Foster Care: Children's Experiences Linked to Various Factors; Better Data Needed
HRD-91-64
Published: Sep 11, 1991. Publicly Released: Sep 11, 1991.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on children's foster care experiences, focusing on the: (1) amount of time spent in care; (2) proportion of children that reenter care; (3) factors related to children's length of stay and reentry; (4) impact of recent societal changes on its analyses; and (5) status of federal and state efforts to develop a national foster care information system.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| To guide and spur development of nationwide foster care data for federal policy deliberations, Congress should consider: (1) reemphasizing to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the need for prompt issuance of regulations for improved state databases; (2) amending the timetable for states to implement automated data systems, basing the deadline on the date HHS issues final regulations; and (3) establishing a specific federal policy on funding these systems. | On December 22, 1993, HHS issued final regulations on data collection for Foster Care and Adoptions. These regulations specify the federal matching rate for administrative costs associated with the development and implementation of these data systems. These regulations also specify timetables for reporting data to HHS (May 15, 1995). |
Full Report
Public Inquiries
Topics
Backdoor authorityChild care programsChild custodyData collectionstate relationsFoster childrenGrants to statesInformation systemsState-administered programsStatistical methods