Report Description
This report displays the number of children with two or more concurrent claims for psychotropic medications for at least 60 consecutive days during a 12-month period, the number of children in foster care on 60 days or more of continuous psychotropic medication treatment, and the derived percentage.
Refresh Schedule
This report is refreshed periodically.
Time Periods
This report uses rolling year time periods. Available Intervals: Jan-Dec, Apr-Mar, Jul-Jun, & Oct-Sep. The earliest available time period for this report is Apr 1, 2022 – Mar 31, 2023.
Report Data
The Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) data for children in foster care and Medi-Cal fee-for-service and managed care pharmacy paid claims data for psychotropic medication for children in foster care identified through aid codes from the Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) Medi-Cal Management Information System/Decision Support System (MIS/DSS) are matched. The process for the match involves using a probabilistic, multi-step, multi-method algorithm of exact and inexact matches based on a combination of name, social security number, and date of birth records between the two systems.
Notes on Source Data
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).
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.
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.
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).
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.
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).
Important Note
Data for the most recent time periods are considered preliminary due to lag times in reporting by Medi-Cal providers and plans. Additionally, Medi-Cal eligibility data are considered preliminary due to various adjustments made retroactively as additional information is ascertained.
As well as the most recent available time periods data, these workbooks contain historical data. You may access other time periods by clicking on Excel worksheet tabs.
Historical data is available by contacting CWSdata@cdss.ca.gov. However, those data tables do not meet accessibility standards.
Denominator
The denominator includes children:
- In foster care for 30 days or more, and is computed by subtracting the CWS/CMS episode removal date variable (removal_dt), from the end date variable (pleps_endt). If the episode is open, the last day of the reporting period is used. The 30-day period allows for the court to establish jurisdiction over the youth, Welfare and Institutions Code sections 369.5 and 739.5.
- In Child Welfare Department, Probation, State Adoptions, and Indian Child Welfare supervised care; and
- Under 18 years old at the beginning of the reporting period.
- On 60 days or more of continuous psychotropic medication treatment in a 12-month period; treatment days prior to or after the reporting period are not counted.
- The most recent county of jurisdiction, responsible agency, and placement type within the 12-month period are used.
The denominator excludes children:
- Placed in California under the jurisdiction of another state (incoming ICPC – Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children),
- Who are placed with non-dependent legal guardians; and
- In Non-Foster Care placements.
Numerator
The numerator includes children described above:
- Who were dispensed two or more psychotropic medications during a 12-month period, and
- Two or more of these medications were dispensed concurrently for 60 days or more; where concurrency may include one or more gaps of 15 days (a gap in concurrency is a period during which the youth received only one medication or none at all).
- Days are calculated as the difference between the end of one medication (calculated from the supply) and the start of another medication.
The numerator will be separated in the following ways:
- Two or more concurrent medications are antipsychotic,
- At least one of two concurrent medications are antipsychotic,
- Two or more concurrent medications are psychotropic.
The numerator excludes:
- Gaps between medications that are greater than 15 days are not considered concurrent,
- Non-consecutive days of concurrency in a 60-day period,
- Concurrency of less than 60 consecutive days.
Performance
Performance is displayed as both count and percentage.
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.