A Snapshot of States' Child Welfare Data Systems of Record

The State Child Welfare Data Linkages (SCW) Descriptive Study (1) examined the extent to which child welfare agencies in 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia connected administrative data on child maltreatment to other data sources and (2) collected information about state practices related to sharing and connecting data. The SCW Descriptive study aims to provide novel information regarding state data linkages that may improve the ongoing and accurate surveillance of child maltreatment incidence and related risk. 

This brief highlights information gathered from a survey of state child welfare directors (or their designees) between July and October 2022. Forty-four states responded to the survey. This brief presents findings about states’ systems of record (i.e., the child welfare information system used to report to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)).

• States described the information system staff use to report to NCANDS. Most states reported having a legacy system (26 of 44). Eighteen states reported migrating a legacy system to a Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS). Twelve states reported having a CCWIS.
• Most states had connected data in their system of record on child abuse and neglect investigations (44 of 44 states), foster care placements (42 states), child welfare case management (42 states), services defined in the state’s Prevention Plan for the Family First Prevention Services Act (32 states), and Medicaid eligibility (29 states). Half of the states (22 states) had connected data on Temporary Assistance for Need Families and other child protective services contracted services.
• All states retain records on substantiated reports of child maltreatment and use them to conduct background checks for people who will be working with, fostering, or adopting children. However, states vary in their standards for expunging data—that is, removing old or inaccurate records related to child maltreatment reports that are not substantiated.

This brief presents descriptive findings from a high-level web survey of state child welfare directors.

Varley, B., J. Lee, and M.C. Bradley. “A Snapshot of States’ Connected Child Welfare Data and Expunctions.” OPRE Report #2024-XXX. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024.