The opinions of children, families, and providers are solicited to assess and improve service quality.

• (1) A random sample of children, families, and foster care providers are contacted by the Division of Children and Family Services Continuous Quality Improvement (DCFS CQI) unit each month by mail, telephone, or personal contact and asked to participate in an opinion survey.  Participation in the survey is voluntary.
• (2) Confidentiality is maintained unless the respondent authorizes release of his or her identity to county staff responsible for service delivery or there is concern of risk to a child.  Mailed surveys may be completed anonymously.
• (3) Completed mail surveys are returned to the DCFS CQI unit for data input and analysis.  Surveys are forwarded to the respective county office for follow-up when authorized by the respondent.
• (4) Data from telephone surveys and personal interviews is entered by CQI staff in a data base with information generated from mailed surveys.
• (5) An analysis of aggregated findings is produced and distributed to DCFS and OFO on a quarterly basis by the DCFS CQI unit.  The report identifies trends and recommendations of respondents to improve service quality.