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Methodology
Case Closures

These reports are derived from a longitudinal database and provide information on all case closures (i.e., child protective services cases that were closed) for a specified year.

Notes on Source Data

IMPORTANT NOTE: 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.

The Case Service Components in effect when the case was closed are reported as follows:

  1. Permanent Placement [1695]
  2. Family Reunification [1694]
  3. Family Maintenance [1693]
    • No Placement
    • Post-Placement
  4. Post-Placement FM [1693]
  5. Emergency Response [1692]
  6. Supportive Transition [6540]

Family Maintenance case services provided after Family Reunification and/or Permanent Placement case services provided during the same case opening are classed as Post-Placement FM case services. Otherwise Family Maintenance case services are classed as No Placement FM services.

If more than one Service Component is assigned when the case is closed, the last Service Component initiated is reported.

This analysis does not include cases with an Intervention Reason Type of “Incoming ICPC Request” because the sending state retains responsibility for the case.

Probation data are not available for years prior to 2012 because CWS/CMS Case functionality was not available to Probation in all counties before 2012.

A selection of "Children with Closures" for the “Case Count” variable will produce frequency counts of distinct (unduplicated) Children with Closures. With this option, data are unduplicated separately for the state and for each county. As a result, the sum of counties may exceed the statewide total. In addition, a selection of two or more grouped counties may produce a slight overcount: children exiting more than one county during the year are counted for each county they exit. An individual selection (California or any individual county) produces a true unduplicated count. If “All Closures” is selected, reported frequencies will be at the closure level (i.e., multiple case closings for the same child during a specified time period will be counted).

Age is calculated at the date the case closed.

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

These reports may also be run with filters in place 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.). County is assigned in this analysis using the county specific code from the case table, which is the most recent county to which the case was assigned. Please see the links below for details:


Agency Type

Age Group

Ethnic Group

Census-based Ethnicity Coding

Sex at Birth

Days Case Open

Last Service Component Type