State Participation

Introduction

Every state, territory, and the District of Columbia APS program voluntarily submits data to NAMRS. All programs provide Agency Component information on administration and key policies and practices of their program. 

In addition to agency information, most programs, depending on their data system and reporting capability, also submit either Key Indicators or Case Component data on investigations. Case Component data is (de-identified) case level data on client characteristics, services, and perpetrator characteristics. Key Indicators Component data is aggregated data on key statistics of investigations and victims. 

The NAMRS Definitions of Code Values provides a description of the terms used for the NAMRS system.

Please Note: NAMRS supporting documents with updated OMB Control information and data collection changes will be posted prior to the next data collection period and are available now upon request.

Accessing the NAMRS system

If you are a state APS program staff person who does not currently have NAMRS system access and needs access, please contact us to request an account. Note that NAMRS user accounts must be approved by the primary contact in each state (typically the state APS administrator). Once your account is established, you’ll receive an email from your state NAMRS liaison. 

Once your account is established, we recommend you review the NAMRS “Resources” tab for reference documents and pre-recorded webinars on submission and navigating the system. 

Contact us if you have questions about state participation in NAMRS. If you are a state staff member working on NAMRS, you may reach out to your state's designated liaison. A list of state liaisons is available within the NAMRS system.

Benefits of Participation

Based on input from national experts and stakeholders, NAMRS provides a framework of what data is needed to understand APS clients, investigations, types of maltreatment, and perpetrators and their relationship to clients. Through evaluation projects and technical assistance to states, ACL is using NAMRS data to:

The process of providing NAMRS data creates opportunities for states to understand more fully who they serve, how they serve them, and the services that can help prevent future maltreatment from happening and being re-reported to APS. Specifically, the process of reporting to NAMRS creates opportunities for states to: 

• Refine and enhance APS data collection systems based on the NAMRS data framework.
   
• Use the process of submitting data and the detailed data Case Component reports generated by the system to improve the quality of data collected and to better understand their program.
   
• Use the data for cross-state comparisons to understand how adult maltreatment and APS practice is similar and different across states.