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Methodology 4B(1&2) Least Restrictive Placement—First & Predominant

Report Description

This report provides information on entries to out-of-home care during the time period specified by (1) least restrictive first placement and (2) least restrictive predominant placement.

Refresh Schedule

This report is refreshed quarterly. For information on publication schedules, please refer to Source Data below.

Time Periods

This report uses rolling year time periods. Available Intervals: Jan-Dec, Apr-Mar, Jul-Jun, & Oct-Sep. The option to display All intervals is also offered. The earliest available time period for this report is Jan 1, 1998 – Dec 31, 1998. The end date of the most recent time period corresponds with the most recent quarterly extract. For Over Time Views you have the option to select the earliest year displayed, which controls the display for tables and graphs.

Report Data

This report uses the Foster Care Files. For information on these files, please refer to Source Data below.

Notes on Source Data

The main sources of data for this site are the University of California, Berkeley quarterly extracts from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS). These extracts are pulled approximately one month after each quarter ends, and the data are fully refreshed each quarter. Due to the time it takes to process, run, and validate the data, information on the website and in the California CWS Outcomes System reports is between three and six months old.

Refresh Schedule:

Extract name Data cutoff Website refreshed by
Quarter 1 April 1 July 1
Quarter 2 July 1 October 1
Quarter 3 October 1 January 1 (following year)
Quarter 4 January 1 April 1

For example, the CWS/CMS 2025 Quarter 3 Extract (Q3 25) reported on events up to the data cutoff of October 1, 2025. Reports based on the Q3 25 extract were available on the website by January 1, 2025.

For reporting purposes, we use the CWS/CMS extracts to construct three primary longitudinal analysis files types (allegation, foster care, and case) which track children’s histories in the Child Welfare System. In addition to specifying supervising county and capturing child-level demographics, these files include additional information:

Allegation File

– This file includes one row for each allegation for each child, including allegation type, reporter type, responses such as investigation, as well as allegation disposition (e.g., substantiated, inconclusive, and unfounded).

More information on the allegation file

Foster Care Files

– These files include one row for each placement home for each child, including dates of entries and exits to foster care, placement type, and length of stay.

More information on the foster care files

Case Files

– The primary file includes one row for each case service component for each child. Secondary files serve to locate cases within caseloads, offices, and counties. The files include information about children’s case services, including case openings and closings, and service components.

More information on the case files

Population Data Files

– Includes California Department of Finance (DOF) annual child population counts and Poverty Population Estimates derived from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).

More information on the population data files

Quarterly Wage File

– Quarterly Wage data from 1993 forward for all children age 16 and older with a record of an out-of-home foster care placement in the Child Welfare Services / Case Management System (CWS/CMS) since January 1, 1998.

More information on the quarterly wage file

Postsecondary Enrollment Data

– Postsecondary Enrollment data for children age 16 and older with a record of an out-of-home foster care placement in the Child Welfare Services / Case Management System (CWS/CMS).

More information on the postsecondary enrollment file

Important Note

Reports accessed from this page use pre-set filters. Default views of the data match the CWS Outcomes reports; that is, all entries (first entries and other entries), 8 days or more in care, and age 0 to 17 years. Records with missing placement type are excluded.

You can further explore these data through your selection of stratification options and application of additional filters.

Denominator

The denominator is the number of entries (first entry and other entry) for children and youth who enter foster care in a 12-month period. Children who are in foster care for less than 8 days are excluded. Children who enter foster care at age 18 or more are excluded. For 4B(1), records with missing first placement type are excluded; for 4B(2), records with missing predominant placement type are excluded.

Numerator

The numerator for 4B(1) is a distribution of children and youth with the indicated first placement type during the specified time period. First Placement Type is placement type on the first day of a placement episode. For 4B(2), the numerator is a predominant placement type distribution. Predominant Placement Type is the placement type that comprises more than 50% of foster care days spent in a placement type category during a placement episode.

Performance

The performance for 4B(1) is the count of each category in the distribution by first placement, divided by the denominator, and expressed as a percentage. 4B(2) is calculated in the same way, but makes use of the distribution by predominant placement.

Notes

For the 4B reports, intended to present a broad overview of trends, the following placement types, presented elsewhere as their own categories, are rolled into ‘Other’: Pre-Adopt, Court Specified, Tribally Approved Home, Non-Foster-Care, Guardian, Runaway, Trial Home Visit, Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP), Transitional Housing, Other, and, in the case of 4B(2), Mixed. The ‘Mixed’ placement type category in Measure 4B(2) is the predominant placement designation that applies when no placement type comprises more than 50% of a placement episode. For information regarding the construction of these categories, please see ‘Placement Type’ under Dimensions and Filters.

