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MIECHV Data Collection Manual

Contents

Introduction 2

MIECHV Reporting Requirements for HRSA 2

Data Entry Deadline 3

Data Consent 3

Visit Tracker Training 3

Visit Tracker Site Administrator Role 3

Important Definitions 5

Enrollment date 5

MIECHV target child 5

MIECHV Identified Caregiver/Primary Guardian 5

Visit Tracker Site/Fund Codes 5

Visit Tracker Statuses 5

Exit Statuses 6

Exit Reasons 6

Priority Populations 6

MIECHV Data Collection Requirements at a Glance 8

Frequently Asked Questions 9

Introduction

The legislation which authorized funding for the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program required quantifiable, measurable improvements for the populations receiving services. Programs must demonstrate improvement in the following benchmark areas:

• Improved maternal and newborn health

• Prevention of child injuries, child abuse, neglect, or maltreatment, and reduction of emergency department visits

• Improvement in school readiness and achievement

• Reduction in crime or domestic violence

• Improvements in family economic self-sufficiency

• Improvements in the coordination and referrals for other community resources and supports

This manual provides policy and procedures for MIECHV Home Visiting programs to collect and report data in order to measure improvement and provide the Illinois Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (OECD) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) with the information needed to report to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

MIECHV Reporting Requirements for HRSA

HRSA requires annual reports every October 30th to be entered in their electronic reporting system (DGIS) for each federal fiscal year (October 1st through September 30th). The Governor’s Office will obtain the data for the reports from information that each site enters in Visit Tracker (VT), MIECHV’s data system, which can be found at .

There are two reports required by HRSA:

• FORM 1: demographic information.

• FORM 2: benchmark data.

Each data point on FORM 1 and FORM 2 is listed on the MIECHV DATA COLLECTION FORMS. There are THREE MIECHV Data Collection Forms. The Caregiver Form collects demographic and benchmark data specific to the caregiver. The Postnatally Enrolled Child Form collects demographic and benchmark data specific to children who are enrolled in home visiting postnatally. The Prenatally Enrolled Child Form collects demographic and benchmark data specific to children whose caregivers are enrolled prenatally, as well as prenatal and postpartum data on the caregiver. Visit Tracker data entry information can be found in the Benchmark Glossary.

Hard copies of the MIECHV DATA COLLECTION FORMS are to be included in every family file (chart). Home Visitors (HV) are required to complete these forms at case opening and update ANNUALLY, and as needed, when new information is available. Home Visitors are required to enter all of the information collected on these form into Visit Tracker.

Data Entry Deadline

All client information from the previous month must be entered into Visit Tracker by the 5th of every month. The Governor’s Office will run periodic checks to ensure data completeness.

Data Consent

HV programs are required to obtain consent from each MIECHV participant to collect benchmark data and enter the data into VT. Consent should be obtained at case opening and the original signed hard copy of the consent should be kept in the family file (chart). The following consent form should be used: MIECHV DATA CONSENT.

Visit Tracker Training

Visit Tracker is the official data system for MIECHV. Visit Tracker is a web-based system originally designed for Parents as Teachers (PAT). Updates have since been made and will continue to be made in order to make it more “friendly” to all of the evidence based Home Visiting models in MIECHV (including PAT, Healthy Families, and Early Head Start).

New staff should listen to the MIECHV Data Requirements and Entry webinar and slides to learn about the MIECHV benchmarks and associated data entry into Visit Tracker.

You can also email or call the VT help desk for assistance: info@data- 1-800-532-7148. Additionally, you can contact Lesley Schwartz at the Governor’s Office to help provide technical assistance with the MIECHV data system at lesley.schwartz@ or 312-814-4841.

Visit Tracker Site Administrator Role

Visit Tracker requires a Site Administrator to be designated at each HV program. The Site Administrator does not have to have extensive computer expertise, as the system is very user-friendly. The Site Administrator does not necessarily have to be a supervisor, and may be administrative/data entry staff or a lead worker, as long as s/he has the ability to complete all of the necessary responsibilities listed below.

The Site Administrator will be responsible for:

• Main system set up- Site Administrator will be required to set up preferences in the system. The Site Administrator may also add other preferences depending on the program’s needs (i.e. demographic data that MIECHV may not need but that the program wants to collect). Click here for a recorded webinar for site administrators. For written directions on setting up your Visit Tracker account go to igrow and look under recorded webinars.

