Data Entry

A youth leaves placement because he/she has reached the age of majority (not an AB12 case but has the option of Reentry at a later date). Do these cases get closed under a "suspended caseload" so that it can be re-opened in the future as a Reentry?

The user will end the case and obtain approval on CWS/CMS. There are four Placement Episode Termination reasons: NMD eligible for reentry, NRLG Eligible for Reentry, NMD Age Limit Exit, and NRLG Age Limit Exit.

For further information regarding CWS/CMS and AB12, please refer to: R6.6_Release_Notes.pdf (Document is available upon request from Customer Relations)

When a closed case is re-opened for Reentry purposes what is the "suspension reason"? Is the "suspension reason" documented at the time the case is being closed or is that something that is only addressed at time of re-opening a closed case?

There are three values available in the application specific to re-entry in the Reason for Suspension drop down box:

NMD Reentry as 300
NMD Reentry as 450
Nonminor Non- related Legal Guard Reentry

The Reason for Suspension is documented in the application at the time of re-opening a closed case.

Who has the ability to reopen a closed case? Is it only the person who closed the case in the first place? Is it a County Administrator? Can a supervisor or other available staff re-open a closed case and how?

A non-CWD case can only be reopened in the county in which it was last opened and you must have county administrator privilege or be the supervisor of the last primary assignment.

To re-open the Case:

Go to the Case notebook, Assignment page
Click the History button, and retrieve all Assignment History. The Reopen Closed Case option on the menu bar will not be enabled until all Assignment History has been retrieved.
Go to the Action drop-down menu and select Reopen Closed Case. The Reopen / Suspend Case dialog will appear. You have the option of reopening the Case with or without a Suspension period. If you wish to re-open the case without a Suspension, click OK (No is already selected as the default option). If you wish to document a Suspension period, change the option button to 'Yes', then complete the mandatory fields and click OK.
If the Case has been reopened without a Suspension period and you later realize it should have had a Suspension, go to the Case ID page. There you can enter the Suspension period in the Case Suspension frame. This frame only shows for Cases that have been reopened. Adding a row to the grid will bring up the Reopen / Suspend Case dialog. When invoked from the Case ID page the dialog looks a little different than when invoked from the Action menu. The Yes/No options will not be available as the Case is already opened. The purpose of this dialog from the Case ID page is to enter the Suspension period.

Probation renews the SOC 161 Six Month Certification of EFC Participation with Participation Activities and submits it to an eligibility worker every six months. Initially the Participation Codes are entered in CWS/CMS with certification dates. Do the Participation Codes in CWS/CMS have to be renewed/updated every time the SOC161 form is renewed/updated?

Codes have to be updated but the dates do not.

Do the Participation Codes in CWS/CMS have to be changed in the system when the Participation Activity changes?

Yes. The codes have to be changed.

CWS has a section to enter the TILP date & 90 Day Transition Plan date. Do these sections only have to be completed prior to closing a case or does the TILP date have to be added/updated every 6 months in CWS/CMS too even though Probation does not utilize the Case Plan Documents from CWS/CMS?

The TILP is updated every 6-months. Dates are to be entered in CWS/CMS.

For AB12 cases, does Probation have to update the Case Plan goal section in CWS/CMS to reflect Permanent Connections? If so does this update only occur once when a case is transferred to AB12?

Yes to both questions.

When a PO reviews/updates a Case Plan with an NMD, does that get entered in CWS as an Associated Service?

It is recorded as a Delivered Service.

Do we have to enter in CWS/CMS the date the Mutual Agreement was signed for every case or Reentry cases only?

The Mutual Agreement fields are only available for data entry when the active Case Service Component is Supportive Transition.

What Special Project Codes are important to ensure compliance with CWS/CMS for AB12 cases?

Special Project Codes were end dated when the code drops were released with Release 6.7.

When entering a new SILP for an NMD, are counties required to complete the HEP to SCP and Siblings placed together (periwinkle fields)? If so, what date are they using for the HEP, which should have been given to the youth at 18?

A SILP is "self-placement" and not placement with a caregiver (SCP). We give SCPs a copy of the Health Education Passport (HEP) when the youth is placed with a new caregiver. Youths also receive a copy of the HEP when they age out of the system.

What Placement Episode Termination reason should be used for NMD's who leave EFC services?

The Placement Episode Termination reason is "Age of Majority" or "Emancipation".

The curriculum leaves out the need to enter an adjusted capacity of 1 when creating the SILP as a placement home (Page 27 of the NMD-SILP section which doesn't have its own tab and is behind Placement.) Is this needed for the SOC 158?

This information is not on the SOC158.

Is data being drawn from CWS/CMS regarding Probation staff monthly contacts with SCP's?

It is not being reported for AFCARS but it is required under the Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSR) Division 31 regulations.

There may be some differences in how counties view NMD status, such as continuing 602 status beyond 18 (when the youth is still finishing high school) or changing the status to 450 for NMD. Which is the correct status?

Foster youth under the supervision of probation may be eligible to continue in the EFC Program in one of three jurisdictional statuses: transition jurisdiction 450, dependency Jurisdiction 300 (new or resumed), or continued delinquency jurisdiction 602. The criteria for these statuses are:

Transitional Jurisdiction 450:

Older than 17 years, five months and younger than 18 years and in foster care placement.
Has met the rehabilitative goals set forth in their case plan.

