Evaluation and Technical Assistance for the Title IV-E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations
For this project, JBA works closely with the Children's Bureau and states on the design and implementation of rigorous program evaluations that test the impact of title IV-E child welfare waiver demonstrations on key child welfare outcomes. For 10 years, JBA has assisted the Children's Bureau and states with IV-E waivers by:
Identifying critical evaluation issues, strengths, and areas for improvement in the evaluation designs presented in states' waiver proposals;
Providing direct consultation and feedback to states during the waiver approval process through conference calls and e-mails to assess alternative strategies for the design and implementation of rigorous program evaluations;
Drafting the Terms and Conditions that govern the legal aspects of states' waiver agreements with the Federal government;
Establishing close working relationships with Administration for Children and Families Regional Office staff, state waiver managers, and their evaluators;
Reviewing evaluation deliverables from the states (including semi-annual progress reports, data sets, and interim and final evaluation reports) to analyze critical evaluation issues, spot information gaps, and identify and rectify possible problems during evaluation implementation; and
Providing ongoing support, advice, and feedback to states during the implementation of their evaluations through conference calls, e-mails, and face-to-face TA sessions at meetings of waiver states held annually in Washington, D.C.