_/é_ ASPE OFFICE OF HUMAN SERVICES POLICY BRIEF

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR
November 2023

PLANNING AND EVALUATION

Project Update: Child Welfare and Health Infrastructure for
Linking and Data Analysis of Resources, Effectiveness, and
Needs (CHILDREN) Initiative

Brett Greenfield, Laura Chadwick, Emily Madden and Marissa Abbott

 

This brief describes progress inthe Child Welfare and Health Infrastructure for Linking and Data Analysis of
Resources, Effectiveness,and Needs (CHILDREN]) Initiative, which is entering its second year. At this time,
four jurisdictions have been selected for participationin the CHILDRE N Initiative and are engaging in
feasibility studies to determine readiness for linking data between child welfare and Medicaid for children
and caregivers engaged in child welfare systems.

BACKGROUND ON THE CHILDREN INITIATIVE

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) launched the CHILDREN initiative
to help public child welfare and Medicaid agencies enhance their data infrastructure tosupport the
implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA; P.L. 115-123), which changed how
states and tribes may use funding available through Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. The CHILDREN
initiative is being implemented by Mathematica, and supports public child welfare and Medicaid agencies
to: (1) improve the delivery and oversight of services, (2) enhance the agencies' abilityto monitor program
spending, and (3) conduct cross-program researchand evaluation of service outcomes. Developing
sustainable, integrated data systems with linked child welfare and Medicaid data can advance the care
coordination and oversight of Title IV-E prevention services and congregate care services. CHILDREN builds
on a previous collaboration between ASPE and the Administration for Children and Families, "Child and
Caregiver Outcomes through Linked Data." That project involved a federal partnership with Florida and
Kentucky to link child welfare and Medicaid records, producing a research use data set and other materials
that share lessons learned for similar linking efforts.

SITE SELECTION

Mathematica reached out to eighteen jurisdictions, worked with eleven jurisdictions to determine
eligibility and interest, and assessed capacity with seven jurisdictions. After initial assessmentsand
consultation between ASPE and Mathematica, four jurisdictions were invited to participate in the
CHILDREN initiative: District of Columbia, lowa, Oregon, and Wyoming. States were selected based on
fulfilling key selection criteria including having: approved FFPSA prevention services plans, buy-in from
both child welfare and Medicaid agencies, existing infrastructure tosupport data collection and linkage,
and experience using and analyzing data.

NEXT STEPS

Conduct feasibility studies. Mathematica will work with public agencies from the four jurisdictions to
determine their readiness and assess their capacity and infrastructure to link and analyze these data. This
includes identifying purposes for the linked data, determining infrastructure required to effectively use
linked data, as well as what is needed to develop this infrastructure. Following the completion of the
feasibility studies, the CHILDREN Initiative will work with selected states to: 1) develop datasets and data
systems with linked records, 2) conduct analyses using linked data, and 3) document challenges and
lessons learned throughout the process.

To stayup todate on the CHILDREN Initiative, please visit Mathematica's project page here.

aspe.hhs.gov