Updated August 1, 2019
Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding
What Is the Work of Child Welfare
out of care, 1% were transferred to the care of another agency,
Agencies?
and the remainder left foster care for other reasons.
Children depend on adults—usually their parents—to protect
Who Bears Public Responsibility for This Work?
and support them. The broadest mission of child welfare
As the U.S. Constitution has been understood, states are
agencies is to strengthen families so that children can depend
considered to bear the primary public responsibility for
on their parents to nurture them, keep them safe, and provide
ensuring the well-being of children and their families. Public
them with a permanent, stable home. More specifically, child
child welfare agencies at the state and local levels work with
welfare agencies are expected to act to prevent abuse or
an array of private and public entities—including the courts
neglect of children by their parents/caregivers. If abuse or
and social service, health, mental health, education, and law
neglect has already happened, the agencies are expected to
enforcement agencies—to carry out child welfare activities.
provide assistance, services, or referrals needed to make sure
This work is done consistent with state laws and policies. At
children do not experience maltreatment again. For some
the same time, the federal government has long provided
children, this means removal from the home and placement in
technical assistance to improve state child welfare work.
foster care.
Further, through the provision of child welfare funding, the
Foster care is understood as a temporary living situation, and
federal government compels states to meet federal program
a primary task of a child welfare agency is to find children in
rules, including providing case review protections to all
foster care a permanent home. Usually this is done by
children in foster care. Compliance with federal requirements
providing services that enable children to safely reunite with
is monitored via federal plan approvals, audits, and reviews.
their parents or relatives. If that is not possible, then the child
At the federal level, child welfare programs are administered
welfare agency works to find a new permanent family for the
by the Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of
child via adoption or legal guardianship. Foster youth who
Health and Human Services (HHS). At the state level, federal
are not reunited or placed with a new permanent family are
child welfare programs are often administered within the state
most often “emancipated” from care when they reach their
human services department, or by an independent, state-level
state’s legal age of majority. These youth are said to have
child and family services agency. However, some states have
“aged out” of care.
county-administered programs supervised by the state agency.
Child Welfare Spending and Programs
Federal child welfare policy has three primary goals:
State child welfare agencies spent close to $30 billion on child
ensuring children’s safety, enabling permanency for
welfare purposes during state FY2016, according to a survey
children, and promoting the well-being of children
by the research group Child Trends. The majority of this
and their families.
spending (56%) drew from state and local coffers. The
Children Served
remaining funds were supplied by federal programs dedicated
to child welfare purposes (27%)—including those authorized in
During FY2017, state and local child protection agencies
Title IV-E and Title IV-B of the Social Security Act (SSA) and
screened allegations of abuse or neglect involving some 7.4
the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)—or
million children, carried out child protection responses
from other federal programs that share some child welfare
involving 3.5 million of those children, and provided follow-
purposes but are not solely focused on child welfare (17%).
on services in the homes of some 1.1 million of those children.
Principally, these are the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
Some 270,000 children entered foster care during FY2017, and
and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
as of the last day of that fiscal year, 443,000 children remained
Total FY2019 federal funding authority dedicated solely to
in care (including those who entered care during FY2017 or in
child welfare is about $9.8 billion.
earlier years). Circumstances most often associated with foster
care placement were neglect and/or parental drug abuse.
Title IV-E
Among children who were in foster care on the last day of
Title IV-E of the SSA primarily supports provision of foster
FY2017, the median length of stay in care was just over a year
care, adoption assistance, and (in jurisdictions electing to
(12.9 months). The majority (81%) were living in a family
provide this) guardianship assistance to children who meet
setting, 12% lived in a group home or institution, and the
federal Title IV-E eligibility criteria. Beginning with
remainder lived in other settings.
FY2020, as authorized by the Family First Prevention
Among the 248,000 children who formally exited foster care
Services Act (“Family First,” Title VII, Division E of P.L.
during FY2017, the majority returned to their parents or went
115-123), states may also use Title IV-E to fund certain foster
to live with a relative (56%), while more than one-third (34%)
care prevention services. Funding is authorized permanently
left care for a new permanent family via adoption or legal
(no expiration) and on an open-ended entitlement basis.
guardianship (including with kin). However, some 8% aged
Under Title IV-E, states are required to provide assistance to
eligible children, and the federal government is committed to
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Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding
paying a part of the cost of that aid (50% to 83%, depending
Chafee Program
on the state), as well as a part of the cost of administering the
Title IV-E of the SSA also includes the Chafee Foster Care
program (50% in all states) and for training (75% in all states).
Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood. States receive
The federal budget authority for this Title IV-E spending is
formula Chafee grants for services to assist children who
expected to total $8.6 billion for FY2019, with most spending
experience foster care at age 14 or older, including former
used for foster care payments, case planning and review,
foster youth up to age 21 (or up to age 23 in states that offer
licensing/background checks, and other administrative work.
foster care support up to age 21). Funding is separately
HHS estimates 667,000 children received Title IV-E support in
authorized for Educational and Training Vouchers (ETVs),
an average month during FY2018. Most received adoption
which may provide up to $5,000 per year (for a maximum
assistance (466,000); smaller numbers received foster care
of five years or up to age 26) to allow Chafee-eligible youth
payments (168,000) or guardianship assistance (33,000). In
to attend college or post-secondary training.
general, unless a state has a Title IV-E waiver, it must only
Funding for Chafee basic grants is authorized as a capped
spend Title IV-E dollars (federal and state) on children who
mandatory entitlement; ETV funding is authorized on a
meet federal eligibility criteria. For foster care assistance,
discretionary basis. Both funding authorizations are permanent
these include an income test (applied to the home the child
(no expiration date). States are required to provide no less than
is removed from), removal requirements (these typically
$1 for every $4 in federal funding they receive under this
must include judicial findings that the home is “contrary to
program. Combined FY2019 funding is $183 million.
the welfare” of the child and that “reasonable efforts” to
Figure 1. Federal Child Welfare Funding by Purpose
prevent foster care were made), and placement in a licensed
family home or other Title IV-E eligible facility. While the
share varies by state, nationally about 40% of children in
foster care meet those federal criteria.
Title IV-B
Title IV-B—the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare
Services (CWS) program and the Promoting Safe and
Stable Families (PSSF) program—primarily authorizes
formula grants for child and family services. In February
2018, these funding authorities were extended through
FY2021 (P.L. 115-123). Total FY2019 Title IV-B
funding—including for CWS, PSSF, and related research
and activities—is $730 million. This includes $5 million in
supplemental funds (P.L. 116-20) provided under CWS for
states experiencing certain recent natural disasters and $15
million appropriated in the SUPPORT Act (P.L. 115-271)