Please note that since the placement type ‘Other’ designation encompasses a large number of placement settings with different characteristics, this category should be viewed with caution. This is particularly the case for 4B(2), given the inclusion of the ‘Mixed’ placement type. For further investigation, with reference to a fuller range of placement type categories, we recommend using the ‘Entries to Foster Care’ report.

The following methodology may include references to report features not available on the public site version. On the public site, masking is performed to protect the privacy of individuals served by CDSS and comply with CDSS data de-identification guidelines. Values of 1 to 10 and calculations based on values of 1 to 10 are masked (‘M’ or ‘*’). In stratified views of the data, additional values (the lowest available) are masked to prevent calculation of values 1 to 10.

Notes

The denominators for measures 4B(1) and 4B(2) each represent a specific subset of the Entries to Foster Care report. As such, filters are automatically applied and specified in the report subheadings. Certain groups are therefore excluded from the 4B(1) and 4B(2) reports, but may be accessed via the Entries to Foster Care report (Entries). For example, children in care less than 8 days are excluded from 4B(1) and 4B(2), but you may choose to include them in the Entries report.

Due to these preset filters, certain custom filter options are not available via 4B(1) and 4B(2)

County is assigned in this analysis using the county specific code from the case assignment table active at the placement episode start date during the specified time period.

Agency Type is assigned based on the responsible agency at the placement episode start date during the specified time period.

Age is assigned based on how old a child is at the placement episode start date during the specified time period.

Cells containing a period (“.”) represent a value of zero. In cells representing quotients, a period may also indicate the indeterminate form 0/0.

Secure Site Features

This measure may be run with filters to restrict the data to various subgroups of other variables (e.g., Black subgroup of the Ethnicity variable, <1 year old subgroup of the Age variable, etc.). Please see Report Dimensions and Filters for details.

Report Dimensions and Filters

Child age is organized by the following intervals and derived from a child’s date of birth as captured in the CWS/CMS variable birth_dt:

  1. < 1 yr*
  2. 1-2 yrs
  3. 3-5 yrs
  4. 6-10 yrs
  5. 11-15 yrs
  6. 16-17 yrs
  7. 18-20 yrs OR 18-21 yrs**

The calculation of age is based on a date appropriate for the particular report. For example, the ‘Entries to Foster Care’ report calculates the age of children and youth on the day they enter foster care. ‘Exits from Foster Care’, on the other hand, calculates age at exit.

When Age Group is not selected as a row or column dimension, users may filter reports to include children of specific ages (e.g., only 3 year olds) or to create a different age category than those shown above (e.g., a group of 2-6 year olds). This is done by checking those age boxes for which report data are to be included.

* In some reports, this category is separated into infants with ages of less than one month (‘<1 mo’) and others less than one year old (i.e., ‘1-11 mo’).

** The available age range varies by report.

  • The Child and Family Services Review, round 3 (CFSR3) reports, for example, are restricted to children and youth less than 18 years old. The age groupings and available age filters reflect these ranges.
  • In some reports, ‘18-21 yrs’ is separated into ‘18 + 60 days’, ‘18 + > 60 days’, and ‘19-21 yrs’:
    • 18 + 60 days: Youth who are in the first 60 days of their 18th year
    • 18 + > 60 days: Other 18-year-old youth (i.e., older than 18 plus 60 days)
    • 19 to 21 year olds.

    These categories are intended to support analysis of the effects of the implementation of Assembly Bill 12 (AB12). AB12 allows youth to voluntarily remain in or reenter foster care. Youth exiting as part of the ‘18 + 60 days’ group are more likely to have experienced a conventional exit; those in the ‘18 + > 60 days’ and ‘19-21 yrs’ group are more likely to have made use of the AB12 changes.

  • In Transition-Age Youth Research & Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub) reports, the age range is limited to youth in care age 18-20 or 18-21 years. In these cases, rather than presenting grouped ages, the ages 18, 19, 20, and 21 (if applicable), are presented as separate rows or columns. This approach is intended to allow a focus on older youth and to provide a detailed stratification by age.

Child ethnicity is collapsed into six groups based on 31 codes from the CWS/CMS variables p_ethnctyc and hisp_cd. Ethnic groups and codes are listed below:

  1. Black
    • Black (823)
    • Ethiopian (826)
  2. White
    • White (839)
    • White-Armenian (840)
    • White-Central American (841)
    • White-European (842)
    • White-Middle Eastern (843)
    • White-Romanian (844)
  3. Latino
    • Those children coded as Hispanic using the Hispanic Origin indicator (hisp_cd = ‘Y’), regardless of primary ethnicity (p_ethnctyc) selection
    • Hispanic (830)
    • Mexican (3164)
    • South American (3165)
    • Caribbean (3162)
    • Central American (3163)
  4. Asian/PI
    • Asian Indian (822)
    • Cambodian (824)
    • Chinese (825)
    • Filipino (827)
    • Guamanian (828)
    • Hawaiian (829)
    • Japanese (831)
    • Korean (832)
    • Laotian (833)
    • Other Asian/Pacific Islander (834)*
    • Other Asian (5922)
    • Other Pacific Islander (5923)
    • Hmong (835)
    • Polynesian (836)
    • Samoan (837)
    • Vietnamese (838)
  5. Native American
    • Alaskan Native (820)
    • American Indian (821)

*Code is inactive.