Dependency Jurisdiction 300:

Does not meet the criteria for 450 status and cannot be returned home safely.
Has met their rehabilitative goals.
Are younger than age 18.

Delinquency Jurisdiction 602:

On or after their 18th birthday
They are on an order for foster care placement that occurred no later than their 18th birthday and are not yet 19 years old.

All County Letter No. 11-85 contains further clarification regarding NMD status.

For which probation youth must data be entered into the CWS/CMS?

Probation departments must enter data for foster care youth in AFDC-FC funded foster care placements under a Juvenile Court foster care placement order. This includes federally eligible, state eligible and county-only placements. Target populations include youth:

Placed in licensed foster care, group homes or Foster Family Agencies.
Placed with relatives or Non-Relative Extended Family Member (NREFM) caregivers based upon an approved assessment, in addition to the placement order.
Placed in Transition Housing.
In out of home placement receiving 163 Wraparound services. This does not include children returned to their primary family as this is not considered out of home care.
In a court ordered placement in an unapproved caregiver home.
Placed in Tribal Approved homes, (IV-E eligible tribes).
With a foster care placement order in place and are awaiting placement.

All County Letter No. 11-85 contains further clarification regarding NMD status.

What data elements are probation departments required to enter into CWS/CMS?

Codes have to be updated but the dates do not.

Probation Access Data Fields document (available upon request from Customer Relations) lists each of the data fields that impact AFCARS, NCANDS, NYTD and CFSR-Outcome Measure reports. The pages in the CWS/CMS application where they are entered are also listed. The fields checked in the column headed "Mandatory" are there not to indicate they are required entries by probation staff, but to indicate that the system defines them as mandatory, and will require an entry be made before the user is permitted to save to the database. The document can be printed for reference.

Note: Mandatory Fields: In the Probation Access Data Fields guide, the fields marked in the column labeled "Mandatory" do not necessarily indicate that they are required entries for probation staff. Rather, they are fields that when "activated" by a data entry linked to that field (either by appearing in the same page or frame, or by being linked by a business rule to a field that the user has entered data into) the system will define them as mandatory. This requires an entry be made in that field before the user is permitted to save to the database. If the user does not navigate to a specific page or notebook to which the field is linked, in most cases, the field will not trigger the mandatory entry requirement in the application.

What is the Start Date for Probation Cases?

Here are four scenarios that have been asked for case start date:

A child is new to probation. What is the case start date?
- Answer: The case start date is the date of the placement order.
A child is a 300 case. The 300 dependency is terminated. The child enters probation. What is the case start date?
- Answer: The case start date is the date of the new placement order.
A child is in an open 300 case in CWS. While in an open 300 case, the child becomes a probation (600) case. What is the case start date?
- Answer: When a case is transferring jurisdiction (300 case to a 600 case) the case start date is the date that the probation court orders placement.
- In out of home placement receiving 163 Wraparound services. This does not include children returned to their primary family as this is not considered out of home care.
A child is in an open 300 case in CWS. The child is subsequently ordered to a delinquency placement (300 to 600). How should this placement be entered into CWS
- Answer: CWS does not maintain the original removal date information when a child is migrated between 300 and 600 (or vice versa). The current case (300) must be closed and a new case created with a new placement episode (600). To reflect the continuous placement for the youth (bridge the episodes for reporting purposes), the start date of the subsequent placement must be within 24 hours of the previous end date.

Note: On the Probation SOC 158, the child removed from home date (D-5) that started the placement episode must be the same as the original 300 case removed from home date. Because of limitations in the CWS/CMS, the removal date may need to be manually edited. This maintains the linkage for IV-E eligibility. For further information on completing the SOC 158A, please refer to ACIN #I-31-11.

How much case history has to be entered into CWS/CMS for a probation youth?

At a minimum, case information should be entered that covers the current open placement episode. CWS/CMS is used statewide by child welfare and probation departments. The benefit of having a statewide system is the ability to access information on clients/probation youth that move from place to place. Having history of current and prior referrals, services, and interventions may affect the outcomes for the children and families that are served.

What is the Case Closure date?

The case closure date for a probation case is the date when:

Wardship is terminated.
The minor has aged out of the system and the placement order has been vacated.
The minor is sentenced to a correctional facility.
The out of home placement order has been terminated, revoked, or lifted (minor may still be on probation).
The minor's case has been transferred to Dependency Court.

How do I obtain a State Identification (or C-IV/CALWIN) number to enter into CWS/CMS?

The State ID number is assigned by county eligibility. Your county Probation Department must develop a business process to obtain the State ID number from your eligibility department.

When a Probation youth is AWOL, how is this entered into CWS/CMS?

The following information must be documented in CWS/CMS for a minor who is AWOL:

Identify the minor as AWOL.
The placement is closed with the Placement End Date as the date that the youth is determined to be AWOL.
When the youth returns, placements (non-foster care and foster care) are entered into the open placement episode.
The Placement Episode remains open until the Court has changed the out of home placement order.