• Setting up MIECHV HVs in the system- including deleting and adding new Home Visitors as necessary due to staff changes. Any staff who are terminated need to be removed from Visit Tracker within 24 hours of their termination date. Before removing terminated staff, their cases must be transferred to an active Home Visitor. If the 24 hour window passes before cases are transferred to an active home visitor, change their password so they are unable log into the system.

• Running site level reports including Form 1 and Form 2, reviewing the reports for accuracy, and working with the HV staff to make necessary corrections.

• Acting as the liaison between the State, Visit Tracker and the Home Visitors (i.e. forwarding important emails, providing directions to HV from State/VT, ensuring HV follow through with corrections requested by State).

• Resetting passwords annually in July.

• Ensuring that MIECHV Families and MIECHV Target Children are properly identified in the system. The Governor’s Office will provide monthly reports so that this information can be verified at the site level.

• Checking Visit Tracker on a regular basis to process new referrals sent from Coordinated Intake. More information about processing these referrals can be found here.

Important Definitions

Enrollment date-The date of the first home visit. Guardian and postnatally enrolled child should have the same enrollment date. Prenatally enrolled children will have two enroll dates. The prenatal enroll date should be the same as the guardian’s. The Enroll Date should be the child’s birth date.

MIECHV target child- the child who is reported to HRSA on Form 1 and Form 2. The MIECHV target child is designated for HRSA reporting purposes and should be indicated as such by checking the MIECHV target child box in Visit Tracker.

• For home visiting models that serve multiple children in a family (PAT and EHS), home visitors should collect and document MIECHV data requirements on all children.

• For home visiting models that serve a single child per family (HFI), the youngest child in the family at case opening should be chosen as the MIECHV target child. If the mother is pregnant, then the MIECHV Target child is the child that she is carrying.  If she is pregnant with twins, triplets, etc., you would mark more than one active child as the target child in Visit Tracker.

MIECHV Identified Caregiver/Primary Guardian- The parent who is reported to HRSA on Form 1 and Form 2. This parent should be the primary caregiver of the MIECHV Target child/ren who signed up to participate in the home visiting program.

Visit Tracker Site/Fund Codes- In Visit Tracker, MIECHV families must be coded using a Site/Fund code..

MIECHV: Families served by MIECHV Home Visiting programs should be coded using the MIECHV Site/Fund code.

MIECHV Pending: Some home visiting agencies choose to enroll new participants into “MIECHV Pending” instead of the MIECHV site/fund code for a limited period of time while they are determining whether the participant will fully engage in home visiting. MIECHV Pending participants are not active participants and will not count toward an agency’s caseload. They will also not be included in Form 1 and 2 reports. For these reasons, it is important to transfer MIECHV Pending participants to MIECHV as soon as possible.

MIECHV2-D89: The above applies only to home visiting programs. Doula programs will use the MIECHV2-D89 site/fund code.

Visit Tracker Statuses– There are several status options for children and guardians in Visit Tracker.

Active: A participant is active when s/he is regularly receiving home visits and is actively engaged in home visiting. Families who are on “creative outreach” should also be included in this category. Once the creative outreach period (as defined by HV model and/or program) has ended, the participant should be promptly exited.

Inactive: A participant is inactive when s/he is not regularly receiving home visits and is not actively engaged in home visiting. The participant may be on an extended vacation or unable to complete visits for another reason.

Exited: A participant should be exited when s/he successfully completes home visiting (according to your model’s definition of successful completion) or cannot be located and has completed creative outreach. Exit date should be as close as possible to the most recent home visit, in accordance with program and model requirements.

Exit Statuses– Visit Tracker requires an “exit status” and an “exit reason” be chosen for each exited participant. The two Exit Statuses are:

Completed Program: This should be chosen in accordance with your program and model requirements. *For PAT programs, participants must have participated in home visiting at the expected level of services (75% of the minimum expected visits) for a minimum of 18 months.

Stopped Services Before Completion: If participants did not successfully complete the program in accordance with your program and model, this exit status should be chosen.

Exit Reasons– Visit Tracker requires an “exit status” and an “exit reason” be chosen for each exited participant. Please choose the most appropriate of the following Exit Reasons and limit use of other customized options:

• Completed Services required by model / aged out

• Guardian employment / educational conflicts

• Transitioned to a center based program

• Transitioned to another home visiting program

• Non-compliant attendance

• Unable to locate participant

• Participant dissatisfied / refused services

• DCFS placement

• Moved from area

• Incidence of miscarriage or child/guardian death

Priority Populations

MIECHV was designed to serve the following priority populations.  The legislation did not provide specific criteria, so we as a State have discretion in how we choose to define these populations.  These areas are very broad, so please think broadly when considering the families that you serve.  Many of these populations include all family members, not just the primary caregiver and target child.  Many of these indicators are by self-report or as observed by the home visitor, so no formal documentation is needed to prove the family’s situation- case entries and social histories are acceptable. See below for suggested criteria for each priority population.