Note: In late 2017, CDSS provided instruction to counties to ask clients which of the federally recognized races (those marked with an asterisk in CWS/CMS) they identify with. Once a federally recognized race is selected, a secondary “Hispanic” ethnicity can be selected in Other Ethnicity. If the client does not identify with any federally recognized race, then workers were asked to select “Declines to State” as the primary race. However, the Hispanic Origin indicator should always be marked as “Yes” for children with Latino backgrounds in order to avoid accidental categorization into Missing.

When ethnicity is not selected as a dimension on the website, the default filter includes Missing values and all ethnicities. Users can also filter *DYNAMIC* reports to include only children of specific ethnic groups (e.g., only Native American and White children) by checking those ethnicities for which report data are to be included.

Census-based Ethnicity’ option (available on some reports) labels will read ‘Hispanic’ rather than ‘Latino’ for consistency with Census Bureau usage.

Ethnic groups for population data and rates reports are based on the California Department of Finance annual population projections.

  1. Black
  2. White
  3. Latino
  4. Asian/PI
  5. Native American
  6. Multi-Race

In the rates reports and disparity indices, the denominators–child population based on California Department of Finance data–may include children/youth in the multi-race category. However, the numerators–children with allegations, children with investigations, etc., based on CWS/CMS–always have null values for multi-race, since we do not construct a multi-race category from CWS/CMS data. Conversely, ethnicity may be missing in CWS/CMS and, in those cases, rates numerators are categorized as missing. Department of Finance population data does not include a missing category and, therefore, that row is always null for the denominators of the rates reports. Given these differences between the data sources and the resulting null values, no rates are calculated for the multi-race or missing rows.

See Population methodology for important details.

Note: For Transition Age Youth (TAY) reports, the category Missing is suppressed, therefore the total for this dimension will differ from the total for other dimensions in the same report.

The Census collects and reports data on race (Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, White, and Native American) separately from data on Hispanic status. One may report as being of more than one race. A person of any race can report as being Hispanic or not. The following table compares the standard CWS/CMS (Primary Ethnicity) method of reporting race and ethnicity with the Census method of reporting race and ethnicity. For our purposes, the important differences between these two methods are:

Primary Ethnicity Method Census Method
Data Source Race/Ethnicity is based on the CWS/CMS primary race/ethnicity variable and the CWS/CMS Hispanic status variable. CWS/CMS Secondary Ethnicity data is not utilized. In addition to the data used in the Primary Ethnicity Method, the Census Method uses CWS/CMS Secondary Race/Ethnicity variable.
Hispanic status Hispanic is treated as a race – One can be Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, White, Hispanic, Native American. If a person’s Hispanic status variable is yes, that person is reported as Hispanic irrespective of the race/ethnicity reported in the primary race/ethnicity variable. Hispanic status is reported separately from race. A Hispanic, or non-Hispanic person, is asked to report their race, i.e., Asian, Black, White, etc. Because most Hispanics do not report another race on CWS/CMS, the race of most Hispanics is missing.
Multiple Races Only the primary race/ethnicity (adjusted for Hispanic status) is reported, so nobody is reported as being of mixed race. Both primary and secondary races are considered. Persons reporting two or more races (e.g., Black primary race/ethnicity and White secondary race/ethnicity) are reported as being of mixed race.
Native Americans Only people who report a primary race/ethnicity of Native American and who do not identify as Hispanic are reported as Native Americans. A person is reported as Native American irrespective of Hispanic status. Native Americans of mixed race (e.g., White and Native American) are reported as being of mixed race.

In the Census format, race is missing for most Hispanic children because their only primary or secondary race/ethnicity reported on CWS/CMS is one in the Hispanic group (i.e., Hispanic, Mexican, Central American, etc.). Because secondary race/ethnicity is considered, the count of Hispanic children is somewhat greater in the Census Method than in the Primary Ethnicity Method.

The consideration of reported secondary race/ethnicities in the Census method results in some children being reported as being of mixed race. As a result the count of non-Hispanic Black, White and Asian/Pacific Islander children is lower in the Census Method than in the Primary Ethnicity Method.

Because many people who identify as Native Americans also identify as Hispanic, the Census method reports more Native Americans than the Primary Ethnicity method does. However, this increase is dampened because secondary race/ethnicity is considered and children with a Primary Race of Native American often report other secondary races, e.g., White.

