Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS)
BASELINE REPORT January 2025
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Table of Contents
Slide 2-4
Executive Summary and Emerging Themes
Slides 5-7
About New Allies, Team Kentucky, Foster America
Slides 8-11 About the Baseline Report Slide 12 Foster America’s Co-design Process Slides 13-16 Baseline Measures Slides 17-41 Lag and Lead Measures
Slides 42 Learnings Slide 43 Next Steps
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Summary
The Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) is focused on strengthening families by prioritizing prevention initiatives that provide the resources and support necessary for families to stay together and thrive. Despite a nationwide decline in the number of children in foster care, many families still enter the system without accessing vital prevention services that could stabilize them and reduce the risk of initial or repeat foster care involvement. To address this, Kentucky DCBS aims to identify and provide families with the resources they need to raise their children safely without resorting to child welfare system intervention. The approach includes using baseline data to assess the current state in key areas such as permanency, entry into care, re-entry into care, and timeliness of support services. By streamlining data collection and analysis, DCBS can quickly track progress, identify areas for improvement, and discover opportunities for success in supporting families.
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Theme 1: Empowering Families and Support Networks to Increase Timely Permanency for Children ➔ Increased family involvement in case planning ➔ Boost child and family engagement in decision-making ➔ Inclusion of additional support persons in Family Team Meetings Theme 2: Leveraging Data for Continuous Improvement ➔ Robust data collection and analysis to track key metrics (e.g., maltreatment recurrence, family involvement) ➔ Refined data mining and dissemination to improve process to track referrals, initial contacts, and service access Theme 3: Enhancing Efficiency and Timeliness in Case Processing ➔ Timeliness of Family Team Meetings ➔ Expedited reunification conferences ➔ Reducing maltreatment recurrence Theme 4: Building Capacity for Systemic Transformation ➔ Leadership engagement and technical assistance to support growth ➔ System mapping and outcome tracking Kentucky DCBS Baseline Report: Emerging Themes
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About the Partners
About: A support initiative of Youth Villages that helps child welfare leaders in
About: The cabinet that serves as the governing body over all health and family services administered by the State of Kentucky. Mission: To be a diverse and inclusive organization providing programs, services, and supports that protect and promote the health and well-being of all Kentuckians and their communities.
About: A nonprofit seeking to ensure all families have the resources they need, resulting in fewer child welfare investigations resulting from poverty and, consequently, a smaller foster care system. Mission: Together with communities, Foster America transforms systems that serve children, youth, and families by innovating for a more just, equitable future.
states and counties navigate long-term, sustainable system transformation.
Mission: To transform child welfare systems across the country and give children and families their best chance at long-term success.
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Areas of Focus
Improving timely reunification
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➔ Leveraging collaboration with/among libraries to enhance availability of prevention services to families ➔ Supporting collaboration among service and resource providers in one to three areas with the intention of developing a strategy for establishing resource hubs ➔ Reducing out-of-home placement and improving timely reunification ➔ Shifting the mindset of both the child welfare workforce and communities to prioritize prevention over foster care ➔ Transitioning to a system that proactively offers support and resources when families need them ➔ Honoring commitment to the communities and citizens of KY
➔ Co-designing baseline measures to assess the impact and influence of the strategies enacted under the guidance of New Allies and to support the vision of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) ➔ Evaluating the KY DCBS system and leveraging assets of the state jurisdiction
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Aligning KY DCBS Mission with New Allies Initiatives
KY DCBS Mission Statement Build an effective and efficient system of care within Kentucky citizens and communities by:
New Allies Initiatives ➔
Improving timely reunification Leveraging collaboration with/among libraries to enhance availability of prevention services to families Supporting collaboration among service and resource providers in one to three areas with the intention of developing a strategy for establishing resource hubs
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Reducing poverty and the effects of child and adult maltreatment. Promoting self-sufficiency, recovery, and resiliency for individuals and families. Ensuring that all children have safe and nurturing homes and communities. Recruiting and retaining a workforce and partners who operate with integrity and transparency.
