The timing of CTG’s arrival in this initiative led to some challenges in data collection: one Local District initiative had already begun, one was nearing its end, and one did not get started until quite near the end of the assessment period. To accommodate these differences CTG analyzed data previously collected by the districts and extended deadlines to accept as much information as possible. Overall the assessment extended over a four month period starting in July 2006 and ending in late October 2006

We collected data directly from the participants through a baseline survey, followed by periodic and post-pilot surveys (Appendix B and C), information gathering sessions with CPS caseworker and district implementation teams, and a full-day Final Assessment Workshop with district and OCFS staff. In addition, we did research on current practices in seven other states and analyzed data from the central database (Appendix D).

Overall, 18 separate surveys were administered, covering 70 participants. In addition, CTG interviewed 61 people, nine OCFS staff from both program and IT division and 52 district employees. Of the 52 district employees, 29 CPS caseworkers, 10 supervisors, and 13 from the program/IT Implementation Team participated in five information gathering sessions and one Final Assessment Workshop. Finally, data about 9,200 progress note entries and caseload records from the CONNECTIONS database, entered by field testers in the Local District initiatives, was extracted and analyzed.