STATE OF NEVADA - Division of Child and Family Services

Another objective under this goal is for IMS to assess the accessibility of the system to staff and external stakeholders
(who require access) in all areas of the state. This objective has been met as UNITY is currently available to all agency
staff and external stakeholders in all areas of the State.
A third objective is for IMS to develop a mechanism for linking the UNITY system with the Quality Improvement Case
Review efforts to ensure a continuous quality assurance feedback loop, including methods for monitoring data
consistency. IMS staff have been meeting since March 2010 with DCFS staff to identify and develop a mechanism for
linking the UNITY system with the quality improvement case review efforts and continuous quality assurance efforts. At
the initial meeting concerning UNITY automation the following four functional areas were identified in developing a
Qualitative Review: Sample Selection, Sample Management, Case Review and Reports. The new Quality Improvement
Case Review (QICR) tool is expected to be released in September 2010. It will include all four components listed above.
In addition, IMS in collaboration with DCFS staff is planning to review and analyze current UNITY reports with the intent of
developing additional reports, and or redesigning the current reports to ensure a consistent monitoring of the data that
captures and tracks specific data indicators on outcomes for children and families. The completion of this process is
planned for the spring of 2011.
A fourth objective is that IMS will assess the quality assurance mechanism for ensuring that information generated from
the UNITY system is complete, accurate, and current and includes the locations of all children in care, including those in
relative care, unlicensed placements, voluntary placements and unpaid placements. UNITY has many quality assurance
mechanisms for helping ensure that data gets entered into UNITY correctly. Features such as drop down lists and radio
buttons ensure that only proper values for some data elements are entered. Window and other edits ensure that data
entered is consistent with other related data. Window edits also ensure that mandatory data elements are entered.
UNITY’s missing data functionality generates alerts when certain data elements have not been entered or when certain
tasks have not been completed in a timely manner. These features work together to help ensure that the data stored in
UNITY is accurate and current.
A fifth objective is that IMS will develop tracking systems for monitoring children in out-of-home care, including those
served by Title IV-E agreements with other agencies. IMS reports that UNITY currently has functionality that allows
system users to record the placement of children that have been removed from their home and placed in an out-of-home
setting both by the DCFS Rural Region, CCDFS and WCDSS. Placement status of children can be viewed on-line and
through reports. The ICPC subsystem of UNITY allows the tracking of children that are placed out-of-state.
A final objective is that IMS, in collaboration with State agency representatives, will integrate the National Youth in
Transition Database (NYTD) requirements into the UNITY system for data collection and reporting purposes by
September 2010. In response to the requirement the State facilitated a statewide workgroup made up of stakeholders
from all child welfare agencies, contract providers, foster parents, foster youth, and other interested parties in creating the
State’s Plan for NYTD implementation. At the recommendation of the workgroup, the State partnered with FosterClub to
present the NYTD Survey on the FosterClub website. This will also give the State the ability to download the data to the
State’s SACWIS system. Several events, posters, brochures, and other marketing strategies have been developed over
the past year with plans for future presentations being offered to youth, caseworkers, foster parents and other interested
parties in the importance of NYTD and the mechanics of completing the survey on the FosterClub website. Beginning
October 1, 2010, caseworkers will meet individually with youth shortly after their 17 th birthday to complete the initial survey
on-line. While the youth will actually complete the survey, the caseworker will be there to answer questions, etc. Nevada
provides aftercare services via contract providers throughout the state. These providers will be responsible for
maintaining contact with the youth once they leave care and facilitating in having the youth complete the survey shortly
after their 19 th and 21 st birthday. By marketing the survey through FosterClub and through our network of providers, the
State believes it will be able to meet NYTD requirements and the implementation deadline of October 2010.
In addition, IMS is currently working with the State to design functionality in UNITY that will satisfy the NYTD
requirements. It is expected that the first installation of this functionality will be completed in June 2010 and the final
installation in September 2010. This will also meet the required deadline of October 2010.
Systemic Factor B: Case Review System
Item 25: Written case plan
Goal: The State will ensure that each child has a written case plan, to be developed jointly with the child, when
appropriate, and the child’s parent(s), that includes the required provisions.
Nevada APSR – SFY 2010
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