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Purpose of the Baseline Report
This report highlights the baseline development facilitated by Foster America during the Discovery and Engagement process with Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) and New Allies from March 5-7, 2024, with continued engagement through Fall 2024.
The
Baseline
Report:
➔ Establishes the starting point for the 3-year engagement among Kentucky DCBS, New Allies, and Foster America. ➔ Provides a snapshot of the current conditions, measurements, and performance levels before any changes or interventions are introduced. ➔ Identifies the lag and lead measures that are most important to Kentucky DCBS to achieve their general system goals. ➔ Utilizes the New Allies Kentucky Initiatives to ensure the measurement is focused on the impact of strategies being tested in Kentucky.
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Key Terms and Definitions
Baseline: Static measures reflecting a current state at a point in time before an intervention is tested.
ACRONYMS
Foster America (FA) Kentucky (KY) Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) New Allies (NA) Proof Point (PP) State Jurisdiction (SJ)
Baseline Measures: ➔ Lag measures: Long-term metrics, which typically require extended periods to reflect change. ➔ Lead measures: Metrics tracking short-term activities that indicate progress toward achieving the identified lag measures.
Baseline Report: Initial report that assesses the lag and lead measures. Provides a point-in-time snapshot of the jurisdiction’s current state at the start of the engagement.
Engagement: Collecting, reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions in a specific child welfare state jurisdiction over a three-year period while maintaining ongoing communication with child welfare leadership and data teams to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with state objectives.
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Key Terms and Definitions (cont.)
Foster America Co-design Process: Working with the child welfare leadership, child welfare data team, New Allies, and additional partners to support sustained child welfare transformation and innovation within a designated jurisdiction by developing baseline measures and generating ongoing outcome reports. Outcome Report: Report issued every 6 months after the initial baseline report to assess the progress of lag and lead measures and the effectiveness of the engagement’s interventions and implementation strategies.
New Allies Proof Points: Priorities to guide innovation during the ongoing discovery and engagement among New Allies, the state jurisdictions, and collaborative partners.
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Data Sources for Baseline Report
➔ Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) ◆
Received lag and lead baseline data from child welfare reports already produced within the state jurisdiction by the KY DCBS data team.
➔ Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) ◆
Collects case-level information on all children in foster care and those who have been adopted with Title IV-E agency involvement.
➔ National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) ◆
Annually collects and analyzes data on child abuse and neglect known to child protective agencies in the U.S.
➔ National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) ◆
Supports data sharing through its child maltreatment listserve of child abuse and neglect data. Funded by the Children’s Bureau—Office of the Administration for Children and Families.
Casey Family Programs ◆
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Data Advocacy team
◆ Works with child welfare systems to build capacity to support data-driven prioritization and decision-making. The team analyzes data to track progress and drive change in child welfare.
Child and Family Services Review (CFSRs) ◆ CFSRs—The Children's Bureau—An Office of the Administration for Children & Families ◆ Periodic federal reviews of state child welfare systems.
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Foster America’s Approach to
CO-DESIGN
Discovery: Co-design (Virtual) Session 1: Provided technical assistance to Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) about the baseline development process and introduced lag and lead measures. (Two-day Site Visit) Sessions 2 and 3: Session 2: Facilitated the co-design process to define lag measures. Session 3: Facilitated the co-design process to define lead measures.
Engagement/Evaluation: Post-Session
Work with Kentucky DCBS to draft baseline measures in the lag and lead measure overview. Work with the Kentucky DCBS data team to gather data on measures proposed. Continue to engage the Kentucky DCBS leadership and data team to track and evaluate progress of lag and lead measures. Release the outcome report every 6 months in partnership with the Kentucky DCBS data team. Provide data technical assistance and additional co-design sessions as needed.