The Census Method first creates two ethnic groups – Hispanic and non-Hispanic. A child is identified as Hispanic if the hisp_cd on the Client table is Yes or the p_ethnctyc on the Client table or the ethnctyc on the Client_SCP_Ethnicity table is one of the following:

  • Hispanic (830)
  • Mexican (3164)
  • South American (3165)
  • Caribbean (3162)
  • Central American (3163)

After Hispanic status has been determined, race is determined by collapsing the non-Hispanic race codes from the CWS/CMS variables p_ethnctyc on the Client table and ethnctyc on the Client_SCP_Ethnicity table into five race groups. Reporting of mixed race is determined as described above. Race/ethnic groups and codes are listed below:

  1. Black
    • Black (823)
    • Ethiopian (826)
  2. White
    • White (839)
    • White-Armenian (840)
    • White-Central American (841)
    • White-European (842)
    • White-Middle Eastern (843)
    • White-Romanian (844)
  3. Asian/PI
    • Asian Indian (822)
    • Cambodian (824)
    • Chinese (825)
    • Filipino (827)
    • Guamanian (828)
    • Hawaiian (829)
    • Japanese (831)
    • Korean (832)
    • Laotian (833)
    • Other Asian (5922)
    • Other Pacific Islander (5923)
    • Hmong (835)
    • Polynesian (836)
    • Samoan (837)
    • Vietnamese (838)
  4. Native American
    • Alaskan Native (820)
    • American Indian (821)
  5. Missing

Child sex at birth is based on the CWS/CMS variable gender_cd and categorized as Female (1), Male (2) or Intersex (3).

Children for whom Sex at Birth is not coded are reported as Missing.

When Sex at Birth is not selected as a dimension, the default filter includes Missing values and Female, Male and Intersex. Users can also filter reports to include only children of a specific gender (e.g., only Male children) by checking the sex at birth for which report data are to be included.

Note: For Transition Age Youth (TAY) reports, the categories Intersex and Missing are suppressed, therefore the total for this dimension will differ from the total for other dimensions in the same report.

Users can subset reports by selecting the Permanency Type filter and choosing the categories to be included. Permanency type is based on PLACEMENT_EPISODE.TERMINATION_REASON_TYPE (PLC_EPST.TERM_TY_C) unless otherwise specified:

Reunified

  • Reunified with Parent/Guardian (Court) [5439]
  • Reunified with Parent/Guardian (Non-Crt) [5440]
  • Child Released Home [5513]

Guardianship

  • Guardianship [5434, 5516]

A child’s out-of-home placement type is captured in the following categories. The CWS/CMS codes for each category are drawn from the variable PLC_FCLC (unless otherwise noted) and listed below. Underlined names represent the names displayed in output tables. Note that Resource Family Homes are included with other homes of like type (Relative/NREFM, Foster, FFA) and that Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs are included with Group Homes.

Note: As of the Quarter 3, 2021 data extract, we create placement records showing runaway status starting on the date the child left their last placement with a placement change reason of “Child ran away from placement” (1431) and ending on the date the child either entered another placement or the placement episode ended. Placements lasting less than one day are included in this calculation. This adds records of past runaway events to our UCB_FC file that take the same form as that of current runaway events recorded in CWS/CMS. Across reports, this has caused shifts versus earlier extracts in placement type distributions, particularly reductions in Group Care and increases in the Runaway and Other categories. Changes are most notable in earlier time periods, in probation-supervised care, and when predominant placement type is selected.

Note: As of the Quarter 1, 2018 data extract, we use the CWS/CMS placement history table, PLACEMENT_FACILITY_TYPE_HISTORY (PFACHIST), and placement history data derived from an analysis of facility type change between extracts to more accurately determine placement types over time.

Important note: Prior to mid-2017, it was not possible for Resource Family Approval (RFA) early implementing counties to accurately capture the number of children living in “Kin” placement types (now called “Relative/NREFM”). Early implementing counties were instructed to enter all new placements with resource families into the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System as “Foster” placement types, including those placed with relatives. To obtain accurate information regarding relative placements, reports should be filtered/restricted by “Relative” caregiver relationship type. Please note, non-related extended family members could not be identified for resource family homes at this time and were reflected as a “Nonrelative” caregiver relationship type.