Home visitors must update Priority Populations for all families at enrollment, annually and as information changes.

Low-Income: Individual or family with an income below the poverty line (Family Income)

Pregnant women under 21: Expectant mothers who enroll in the program and are under 21 years old during the reporting period (DOB)

History of child abuse/neglect or interactions with child welfare services: Enrollee who has a history of abuse/neglect and has had involvement with child welfare services either as a child or as an adult (Self-report)

History of substance abuse or needs substance abuse treatment: Enrollee who has a history of substance abuse or who has been identified as needing substance abuse services (Self-report or Substance Abuse survey)

Users of tobacco products in the home: Enrollees who use tobacco products in the home. Tobacco use is defined as combustibles (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookahs, bidis), non-combustibles (chew, dip, snuff, snus, and dissolvables), and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). (Self-report or Substance Abuse survey)

Have, or have children with, low student achievement: Enrollees who have perceived themselves or their child(ren) as having low student achievement (Self-report)

Child or children with developmental delays or disabilities: Enrollees who have a child or children suspected of having a developmental delay or disability (Self-report or Home Visitor observation)

Families that are or have served in the armed forces: Based on Families that include individuals who are serving or formerly served in the Armed Forces. Includes a military member’s dependent acquired through marriage, adoption, or other action. (Self-report)

MIECHV Data Collection Requirements at a Glance

Form 2 at a Glance

|Caregivers Benchmarks |

|Timeframe |Data Collection |

|At enrollment |Substance Abuse survey |

|At every postnatal visit |Behavioral Concern Survey |

|At every visit |Ask about medical visits |

|By 3 months post-enrollment for men and non-pregnant women |Screening for depressive symptoms: |

|By 3 months post-partum for pregnant women |Edinburgh Perinatal Depression Scale (EPDS) |

|Within 6 months of enrollment and annually each fiscal year |Screening for Intimate Partner Violence |

|thereafter |For women: Futures Without Violence Relationship Assessment Tool |

| |For men: Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with harm and Screamed (HITS) |

|Prenatal Benchmarks |

|Timeframe |Data Collection |

|At each home visit |Prenatal care visits |

|By 8 weeks postpartum |Postpartum Care visit and Contraception survey |

|By 3 months postpartum |Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen |

|By 6 weeks postpartum |4Ps |

|From birth to 6 months postpartum, until weaned |Breastfeeding survey |

|All Child Benchmarks |

|Timeframe |Data Collection |

|At each home visit |Medical visits (well-child, ER due to injury, other) |

|At intake for children enrolled under 1 year of age |Safe Sleep survey |

|At birth for prenatally enrolled children | |

|Then each fiscal year until the child turns 1 year | |

|By 3 months post-enrollment for children enrolled postnatally |Early Language and Literacy survey |

|By 3 months of age for children enrolled prenatally | |

|Then each fiscal year | |

|By 6 months of age for children enrolled prenatally |HOME – Parent-Child Interaction screening |

|By 6 months of age or 3 months post-enrollment for children enrolled | |

|postnatally | |

|Then each fiscal year | |

|6 months of age and every 6 months thereafter |ASQ-SE |

|9-months, 18-months, 24- and 30-months |ASQ-3 |

Form 1 at a Glance*

|Caregivers Data Requirements and Timeframes |

|At Intake |At Intake, Each Federal Fiscal Year, and As |At Intake, Quarterly, and As Needed |

| |Needed | |

|Race and ethnicity |Priority populations |Health insurance type |

|Sex and DOB |Housing status |Continuity of coverage |

|Primary and secondary language |Family income | |

|Marita status |Caregiver employment | |

| |Education level and status | |

| |Substance abuse survey | |

|Child Data Requirements and Timeframes |

|At Intake/Birth |At Intake/Birth, Each Federal Fiscal Year, and |By 12 Months of Age, Each Federal Fiscal |

| |As Needed |Year, and As Needed |

|Race and ethnicity |Health insurance type |Usual source of dental care |

|Due date |Usual source of medical care | |

|Sex and DOB | | |

*Federal Fiscal Year runs October 1-September 30

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of documentation do I need to enter into Visit Tracker?