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Lag Measure Examples (Federal Definitions)
Children and youth who enter care during the reporting period and achieve permanency within 12 months. Permanency from Entry
Youth who re-enter care in a 12-month reporting period out of all children and youth who exited to permanency. Re-Entry to Foster Care
Children and youth in foster care on the last day of the reporting period (per 1,000 children in the general population). In-Care Rate
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Lead Measures Examples
Describe the efficiency and efficacy of a process; for example, how service plans are matched to the family’s needs. Quality Measures
Capacity Measures
Proceedings that impact outcomes. For example, “complete case reviews of all children in care longer than 24 months.” Process Measures
Resources required or relied on, including:
Staff capacity
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Materials Financing
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Questions to Inform Baseline Measures
How might Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS)... ➔ reduce out-of-home placement and ensure timely reunification when foster care is necessary? ➔ prioritize prevention over foster care? ➔ transition from a reactive child welfare system to one that offers support and resources to families when they need them? ➔ commit to the communities and citizens of KY to reduce foster care placements?
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Data Collection: Mixed Methodology
Foster America employs both quantitative and qualitative data collection to inform the initial baseline measures, ensuring a comprehensive approach to our data collection. ➔ Quantitative data is gathered from the state jurisdiction data team, federal AFCARS, NCANDS, CFSRs, and Casey Family Services (see slide 8 for the sources of data definitions and websites). ➔ Qualitative data is gathered from the state jurisdiction leadership team through the Foster America co-design process (see slide 9 for the approach). Tools such as system mapping, surveys, focus groups, and other activities, as appropriate, inform the development of the baseline measures. Foster America will always seek to utilize state jurisdiction data first. Outside data sources may be used to complete baseline and upcoming outcome reports to: ➔ Compare federal or national outcomes to the state jurisdiction. ➔ Report national findings as the baseline outcome for a measure when the state jurisdiction does not currently collect data for a specific measure. While Foster America does not report on causation, we use data to identify progress and support the state jurisdiction with the information needed to make the changes necessary within their system to impact the capacity, process, and quality of service affirmatively to keep children and families out of the system and safely functioning in the community.
The baseline report provides a starting point from which we will report changes and outcomes every 6 months.
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Lag and Lead Baseline Measures Kentucky DBCS
Summary of Lag and Lead Baseline Measures for Kentucky DCBS
Lag Measure 1: Removals resulting in reunification ➔ Lead Measure 1: ◆ Reunification conferences occurring within 10 days ➔ Lead Measure 1a: ◆
Case plans are individualized and developed with the family
Lead Measure 1b: ◆ Days between referral for services and prevention strategy (case plan development)
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Lag Measure 2: Children who re-enter care in a 12-month period of exiting to permanency ➔ Lead Measure 2: ◆ Outcome of Case-specific reviews ➔ Lead Measure 2a: ◆ Referrals for reunification and in-home services made throughout the duration of the case Lag Measure 3: In-care rate ➔ Lead Measure 3: ◆ Timely reunification service referrals by region Lag Measure 4: Reunification based on Placement Type ➔ Lead Measure 4: ◆ Placements with relatives or fictive kin
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Summary of Lag and Lead Baseline Measures for Kentucky DCBS
Lag Measure 5: Disproportionality rate in care ➔ Lead Measure 5: ◆
Children from different racial/ethnic backgrounds referred to child welfare services and screened in for investigation ◆ Racial/ethnic disproportionality in out-of-home placement ➔ Lead Measure 5a: ◆ Racial/Ethnic differences in time spent away from family ➔ Lead Measure 5b: ◆ Racial/Ethnic differences in reunification Lag Measure 6: Permanency achieved within 12 months and 0-3 months after entry ➔ Lead Measure 6: ◆ Number of days from referral to beginning evidence-based prevention strategy Lag Measure 7: Maltreatment recurrence in 6 months and maltreatment recurrence in 12 months ➔ Lead Measure 7: ◆ Number of timely Family Team Meetings ➔ Lead Measure 7a: ◆ Participants in Family Team Meetings
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BASELINE MEASURES
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Lag Measure 1: Percentage of Removals Resulting in Reunification Within 12 Months
Why is the lag baseline measure important? Measuring time to reunification within 12 months of entry helps the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) understand and improve the dynamics of the reunification process, optimize placement strategies, and ensure that children have the best possible chance of returning to their families in a timely manner. What is significant about this graph? AFCARS data over a four-year lookback period indicate that there has been a gradual increase in reunifications until 2022, followed by a slight decrease in the percentage of reunifications within 12 months of entry.