  1. Pre-Adopt
  2. Relative/NREFM
    • Relative/NREFM Home (1421)
    • Tribe Specified Home (1422) *No longer active as of January 23, 2021
    • County Approved Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6914) where SCP_RLTC = 1638 (Relative Guardian), 1639 (Relative Nonguardian), 6990 (NREFM Guardian), or 6991 (NREFM Nonguardian)
    • Foster Family Agency Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6915) where SCP_RLTC = 1638 (Relative Guardian), 1639 (Relative Nonguardian), 6990 (NREFM Guardian), or 6991 (NREFM Nonguardian)
    • Court Specified Home (1419) where SCP_RLTC = 1638 (Relative Guardian), 1639 (Relative Nonguardian), 6990 (NREFM Guardian), or 6991 (NREFM Nonguardian)
  3. Foster
    • Foster Family Home (1416)
    • Small Family Home (1415)
    • County Approved Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6914) where SCP_RLTC = 1636 (Nonrelative Guardian), 1637 (Nonrelative Nonguardian), or 6715 (Self)
  4. FFA
    • Foster Family Agency (1414)
    • Foster Family Agency Certified Home (2200)
    • Foster Family Agency Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6915) where SCP_RLTC = 1636 (Nonrelative Guardian), 1637 (Nonrelative Nonguardian), or 6715 (Self)
  5. Court Specified (1419)
    • Court Specified (1419) where SCP_RLTC = 1636 (Nonrelative Guardian), 1637 (Nonrelative Nonguardian), 6715 (Self), or Missing
  6. Tribally Approved Home (7208)
    • Note: Tribally Specified Home Code (O_HM_PLT.TRBSPH_CD) is not used in the determination of this placement type category.
  7. Group/STRTP
    • Group Home (1417)
    • Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) (6916)
  8. Shelter
    • County Shelter/Recving Home(Non EA/AFDC) (1418)
    • Temporary Shelter Care Facility (7027)
  9. Non-Foster-Care (Non-FC)
  10. Guardian (5411)
    • Guardian – Dependent
    • Guardian – Non-Dependent
  11. Runaway (PLCG_RNC=1431, NFC_FCLC=7164, 7181)
  12. Trial Home Visit (PLCG_RNC=1440)
  13. Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) (6716)
  14. Transitional Housing (TRNHSG_IND = Y or TRNHSG_FAC = Y)
  15. Mixed (Predominant Placement type only. See note below.)
  16. Other (all other codes)
  17. Missing

Not all placement types are included for all reports. For example, the following placement types may be excluded if not relevant to a report:

  • Pre-Adopt
  • Trial Home Visit
  • Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP)
  • Non-Foster-Care (Non-FC)
  • Guardian – Dependent
  • Guardian
    • Guardian – Dependent
    • Guardian – Non-Dependent

If there are instances of a placement type that is not offered for a particular report, then those instances will be counted in the Other category for that report.

When they are used, the additional or more detailed categories are determined as follows:

  • Children who have a signed adoption agreement are coded as Pre-Adopt.
  • Depending on the report, children with an assignment of Guardian may be coded as the part of the single category Guardian or may be coded as either Guardian – Dependent or Guardian – Non-Dependent. The former category is for children who have a legal guardian and are also dependents of the Juvenile Court; the latter for children who have a legal guardian but are not dependents of the Juvenile Court.
  • Placements of children reported on the non-foster care placement table are coded as Non-Foster Care (Non-FC). However, non-foster care placements are only reported when the child also had one or more foster care placements in the same episode, as placement episodes consisting only of non-foster care placements are excluded from all reports.
  • For all other non-missing values, those with an open placement episode, but no open out-of-home placement and no reliable data regarding why, are coded as Other.
  • Tribe Specified Home (1422) was discontinued as a Placement Facility Type effective January 23, 2021 because it did not correspond to a specific facility type and resulted in inaccurate placement and facility data. Some children/youth placed before January 23, 2021 may still be reported as being placed in a Tribe Specified Home if the placement started before that date, is still open, and the Placement Facility Type for that facility has not been changed in CWS/CMS.
    The term Tribally Specified Home (TSH) is now used to refer to a placement that a tribe designates as its preferred placement option for an Indian child who is in the custody of the county, irrespective of the Placement Facility Type or agency approving or licensing the placement facility. The TSH designation only applies after the identified child is placed in the approved or licensed home or facility. It is reported in the out-of-home placement notebook using a Tribally Specified Home Code (O_HM_PLT.TRBSPH_CD). Please see ACL 22-08 for more information.

There are five versions of the Placement Type variable:

  1. First Placement Type is placement type on the first day of a placement episode.
  2. Placement Type is placement type on the selected date.
  3. Placement Type at 12 months is, for children who exited care within 12 months of entry, the child’s last placement type prior to leaving care. For children who were in a foster care placement 12 months after entry it is the placement type of that placement. For children in an open placement episode but not in a foster care placement 12 months after entry, the Placement Type at 12 Months is that of the child’s last placement in the episode prior to the 12 months date. It is reported as missing when the child’s first foster care placement in the placement episode started more than 12 months after the start of the episode. This may be because the child was in a non-foster care placement (e.g., a medical setting), because the episode start date and/or the placement start data was entered incorrectly, or for some other reason.
  4. Last Placement Type is determined on the last day of a placement episode. 
  5. Predominant Placement Type is the placement type category that comprises more than 50% of the days spent in foster care during a placement episode. If no placement type comprises more than 50%, the placement type category ‘Mixed’ is assigned.