Here is some guidance for completion of Private Visit Records (PVRs) in Visit Tracker:

• Document soon after the visit (preferably within a day or two)

• Paint a comprehensive picture of the visit

• Follow your model guidance

• At a minimum, document:

o Visit date, time and length

o Location and people present

o Any information or services related to MIECHV data requirements (Forms 1 and 2)

o A brief description of the visit

Should a home visitor do an assessment even if the family is already receiving services for the identified issue?

This is a good question and HRSA has given very specific guidance for each required assessment.

• Edinburgh (depression screen): You must screen all caregivers even if they’re already receiving treatment for depression. However, you do not need to refer “again” if they’re already receiving services.

• Futures and HITS (intimate partner violence (IPV) screens): You must screen all caregivers for IPV and refer for IPV services if a concern is identified, even if they are already receiving IPV services.

• ASQ-3 (developmental screen): You must screen all children with the ASQ-3 (either the 9-month, 18-month, 24-month or 30-month – whichever is due first) and refer for services if concerns are identified, even if they’re already receiving services for developmental delays. Subsequent screens can be skipped.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if families have unstable housing or are truly homeless? How can I decide?

HRSA has provided specific definitions for each Homeless category:

• Homeless and sharing housing: sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason

• Homeless and living in an emergency or transition shelter: living in emergency or transitional shelters; abandoned in hospitals; or awaiting foster care placement

• Some other arrangement: living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar setting

For family income, if a teen mom lives with her mom, for instance, it’s difficult to tease out the income. How do I document this caregiver’s income? 

For a teen mom who does not work and lives with her parents she would have $0 income.   If she gets WIC or other benefits for her baby and it is under her name the amount should be estimated and counted as income but if the benefits are under her parents name then it is still zero.  For MIECHV reporting, we have defined a MIECHV family as mother (or primary caregiver), father (or other caregiver) only if they live in the home, the target child and all their siblings so the income of parents/grandparents or anyone else in the house who are not the specific people listed in the above definition should not be included.

I was wondering if the MIECHV Data Collection Forms can be entered into VT so rather than the home visitors having to go to a bunch of different places to record the data.

No, Visit Tracker is a case management tool. When used in real time (not entering back data) the "flow" of it makes sense for home visiting programs.  For back data entry it may seem all over the place but if you use it daily for case management it is user friendly.  When deciding on a data system for MIECHV we did not want just a repository to enter MIECHV benchmarks.  We wanted it to be a daily tool that programs found useful in practice.  

Some participants have goals that seem to span into various categories. How should I handle this?

For consistency, please follow the following guidelines. If the participant’s goal is that her child will enroll preschool: the Goal Area should be Child Development. If the participant’s goal is that the participant will continue in high school, get a degree, enroll in some educational program of any type (this includes English), get in some job training program: the Goal Area is Education. If the participant’s goal is to get a part time or full time job, create a resume, open a business: the Goal Area is Employment.

I am a new supervisor. I’ve heard I need to collect RIN numbers for participants. What’s a RIN number? How do I do this?

A RIN number is a unique identifier generated by the Department of Human Services (more information can be found here: ). Caregiver and child RIN numbers can be found on participants’ medical cards.

In Visit Tracker, you should enter the primary guardian’s RIN Number on the Guardian Demographics page, in the “Local ID” field. The Target Child RIN should be entered on the Child Data page, in the “State ID” field.  If either of these two fields is not present on your VT screen, your site administrator needs to turn it on by logging in and clicking Setup and then clicking Preferences. In the “Child Fields to Display” section, set the “Show State ID?” to Yes. In the “Guardian Fields to Display” section, set the “Show Local ID” to Yes.

I am a new supervisor and/or I have new staff. What can I do to orient myself and/or my staff to MIECHV, the benchmarks, and Visit Tracker?

1. Alert OECD. Provide the name, role, contact information, and start date of new staff (as well as the exit date of exiting staff). This will ensure you receive all necessary communications.

2. Update Visit Tracker access and permissions.

a. Exit old home visitors and enter new home visitors into Visit Tacker (see webinar here).

b. Update site admin and helper admin preferences.

3. Learn the MIECHV Benchmarks and Visit Tracker system.

a. Watch the MIECHV Data Requirements and Entry webinar and slides.

b. Play in Visit Tracker demo site: Sign up to play around in this demo site as you’re getting to know Visit Tracker.

4. Learn the MIECHV Benchmarks. The Benchmark Glossary has in-depth information about each benchmark.

5. Ask for help! OECD and CPRD are available to help with questions and individual training and support.

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