Data Source: Data Advocacy, Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Data Source: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. BA Fiscal Year Format (ex. 2019 would be 04/01/2019 - 3/31/2020)Prepared by Foster America 21
Lead Measure 1: Reunification Conferences Occurring within 10 days
Why is the lead baseline measure important? The Kentucky Department of Community Based Services Standards of Practice Online Manual (4.17 Preparation for and Completion of the Ten (10) Day Conference) provides guidance on involving parents in the case planning process. The Ten-Day Conference ensures the reunification process is effective, timely, and collaborative. It contributes to better outcomes for children and families by addressing potential issues early, involving parents in the process, and maintaining a focus on successful reunification. This metric is intended to demonstrate the number and percentage of reunification conferences occurring within 10 days. The denominator is all family conferences during a set period, and the numerator is all family conferences occurring timely. What is significant about this graph? Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) data indicates most family reunification conferences do not occur within 10 days.
Data Source: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. | Prepared by Foster America Resource: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services Standards of Practice Online Manual, Section 4.17 https://manuals-sp-chfs.ky.gov/chapter4/Pages/4-17.aspx
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Lead Measure 1a: Case Plans Individualized and Developed with the Family
Why is the lead baseline measure important? Family involvement is essential for creating effective, practical, and sustainable solutions for families in the child welfare system. It ensures that interventions are tailored to specific needs, promotes family engagement and empowerment, and ultimately leads to better outcomes for children and families. What is significant about this graph? Case reviews conducted for the CFSR between 2019 and a portion of 2024 reflect an increase in child and family involvement in case planning. There is a steady increase starting in Period b 2021.
23 Data source: KY DCBS Data Team. Quality Case review data conducted for the CFSR from 2019-2024 includes a sample of cases. Period A: January-June. Period B*:July-December
Lead Measure 1b: Days Between Referral for Services and Prevention Strategy (Case Plan Development)
Why is this lead baseline measure important? Essential for ensuring that families receive timely and effective support, which can accelerate more successful reunifications, improve outcomes, reduce the child's time away from home, and enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of child welfare systems. What is significant about this graph? The average number of days from referral to prevention strategy remains consistently under ten days throughout this period. There is no indication from this data that there is a delay in referral for services and prevention strategy. It should also be noted that the number of cases does not necessarily have a visible impact on the number of days between referral and prevention strategy.
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Data Source: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. | Prepared by Foster America
Lag Measure 2: Children who Re-enter Care in a 12-month Period of Exiting to Permanency
Why is the lag baseline measure important? Children and youth who exit foster care to a stable placement should remain in that situation without disruption when appropriate services and supports are provided. The federal standard is 5.6%. National performance fluctuations over the period are represented in the national reentry line in the graph. What is significant about this graph? The NCANDS and AFCARS data during the five-year look-back period indicate that Kentucky remains above the federal standard of 5.6% and above the national performance rate depicted in the red line.
25 Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Data Source: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. CFSR 4. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 2: Outcome of Case-Specific Reviews
What is significant about this graph? KY DCBS data indicates a steady decrease from 2023-2024 Period A of Need Assessments and Services for Foster Parents and an increase in the number of Needs Assessments and Services for Child and Family Connections from 2022-2024. Resource: CFSR General Fact Sheet
Why is the lead baseline measure important? Case reviews are important because they allow the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) to determine pain points, court barriers, and practices that contribute to reunification. The denominator is N—all cases eligible for review in the chart to the right, and the numerator is all cases found in compliance.