For some reports, more than one of these versions may be available.

Note: For Transition Age Youth (TAY) Employment and Postsecondary Enrollment reports:

  • For the dimensions Last Placement Type (by Age 18):
    • The category Tribally Approved Home (7208) is included in the Court Specified category.
    • The categories Group/STRTP (1417, 6916) and Shelter (1418, 7027) are combined as Congregate Care.
    • The categories Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) (6716) and Missing are included in the Other category.
  • For the dimension Predominant Placement Type (by Age 18):
    • The categories Pre-Adopt, Court Specified (1419), Tribally Approved Home (7208), Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) (6716), Runaway (PLCG_RNC=1431, NFC_FCLC=7164, 7181), Transitional Housing (TRNHSG_IND = Y or TRNHSG_FAC = Y) and Missing are included in the Other category. Note: These categories are calculated as independent predominant placement type categories but are included in the Other category for reporting purposes.

A child’s out-of-home placement type is captured in the following categories. The CWS/CMS codes for each category are drawn from the variable PLC_FCLC (unless otherwise noted) and listed below. Underlined names represent the names displayed in output tables. Note that Resource Family Homes are included with other homes of like type (Relative/NREFM, Foster, FFA) and that Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs are included with Group Homes.

Note: As of the Quarter 3, 2021 data extract, we create placement records showing runaway status starting on the date the child left their last placement with a placement change reason of “Child ran away from placement” (1431) and ending on the date the child either entered another placement or the placement episode ended. Placements lasting less than one day are included in this calculation. This adds records of past runaway events to our UCB_FC file that take the same form as that of current runaway events recorded in CWS/CMS. Across reports, this has caused shifts versus earlier extracts in placement type distributions, particularly reductions in Group Care and increases in the Runaway and Other categories. Changes are most notable in earlier time periods, in probation-supervised care, and when predominant placement type is selected.

Note: As of the Quarter 1, 2018 data extract, we use the CWS/CMS placement history table, PLACEMENT_FACILITY_TYPE_HISTORY (PFACHIST), and placement history data derived from an analysis of facility type change between extracts to more accurately determine placement types over time.

Important note: Prior to mid-2017, it was not possible for Resource Family Approval (RFA) early implementing counties to accurately capture the number of children living in “Kin” placement types (now called “Relative/NREFM”). Early implementing counties were instructed to enter all new placements with resource families into the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System as “Foster” placement types, including those placed with relatives. To obtain accurate information regarding relative placements, reports should be filtered/restricted by “Relative” caregiver relationship type. Please note, non-related extended family members could not be identified for resource family homes at this time and were reflected as a “Nonrelative” caregiver relationship type.

  1. Pre-Adopt
  2. Relative/NREFM
    • Relative/NREFM Home (1421)
    • Tribe Specified Home (1422) *No longer active as of January 23, 2021
    • County Approved Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6914) where SCP_RLTC = 1638 (Relative Guardian), 1639 (Relative Nonguardian), 6990 (NREFM Guardian), or 6991 (NREFM Nonguardian)
    • Foster Family Agency Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6915) where SCP_RLTC = 1638 (Relative Guardian), 1639 (Relative Nonguardian), 6990 (NREFM Guardian), or 6991 (NREFM Nonguardian)
    • Court Specified Home (1419) where SCP_RLTC = 1638 (Relative Guardian), 1639 (Relative Nonguardian), 6990 (NREFM Guardian), or 6991 (NREFM Nonguardian)
  3. Foster
    • Foster Family Home (1416)
    • Small Family Home (1415)
    • County Approved Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6914) where SCP_RLTC = 1636 (Nonrelative Guardian), 1637 (Nonrelative Nonguardian), or 6715 (Self)
  4. FFA
    • Foster Family Agency (1414)
    • Foster Family Agency Certified Home (2200)
    • Foster Family Agency Resource Family Approval (RFA) Home (6915) where SCP_RLTC = 1636 (Nonrelative Guardian), 1637 (Nonrelative Nonguardian), or 6715 (Self)
  5. Court Specified (1419)
    • Court Specified (1419) where SCP_RLTC = 1636 (Nonrelative Guardian), 1637 (Nonrelative Nonguardian), 6715 (Self), or Missing
  6. Tribally Approved Home (7208)
    • Note: Tribally Specified Home Code (O_HM_PLT.TRBSPH_CD) is not used in the determination of this placement type category.
  7. Group/STRTP
    • Group Home (1417)
    • Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) (6916)
  8. Shelter
    • County Shelter/Recving Home(Non EA/AFDC) (1418)
    • Temporary Shelter Care Facility (7027)
  9. Non-Foster-Care (Non-FC)
  10. Guardian (5411)
    • Guardian – Dependent
    • Guardian – Non-Dependent
  11. Runaway (PLCG_RNC=1431, NFC_FCLC=7164, 7181)
  12. Trial Home Visit (PLCG_RNC=1440)
  13. Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) (6716)
  14. Transitional Housing (TRNHSG_IND = Y or TRNHSG_FAC = Y)
  15. Mixed (Predominant Placement type only. See note below.)
  16. Other (all other codes)
  17. Missing

