Updated May 16, 2024
Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding
The Work of Child Welfare Agencies
entities—including the courts and social service, health, mental
Children depend on adults—usually their parents—to protect
health, education, and law enforcement agencies—to carry out
and support them. The broadest mission of public child welfare
child welfare activities. This work is done consistent with state
agencies is to strengthen families so that children can depend
laws and policies. At the same time the federal government has
on their parents to provide them with a safe and loving home.
long provided technical support and funding that is intended to
More specifically, child welfare agencies aim to prevent abuse
improve state child welfare work. As part of accepting this
or neglect of children in their homes. If this has already
funding, states must agree to meet certain federal program
happened, the agencies are expected to offer aid, services, or
rules, such as required permanency planning for all children in
referrals to ensure children do not reexperience maltreatment.
foster care. Compliance with these child welfare requirements
For some children, this means placement in foster care.
is monitored via federal plan approvals, audits, and reviews.
The Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health
Federal child welfare policy has three primary goals:
and Human Services (HHS) administers most federal child
ensuring children’s safety, enabling permanency for
welfare programs. State-level administration may be housed in
children, and promoting the well-being of children
the state human services department or at an independent,
and their families.
state-level child and family services agency. Some states have
county-administered programs supervised by the state agency.
Foster care is understood to be a temporary living situation.
When a child enters care, the first task of the child welfare
Child Welfare Spending and Programs
agency is to provide services to enable the child to safely reunite
State child welfare agencies spent about $31.4 billion on
with family. If that is not possible, then the agency works to find
child welfare purposes during state FY2020, according to a
a new permanent adoptive or guardianship family for the child.
survey by researchers at Child Trends. Most of that
Youth in care who are neither reunited nor placed with a new
spending drew from state and local coffers (51%). Of the
permanent family are typically emancipated at their state’s legal
remainder, 30% was supplied by federal child welfare
age of majority. These youth are said to have aged out of care.
programs included in the Social Security Act; 18% was
Children Served
from other federal programs, most of which are not solely
During FY2022, public child protection agencies screened
child welfare-focused (principally, the Social Services
Block Grant and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families);
allegations of abuse or neglect involving 7.5 million children,
and less than 1% was from offsets and from private and in-
and carried out investigations or other child protective services
(CPS) responses involving 3.1 million of those children.
kind support. For FY2024, about $11.0 billion is provided for
Among the children receiving services after a CPS response,
federal programs dedicated wholly to child welfare.
most (roughly 84%) received them in their own home.
Figure 1. Federal Child Welfare Funding by Purpose
Some children are removed from their homes following an
(FY2024 total: $11.0 bil ion. Dol ars shown in mil ions.)
investigation; roughly 187,000 children formally entered foster
care during FY2022, the only time in more than 20 years of
regularly reported data that the number of entries was less than
200,000. Neglect and/or parental drug abuse are the
circumstances most often associated with foster care entry.
Among the 369,000 children in foster care on the last day of
FY2022, most (83%) lived with families (nonrelative or
relative foster family homes and pre-adoptive homes), 9%
lived in a congregate setting, 7% were on trial home visits or in
supervised independent living, and 1% had run away.
Of the 201,000 children who formally left foster care during
FY2022, just over half returned to their parents or went to live
informally with a relative (51%), while 38% left care for a new

Source: Prepared by CRS based on P.L. 118-47 and P.L. 118-42, except
permanent family via adoption or legal guardianship. At the
for Title IV-E funding, which is based on FY2024 current law budget
same time, 9% aged out of care, while most of the remainder
authority as given in the President’s FY2025 budget request.
(1%) were transferred to the care of another agency.
* Includes formula funding in IV-B and CAPTA. ** Includes competitively
awarded funding and incentives in IV-E, IV-B, CAPTA, and the Victims of
Who Bears Public Responsibility for This Work?
Child Abuse Act. *** Includes Chafee general and ETV funding.
Under the U.S. Constitution, states are considered to bear the
Title IV-E Foster Care, Prevention, Permanency
primary public responsibility for ensuring the well-being of
Title IV-E helps support provision of foster care, adoption
children and their families. Public child welfare agencies at the
assistance, or guardianship assistance to children who meet
state and local levels work with an array of private and public
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Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding
federal IV-E eligibility rules. The IV-E program may also fund
Title IV-B Child and Family Services
kinship navigators and selected services intended to prevent
Title IV-B principally includes the Stephanie Tubbs Jones
the need for foster care placement. Federal support for these
Child Welfare Services (CWS) and the MaryLee Allen
IV-E activities is authorized on a mandatory, open-ended, and
Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) programs,
permanent basis and is estimated as $9.7 billion for FY2024.