Data source: KY DCBS Data Team 10.24.24. Prepared by Foster America. Quality Case review data conducted for the CFSR from 2019 - 2024 includes a sample of cases. Period A is January-June and Period B is July-December.
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Lead Measure 2a: Referrals for Reunification and In-home Services Made Throughout the Duration of the Case
Why is this lead baseline measure important? Early referrals contribute to better preparation, reduced delays, improved outcomes, and overall more successful reunifications. Reunification referrals occur at the time of reunification, and in-home services can occur throughout the entire tenure of the case. What is significant about this graph? Kentucky Department for Children and Family Services (DCBS) data indicates the cases for which a prevention strategy has been identified. 1200 referrals were made for prevention programming, while only 181 were for reunification. Two-thirds of referrals were to motivational interviewing.
Data Source: Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. The timeframe of data collection for this graph is 3/2021–9/2024. Prepared by Foster America
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Lag Measure 3: In-Care Rate
Why is the lag baseline measure important? The measure helps the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (KY DCBS) ensure that only the children who are at imminent risk enter the foster care system. Children and families thrive in their own communities with the right supports. Children who require KY DCBS should remain in care only as long as necessary for their families to address the circumstances that led to the child’s entry. This indicates the number of children and youth in the foster care population on the last day of the reporting period per 1,000 children and youth in the general population. What is significant about these graphs? Per the AFCARS data, over a four-year period, there is a visible decrease in children per capita in foster care in Kentucky on the last day of the reporting period.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 3: Timely Reunification Service Referrals by Region
Why is the lead baseline measure important? This measure is crucial for identifying regional disparities, managing resources effectively, addressing gaps in service availability, and ensuring timely access to reunification support for families. Effective resource management processes for improving access to services, ensuring equitable distribution, and enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the reunification process support timely reunification. Referral timeframes are categorized into less than 12 months, 12-24 months, and over 24 months of the child’s placement. What is significant about this graph? Data received from the Kentucky DCBS indicates that the majority of referrals are being completed in all regions within the first 12 months.
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Data Source: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services | Data Source: Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. | Prepared by Foster America
Lag Measure 4: Reunification (Within 12 Months) Based on Placement Type
Why is the lag baseline measure important? Measuring time to reunification based on placement type helps child welfare agencies understand and improve the dynamics of the reunification process, optimize placement strategies, and ensure that children have the best possible chance of returning to their families in a timely manner. What is significant about the graph? NCANDS and AFCARS data indicate that approximately 25% of children reunified within 12 months were placed with a relative as their last placement prior to reunification. This is an increase from previous years where children placed in group homes had higher percentages of reunification.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy, Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 4: Placements with Relatives or Fictive Kin
Why is this lead baseline measure important? Monitoring the percentage of placements with relatives is crucial for promoting family connections, improving child outcomes, and aligning with best practices in child welfare. Placements with relatives help maintain cultural, familial, and community connections, which are important for a child's identity and stability. They also strengthen family networks and build a support system for the child and their family. This metric reflects the number of children placed with family members (relatives) or fictive kin as opposed to non-relative foster care or other care settings. This graph displays the percentage of youth in placement who are with kin at any given point in time. What is significant about this graph? AFCARS data indicates over a 5-year look-back period, the percentage of children placed with relatives or fictive kin in Kentucky was lower than the national percentage.
