To ensure local child welfare is delivering quality service, internal and external evaluations regularly test the strength of the safety net.

National

Federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR): The US Department of Health and Human Services is mandated by law to conduct cyclical reviews of child welfare systems in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to improve national performance in addressing child abuse and neglect. In the District’s second CFSR in 2007, reviewers found local child welfare is meeting 100 percent of national system standards and also performing at a high level on national measures of positive outcomes for clients. See Related Documents below: 2007 CFSR Report Executive Summary , 2007 CFSR Report (January 2008), and DC comparison with other jurisdictions (March 2010).

Local

Track DC: Based on performance plans of city agencies, Track DC gives the public a window on agency performance.

• CFSA Track DC

Court Oversight: On December 17, 2010, US District Court Judge Thomas F. Hogan issued an Implementation and Exit Plan that supersedes and replaces the February 2007 Amended Implementation Plan in the  LaShawn lawsuit. The Implementation and Exit Plan includes the exit standards the District must achieve and maintain (Sections I and II) and the actions the District intends to undertake to meet the exit requirements (Section IV). For the first time, the Plan also includes clear sustainability and exit provisions (Section III). CFSA regularly tracks performance against a host of benchmarks in serving children and families.

Internal

Performance Scorecards: This report provides a monthly snapshot of CFSA and private child-placing agency performance on selected indicators. District child welfare is partially privatized, and these agencies are under contract to CFSA to manage about half the caseload of children and youth in out-of-home care. See Related Documents below: 2010  Performance Scorecards and 2009 Performance Scorecards.

Annual Public Report: Each year, CFSA evaluates citywide achievement in meeting requirements of the District’s Adoption and Safe Families Act. See Related Documents below.

Quality Service Reviews (QSRs): CFSA regularly uses this best-practice evaluation approach to gain insights into the quality of individual case management and how well the overall system is doing in meeting specific quality performance indicators. See Related Documents below.