Not all placement types are included for all reports. For example, the following placement types may be excluded if not relevant to a report:

  • Pre-Adopt
  • Trial Home Visit
  • Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP)
  • Non-Foster-Care (Non-FC)
  • Guardian – Dependent
  • Guardian
    • Guardian – Dependent
    • Guardian – Non-Dependent

If there are instances of a placement type that is not offered for a particular report, then those instances will be counted in the Other category for that report.

When they are used, the additional or more detailed categories are determined as follows:

  • Children who have a signed adoption agreement are coded as Pre-Adopt.
  • Depending on the report, children with an assignment of Guardian may be coded as the part of the single category Guardian or may be coded as either Guardian – Dependent or Guardian – Non-Dependent. The former category is for children who have a legal guardian and are also dependents of the Juvenile Court; the latter for children who have a legal guardian but are not dependents of the Juvenile Court.
  • Placements of children reported on the non-foster care placement table are coded as Non-Foster Care (Non-FC). However, non-foster care placements are only reported when the child also had one or more foster care placements in the same episode, as placement episodes consisting only of non-foster care placements are excluded from all reports.
  • For all other non-missing values, those with an open placement episode, but no open out-of-home placement and no reliable data regarding why, are coded as Other.
  • Tribe Specified Home (1422) was discontinued as a Placement Facility Type effective January 23, 2021 because it did not correspond to a specific facility type and resulted in inaccurate placement and facility data. Some children/youth placed before January 23, 2021 may still be reported as being placed in a Tribe Specified Home if the placement started before that date, is still open, and the Placement Facility Type for that facility has not been changed in CWS/CMS.
    The term Tribally Specified Home (TSH) is now used to refer to a placement that a tribe designates as its preferred placement option for an Indian child who is in the custody of the county, irrespective of the Placement Facility Type or agency approving or licensing the placement facility. The TSH designation only applies after the identified child is placed in the approved or licensed home or facility. It is reported in the out-of-home placement notebook using a Tribally Specified Home Code (O_HM_PLT.TRBSPH_CD). Please see ACL 22-08 for more information.

There are five versions of the Placement Type variable:

  1. First Placement Type is placement type on the first day of a placement episode.
  2. Placement Type is placement type on the selected date.
  3. Placement Type at 12 months is, for children who exited care within 12 months of entry, the child’s last placement type prior to leaving care. For children who were in a foster care placement 12 months after entry it is the placement type of that placement. For children in an open placement episode but not in a foster care placement 12 months after entry, the Placement Type at 12 Months is that of the child’s last placement in the episode prior to the 12 months date. It is reported as missing when the child’s first foster care placement in the placement episode started more than 12 months after the start of the episode. This may be because the child was in a non-foster care placement (e.g., a medical setting), because the episode start date and/or the placement start data was entered incorrectly, or for some other reason.
  4. Last Placement Type is determined on the last day of a placement episode. 
  5. Predominant Placement Type is the placement type category that comprises more than 50% of the days spent in foster care during a placement episode. If no placement type comprises more than 50%, the placement type category ‘Mixed’ is assigned.

For some reports, more than one of these versions may be available.

Note: For Transition Age Youth (TAY) Employment and Postsecondary Enrollment reports:

  • For the dimensions Last Placement Type (by Age 18):
    • The category Tribally Approved Home (7208) is included in the Court Specified category.
    • The categories Group/STRTP (1417, 6916) and Shelter (1418, 7027) are combined as Congregate Care.
    • The categories Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) (6716) and Missing are included in the Other category.
  • For the dimension Predominant Placement Type (by Age 18):
    • The categories Pre-Adopt, Court Specified (1419), Tribally Approved Home (7208), Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) (6716), Runaway (PLCG_RNC=1431, NFC_FCLC=7164, 7181), Transitional Housing (TRNHSG_IND = Y or TRNHSG_FAC = Y) and Missing are included in the Other category. Note: These categories are calculated as independent predominant placement type categories but are included in the Other category for reporting purposes.

