New FCDA Feature: State Reports
The Data Center has added a new feature to The Multistate Foster Care Data Archive (FCDA) web tool: State Reports. Behind this link members will find research and analysis that uses FCDA data to answer mission-critical questions about child welfare outcomes in their state.
To access this new feature, log into the Multistate portal of the FCDA. Click the new link on the left hand menu bar labeled State Reports. From there you’ll find an overview of available reports and links to learn more. Currently you’ll find:
- The Major Outcomes Report: Observe state/county performance on core outcomes for children in foster care over time and learn more about how to develop this tool for your system.
- Runaway Trends: Learn about patterns of running away from foster care in your state/county and compare those trends to those of all states participating in the Multistate FCDA.
To access the State Reports page, log into the FCDA or keep reading below to learn more about the available reports.
The Major Outcomes Report
Back in October, we presented a webinar on one of the Data Center’s core tools, The Major Outcomes Report (MOR). The MOR calculates measures of key child welfare outcomes related to admissions, permanent exit, duration in foster care, placement stability, and reentry. Its purpose is to enable child welfare leaders and managers to use scientifically rigorous performance measures to identify opportunities for improvement.
To accompany that webinar, we provided Data Center members with a state-customized sample MOR. That report is now available on the new State Reports page, along with information on how to interpret the MOR and how to develop it for your own system.
Runaway Trends
The Running Away from Foster Care report shows the experiences of runaway foster youth in your state/county compared to that of all systems participating in the Multistate FCDA. Using data from your state’s FCDA file, the report explores how child characteristics, placement history, and county characteristics influence the likelihood of adolescents running away from foster care. The report will provide you and your system’s stakeholders with a state-specific picture of adolescent runaway trends in comparison to nation-wide patterns.