Invaluable lessons can be gleaned from the real-world experiences of foster youth, families, and care providers who rely on the current inadequate record systems and paper case files to inform care. The case stories in this document are true accounts of how lack of access to key information adversely affects the ability of families and caregivers to provide quality care to a child or youth in foster care, and how it negatively impacts foster children and youth themselves. These stories illustrate how changes to the Child Welfare Services data system and other relevant electronic information exchange efforts could support providers and others in providing quality services and, in turn, improve outcomes for children and youth in foster care.