The reason for a child’s removal from the home is coded into the following categories. The CWS/CMS codes for each category are drawn from the variable rmv_rsnc:

  1. Neglect
    • Caretaker Absence/Incapacity (1609)
    • General Neglect (1615)
    • Severe Neglect (1619)
  2. Physical (1617)
  3. Sexual (1620)
  4. Voluntary Reentry (6548)
  5. Other
    • All other codes (e.g., exploitation, child’s disability or handicap, etc.)
  6. Missing

When removal reason is not selected as a dimension, the default filter includes Missing values and all reasons listed above. Users can also filter reports to include only children removed for a specific reason (e.g., only children removed for Sexual abuse or Other) by checking those reasons for which report data are to be included.

Users can subset reports by selecting the Caregiver Relationship filter and choosing those categories to be included. A child’s relationship with the substitute care provider is drawn from the CWS/CMS variable scp_rltc as listed below:

  1. Nonrelative Guardian (1636)
  2. Nonrelative Nonguardian (1637)
  3. Relative Guardian (1638)
  4. Relative Nonguardian (1639)
  5. Self (6715)*
  6. NREFM Guardian (6990)**
  7. NREFM Nonguardian (6991)**

* Only applicable for select reports
**The Non-Related Extended Family Member codes NREFM Guardian and NREFM Nonguardian were introduced to CWS/CMS in July 2017 and on this site with the publication of the Quarter 3, 2017 data extract. Utilization of these codes likely began with new placements entered after July 2017. As a result, pre-existing placements as of July 2017 with NREFM caregiver relationships are typically classified as Nonrelative. As utilization of the NREFM codes rolls out, the NREFM caregiver relationship counts will shift from the Nonrelative classification, but may be undercounted, particularly in earlier time periods.

There are four versions of the Caregiver Relationship variable:

  1. First Caregiver Relationship is caregiver relationship on the first day of a placement episode.
  2. Caregiver Relationship is caregiver relationship on the selected date.
  3. Caregiver Relationship at 12 months is, for children who exited care within 12 months of entry, the child’s last caregiver relationship prior to leaving care. For children who were in a foster care placement 12 months after entry it is the caregiver relationship associated with that placement. For children in an open placement episode but not in a foster care placement 12 months after entry, the Caregiver Relationship at 12 months is the relationship associated with the child’s last placement in the episode prior to the 12 months date. It is reported as missing when the child’s first foster care placement in the placement episode started more than 12 months after the start of the episode. This may be because the child was in a non-foster care placement (e.g., a medical setting), because the episode start date and/or the placement start data was entered incorrectly, or for some other reason.
  4. Last Caregiver Relationship is determined on the last day of a placement episode.

Note: The Caregiver Relationship dimension/filter does not produce meaningful results when combined with the Predominant Placement Type dimension/filter.

Reports can be stratified based on the supervising agency. For cases under the supervision of Child Welfare, children are assigned to the county in which there is an open case or referral. Probation and Other agency supervised cases are assigned to the county in which there is an open case, referral, or state id county code. The CWS/CMS codes for each agency are drawn from the variable placement_episode.agency_responsible_type (plc_epst.agy_rspc) and listed below:

  1. Child Welfare
    • County Welfare Department (34)
  2. Probation
    • County Probation Department (33, 5603)
  3. Other
    • State Adoptions District Office (37, 5606)
    • Indian Child Welfare (5602)

Agency types of Out of State Agency (35, 5604), Private Adoption Agency (36, 5605), Mental Health (6133), KinGAP (6134), and Missing are excluded from all analyses.

Please note that the federal outcome measures for the second round of the Child and Family Services Review that include foster care data are based on Child Welfare, Probation and Other data. California CWS Outcomes System measures are based on Child Welfare data ONLY.

Reports can be run to include only placement episodes lasting 7 days or less, only placement episodes lasting 8 days or more, or All placement episodes regardless of length. The length of a given episode is computed by subtracting the CWS/CMS episode removal date variable (removal_dt), from the end date variable (plc_epst).

Users are given the option of specifying whether data reports capture entries and exits at the child-level, or the event-level. For event-level episode counts, multiple entries or exits for a given child will be included if they fall within the specified timeframe. For child-level episode counts, data are unduplicated separately for the state and for each county. As a result, the sum of counties may not sum to the statewide total.

Options for Entries include:

  • Children Entering: An unduplicated count of all children entering foster care during the time period.
  • First Entry: A count of unique children for whom this is the first ever entry to an out-of-home foster care placement.
  • Other Entry: An event-level count of all entries to foster care during the time period that are not first entry placements.
  • All Entry: An event-level count of all entries to foster care during the time period.

Options for Exits include:

  • Children Exiting: An unduplicated count of all children exiting foster care during the time period.
  • Last Exit: A count of unique children who experienced their last known exit during the time period.
  • Other Exit: An event-level count of all exits from foster care during the time period that were not the last exit experienced by the child.
  • All Exit: An event-level count of all exits from foster care during the time period.

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