Data Source: Data Advocacy Casey Family Programs: 08.20.2024 Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
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Lag Measure 5: Disproportionality rate in care
Why is the lag baseline measure important? Children and families from different identity groups are often represented disproportionately, which may lead to services being provided differently and may result in disparate outcomes for these children and families. The percentage that a specific group makes up in the general population divided by the percentage that the same group makes up of a specific case point (e.g., screened-in, foster care entry, in-care…). A Disproportionality Index is generally communicated in a number. What is significant about this graph? The AFCARS data over a four-year look-back period indicate that children who classify as Multi-Racial have the highest rate of disproportionality in care.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 5: Children from Different Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds Referred to Child Welfare Services and Screened in for Investigation
Why is the lead baseline measure important? It is essential to identify and address disparities, target resources effectively, enhance cultural competence, and promote fairness and equity in service delivery. This approach provides valuable insights for improving the overall effectiveness and inclusivity of the child welfare system. This data quantifies the proportion of referrals to child welfare services made for children belonging to various racial and ethnic groups and helps track and analyze how referrals are distributed across different demographic groups. This is a unique count of children (<age 18) screened in per 1,000 children in the general population. What is significant about this graph? The NCANDS data over a four-year lookback period indicate that children who classify as Multi-Racial or Asian/Pacific Islander have the highest rate of being screened in for investigation from 2022–23.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 5: Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality Entering Out of Home Placement
Why is the lead baseline measure important? It is crucial for identifying and addressing disparities, improving equity, and enhancing the overall effectiveness of the child welfare system. Allows agencies to assess whether the child welfare system is equitable in its approach to placing children and whether certain groups are more frequently subjected to removal from their homes, prompting a review of the factors contributing to these disparities and driving efforts to ensure fair treatment for all families. Focuses on the proportion of children from each racial or ethnic group who enter the foster care system or other out-of-home placements compared to their representation in the general population. Number of children entering care underage 18 per 1,000 children in the general population. What is significant about this graph? According to AFCARS data over the past five years, multi-racial and Black youth have been placed in out-of-home care at disproportionately higher rates compared to their representation in the general population.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 5a: Race/Ethnic Differences in Time Spent Away From Family
Why is the lead baseline measure important? It helps identify if there are disparities in how long children from different backgrounds remain in out-of-home care. Means to ensure that all children have equitable opportunities for reunification, informs necessary policy changes, and supports better outcomes for children and families. This is the average length of time children spend in out-of-home care for different racial or ethnic backgrounds prior to exiting foster care. What is significant about this graph? The average days in care are generally consistent between racial groups. There is a slight increase for Black/African American children in 2023 - 2024.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 5b: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Reunification
Why is the lead baseline measure important? Comparing reunification rates across racial and ethnic groups, this measure can uncover disparities in how quickly or effectively children from different backgrounds are reunified with their families. Vital for identifying and addressing disparities in the child welfare system. Promotes equity, informs policy and practice improvements, supports better outcomes for children, and enhances accountability and trust within the system. What is significant about the graph? It is necessary to engage in further evaluation regarding marginalized communities and the variability of their reunification rates over time. Without further root cause analysis, there isn’t sufficient information or data to make conclusions from the baseline.
Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Data Source: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained From NDACAN Numerator: Children exiting to reunification within 12 months of entry. Denominator: Children entering in the listed 12-month period. Prepared by Foster America
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Lag Measure 6: Permanency Achieved within 3 or 12 Months After Entry
What is significant about these graphs? The AFCARS and NCANDS data indicate that approximately 25% of children who enter foster care achieve permanency within 3 months, and over 40% of children who enter foster care achieve permanency within 12 months of entry. This is slightly higher than the federal standard of 35.2%. Further assessment of the percentage of children returning home within 3 months should be explored as well to determine whether these children could remain at home.
Why is the lag baseline measure important? Children who can exit foster care within the first 12 months of placement can experience stability more rapidly. Ensuring timely service referrals and engagement with the family and children are essential contributors to this.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 6: Number of Days from Referral to Beginning Evidence-Based Prevention Strategy
Why is the lead baseline measure important? Children and families benefit from timely referrals to the best services to meet their needs. Ensuring that referrals are made timely and service providers engage families timely is critical to addressing risk and ensuring permanency. What is significant about this graph? Prevention strategy is being developed within 10 days of referrals for reunification services on average, unless there are multiple referrals for services for more than one evidence-based program.
