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Caregiver Relationship

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.