to further develop a reunification and recovery treatment
Source: Prepared by CRS using FY2019 appropriation levels from
model for families affected by substance use disorder.
P.L. 115-245, P.L. 115-271, P.L. 116-6, and P.L. 116-20.
Notes: Funding to states for “services to current & former foster youth”
There are no federal eligibility criteria for receipt of Title IV-B
is authorized in Chafee. Funding to states for “child and family services” is
services. Funds are to be used to protect children (CWS);
authorized in CAPTA and Title IV-B. Child welfare funding awarded
competitively, including incentive payments for adoptions and legal
support, preserve, and reunite families (CWS and PSSF); and
guardianships, is shown as “competitive grants, research, evaluations &
promote and support adoption (CWS and PSSF). Children
incentives,” without regard to where it is authorized
served may be living at home or in foster care. States must
provide no less than $1 in nonfederal funds for every $3 they
CAPTA
receive in federal Title IV-B formula funding. Funding is
Federal policy concerning states’ receipt of and responses to
authorized on a discretionary basis for CWS and on a
allegations of parental or caregiver child abuse and neglect—
discretionary and a capped mandatory basis for PSSF.
the front door to child welfare involvement for most children
Some PSSF program funding is reserved each year for specific
and families—is primarily addressed in CAPTA. That law
programs, including the Court Improvement Program (about
authorizes formula grants to states to improve child protective
$30 million), grants to improve monthly caseworker visits with
services, funds for research and technical assistance related to
foster children ($20 million), and Regional Partnership Grants
preventing and treating child abuse and neglect, and formula
(RPGs) to improve outcomes for children affected by parental
grants to support community-based efforts to prevent child
substance use disorder ($20 million). The FY2019
abuse and neglect. CAPTA’s discretionary funding authorities
appropriations act (P.L. 115-245) maintained PSSF
expired with FY2015, but funding has been continued.
discretionary funding at the level provided for FY2018 and
FY2019 appropriations for all CAPTA grants and activities
again directed a portion of those funds be used for additional
totaled $158 million (same as FY2018). As was the case
RPGs ($19 million), for state and tribal kinship navigator
with FY2018, the FY2019 appropriations act (P.L. 115-
programs ($19 million), and to enhance HHS technical aid to
245) provided $85 million of this total to CAPTA state
states and tribes working to implement evidence-based
grants ($60 million more than they received in FY2017).
prevention services, as authorized in Family First ($2 million).
The conference agreement to the FY2019 measure stated
that the $60 million was continued to help states develop
and implement “plans of safe care” for infants identified as
substance-exposed, including services for their caregivers.
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Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding

IF10590
Emilie Stoltzfus, Specialist in Social Policy


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