Background

This product lists the questions asked and the summary results from three GAO surveys of state child welfare or protective service, health and mental health, and juvenile justice and rehabilitation agency directors.

The Web-based surveys asked questions about the extent to which state agencies licensed and monitored residential facilities for youth. These facilities included government-operated facilities, private facilities that serve youth under federally funded state programs, and other private facilities that serve only youth placed and funded by parents or other private entities.

These surveys were administered to state child welfare, health and mental health, and juvenile justice directors in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. We received at least one completed survey from 50 states and the District of Columbia. We received completed surveys from 44 child welfare agencies, 45 health and mental health agencies, and 44 juvenile justice agencies. In 32 states and the District of Columbia, all three agencies completed the survey. We received at least one survey back from each state, except Puerto Rico. We invited Puerto Rico to participate in the survey but did not receive any response from its offices.

Names and the email address for officials at the surveyed agencies were obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and relevant national associations. GAO began the surveys in May 2007 by emailing unique survey ID numbers and passwords; followed up with nonrespondents by e-mail and telephone; and closed the surveys in September 2007.

We conducted all of our work in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. A more detailed discussion of our scope and methodology, and a discussion of our results, is contained in our report Residential Facilities: Improved Data and Enhanced Oversight Would Help Safeguard the Well-Being of Youth with Behavioral and Emotional Challenges, GAO-08-346 (Washington, D.C.: May 13, 2008).

Instructions for Viewing this Survey

How to View The Surveys

• We present the results of three surveys concerning Residential Facilities: (1) Survey of State Child Welfare or Protective Services Agencies Regarding Residential Facilities for Youth (2) Survey of State Health and Mental Health Agencies Regarding Residential Facilities for Youth, and (3) Survey of State Juvenile Justice and Rehabilitation Agencies Regarding Residential Facilities for Youth.
• Click on the "Selecting a Survey to View Survey Results" link located in the lower right of this screen to make your selection. To read to the bottom of the screen, you may need to use your scroll bar on the right side of this screen.
• Once you have selected a survey, the next screen in each of the surveys is an introduction and general information that was sent to and viewed by recipients of the survey. There are no survey results to view on this screen. This screen is for information only and you may by-pass it by clicking on Next located at the bottom of the screen in the lower right.
• The survey may have links to allow respondents to bypass inapplicable questions (skip patterns). While these were active links during the data collection period, they have now been disabled.
• The first screen in the survey is an introduction and general information that was sent to and viewed by recipients of the survey. There are no survey results to view on this screen. This screen is for information only and you may by-pass it by clicking on Next located at the bottom of the screen in the lower right.
• The survey may have links to allow respondents to bypass inapplicable questions (skip patterns). While these were active links during the data collection period, they have now been disabled.
• When a respondent wrote a narrative response to a question, we sometimes present the percent of respondents making a comment.

How to View the Responses for Each Question

• To view the responses to each question, click on the question number (Links to survey questions will look like this: 1., etc.).
• After viewing the responses to each question, click on the "x" in the upper right corner of your screen to close that window and return to the questionnaire.

How to Return to a Page That You Previously Visited

• To return to the last screen you viewed, click the Previous button on the lower right corner of the screen.
• Click the Next button to advance to the next screen.

How to Make the Font Larger on Your Screen

• You can make the font larger by changing your browser setting. For example, on Internet Explorer you can change the font size by going to View and selecting Text Size.

Contact Information?

• If you have questions concerning these data, please contact Kay Brown at (202)512-3674. Brownke@gao.gov.

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