Data Source: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services Title IV-E Prevention Plan, KYDCBS Standard of Practice Manual, Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. | Prepared by Foster America
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Lag Measure 7: Maltreatment Recurrence at 6 and 12 Months
Why is the lag baseline measure important? It is critical that children who experience maltreatment not be exposed to repeated events of maltreatment, as their needs are best met during the first intervention or prior. What is significant about this graph? The NCANDS data indicate the rate of maltreatment recurrence within 12 months has exceeded the current federal standard of 9.7% for the previous 6 years.
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Data Source: Data Advocacy,Casey Family Programs 8.23.24 | Datasource: public NCANDS and AFCARS files obtained from NDACAN. Prepared by Foster America.
Lead Measure 7: Number of Timely Family Team Meetings
Why is the lead baseline measure important? Quality/timely Family Team Meetings (FTMs) are critical to ensuring families and children receive quality services and are included in the planning process. They are crucial for ensuring early intervention, effective family engagement, and proper coordination of services. They support an efficient and collaborative approach to case management, ultimately improving outcomes for children and families. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of recurrence or repeated child welfare involvement by building a strong team. Per policy requirements, FTMs are to occur 90 calendar days after a child enters out-of-home care, within 30 calendar days of reunification, and at other critical junctures as requested by the family or Kentucky DCBS. Denominator is all completed FTMs. Numerator is all FTMs occurring within 30 or 90 days, depending on case status. What is significant about this graph? This demonstrates that the number of FTMs occurring has increased over the seven-year period. However, the percentage completed within 90 days is decreasing.
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Data Source: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. | Prepared by Foster America
Lead Measure 7a: Participants in Family Team Meetings
Why is the lead baseline measure important? Engaging youth, families, attorneys, and other stakeholders in Family Team Meetings (FTMs) allows for early identification of strengths and opportunities and creates a team around the family. Inclusion of a wide range of participants benefits the family. There is currently no target number identified by the Kentucky Department for Children and Family Services for this metric. This data takes into consideration both count and percentage of participants as the denominator and those in attendance by group as the numerator. Parents are required participants at FTMs. What is significant about this graph? Other individuals* comprise the largest percentage involved in the FTM process, at a percentage exceeding 40%. Relatives are the least likely to be included or participate in FTMs.
*Includes but is not limited to CASA representatives, court attorneys, and medical and mental health professionals.
41 Data Source: Kentucky Department of Community Based Services Data Team 9.24.2024—Commonwealth of Kentucky MOVEit System 9.24.24. | Prepared by Foster America. This data is for all FTMs completed between 2018 and 2024 for which participants were listed in the TWIST system. This excludes FTMs for which no participants were listed.
Learnings From Baseline Development
Kentucky DCBS Assets ➔
Achieving timely permanency
➔ Inclusion of other support persons in Family Team Meetings ➔ Decreasing re-entry rates ➔ Reduced population in care ➔ Increasing rates of child and family involvement in case planning per Child and Family Service Reviews ➔ Extensive data collection efforts
Kentucky DCBS Opportunities ➔
Increasing timeliness of 90-day Family Team Meetings Complete Reunification Conferences within 10 days Reduce maltreatment recurrence for children
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➔ Enhanced data collection strategy for referrals, initial contacts with families and slots available for evidence-based programs and home-based services ➔ Refinement of data mining and dissemination processes Foster America Recommendation: Continued engagement with the Kentucky DCBS Leadership and Data teams to complete system mapping and technical assistance to support the development of outcome reports that track progress on each of the metrics for which baseline data is presented.
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Steps Following the Baseline Report
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First Outcome Report July 2025
Second Outcome Report Quarter 4 2025
Baseline Report Completed November 2024
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