliable and timely data on child welfare is essential for researchers, policymakers, child welfare workers, administrators, and private philanthropers. 43 references