KidStat and Other Quality Improvement Reports
Ensuring that DCF is effective at helping children and families is very important to the staff and leadership of the department. We use many methods to measure and gauge the quality and efficiency of our work department-wide. In addition to quality assurance efforts within each program, the Department has implemented the following:
KidStat
KidStat is an approach to see, measure, and track the results DCF is achieving for families as well as to identify specific areas and opportunities for improvement. Launched in July 2009, the DCF uses KidStat to ensure that the Department is having a real and lasting impact on the critical issues facing Wisconsin's children and families. Each Division has identified Real Results, which capture DCF's commitments to the children and families it serves. For each Real Result, there are several performance measures for which data is displayed and discussed during bimonthly meetings. The first KidStat Performance Report was released on April 16, 2010 and shows program progress during the first six months of KidStat meetings. Reports were published quarterly in 2010. In 2011, we moved back to a semiannual schedule.
- KidStat July - December 2012 Performance Report
- KidStat January - June 2012 Performance Report
- KidStat July - December 2011 Performance Report
- KidStat January - June 2011 Performance Report
- KidStat Quarter 4 2010 Performance Report
- KidStat Quarter 3 2010 Performance Report
- KidStat Quarter 2 2010 Performance Report
- KidStat Quarter 1 2010 Performance Report
- KidStat 2009 Performance Report
Continuous Quality Improvement program
The Continuous Quality Improvement program (CQI) is dedicated to ensuring the safety of children. By conducting thorough reviews of Wisconsin's tribal and county child welfare systems, the CQI team helps identify areas for improvement as well as uncover successful strategies.
The CQI program uses the Quality Service Review (QSR) protocol to collect qualitative information about child welfare case practice across the state. The protocol identifies strengths and opportunities for improving practice across child welfare areas such as Access, Initial Assessment, Permanence and Ongoing. It also reviews how well the requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act are being met. This information is combined with quantitative data and provided to counties and tribes to help them improve services and outcomes for the children and families.
Between September 2005 and May 2010, the CQI program has completed 61 reviews of 54 counties. In a typical year, the CQI program conducts 12 reviews of counties. A link is available below for the report of each review completed to date.
In November 2011 the CQI section distributed its first newsletter. The primary audience of the newsletter is our peer network of Quality Service Review (QSR) case reviewers. This is our new method for keeping them informed and in the loop. We will be publishing one every six months.
YoungStar
YoungStar is DCF's new five-star quality rating and improvement system for child care in Wisconsin. Children who participate in quality early childhood programs get a strong start in education and development, the spring board to future success.
YoungStar will improve child care throughout the state, make it easier for parents to choose the best child care for their kids, and link child care provider quality to payments from the Wisconsin Shares program.