which authorize funding for formula grants to states and
Foster Care, Adoption, and Guardianship
tribes for child and family services. Title IV-B also
Under IV-E, states and participating tribes must provide foster
authorizes competitively awarded funding for Child
care and adoption assistance to eligible children, and the
Welfare Research, Training and Demonstration (CWRTD)
federal government is committed to paying a part of the cost of
projects. Total FY2024 IV-B funding was $689 million,
that aid (50% to 83%, depending on the state/tribe), as well as
including $269 million for CWS, $398 million for PSSF,
a part of the cost of administering the program (50% in all
and $22 million for CWRTD. Discretionary and/or capped
states/tribes) and for certain training (75% in all states/tribes).
mandatory funding authorities for CWS and PSSF were
States may opt to provide IV-E guardianship under this same
extended through 2024 (at the most recently authorized
cost-sharing structure. During FY2023, about 723,200 children
levels) by P.L. 118-42. Discretionary funding for the
received IV-E assistance each month, including for adoption
CWRTD is authorized on a permanent (every year) basis.
(548,000), foster care (125,900), and guardianship (46,900).
There are no federal eligibility rules for receipt of Title IV-B
In general, states and tribes may spend IV-E dollars (federal
services. Funds are used to protect children (CWS); support,
and state/tribal) only on children who meet federal eligibility
preserve, and reunite families (CWS and PSSF); and promote
criteria. Rules vary by the type of aid. For foster care, they
and support adoption (CWS and PSSF). Children served may
include an income test (applied to the home the child is
be living at home or in foster care. States must provide at least
removed from); removal requirements (typically, a judge must
$1 in nonfederal funds for every $3 in federal funds received.
find that a home is “contrary to the welfare” of the child and
A part of PSSF funding is reserved each year for the Court
that “reasonable efforts” to prevent foster care were made);
Improvement Program ($30 million), Monthly Caseworker
placement in a licensed foster family home or other eligible
Visit grants ($19 million), Regional Partnership Grants
facility; and age requirements. Fewer than 45% of children in
(RPGs) to improve outcomes for children affected by
care meet those criteria, although this share varies by state.
caregiver substance misuse ($19 million), and related
Prevention Services and Kinship Navigator Programs
evaluation and technical assistance (circa $8 million). For
States and tribes opting to provide approved IV-E prevention
FY2024, P.L. 118-47 further directed $10 million to kinship
services may offer them to children at imminent risk of foster
navigator grants and $3 million to the IV-E clearinghouse.
care; pregnant or parenting youth in care; and the parents or
Chafee Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood
kin caregivers of these children and youth. No income test
States receive Chafee basic grants to support services for
need apply. During FY2023, an estimated 18,400 children
children who experience foster care at age 14 or older,
received IV-E prevention services each month.
including most of those youth who were formerly in care (up
As of March 2024, 42 states, the District of Columbia, and four
to age 21, or 23 in some states). Funding is also authorized for
tribes have HHS-approved IV-E prevention plans; 4 states
Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) to help Chafee-
(Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico) and Puerto
eligible youth attend college or postsecondary training. Chafee
Rico have IV-E prevention plans in review; and 4 states
grant funding is authorized on a capped mandatory basis and
(Alabama, Alaska, South Dakota, Texas) and the U.S. Virgin
for ETVs on a discretionary basis. Both funding authorizations
Islands did not have such plans either in review or approved.
are permanent (every year). States must provide no less than
$1 for every $4 in federal Chafee/ETV funding they receive.
Federal IV-E prevention funding is available for up to 50% of
FY2024 funding was $187 million.
a state/tribe’s IV-E prevention costs, including related training
and administration. Services offered must be rated by the IV-E
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)
prevention services clearinghouse as meeting IV-E evidence
CAPTA authorizes grants to states to improve child protective
standards; and, to claim full support in FY2024, at least 50%
services (no nonfederal match), and for community-based
of a state’s IV-E prevention dollars must be for services rated
efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect (20% nonfederal
as well-supported or supported. Beginning with FY2025, at
match). CAPTA’s discretionary funding authorities expired
least 50% of a state’s IV-E prevention services spending must
with FY2015. FY2024 funding totaled $212 million, including
be for well-supported programs in order for the state to receive
$105 million for state grants, $71 million for community-based
federal IV-E support for that spending. States’ IV-E prevention
grants, and $36 million for research and technical assistance.
services plans most often include well-supported programs,
Adoption and Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments
including Parents as Teachers, Functional Family Therapy,
States may earn incentive payments for increasing the rate
Multisystemic Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Healthy
at which children who would otherwise remain in foster
Families America, or Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.
care are placed in new permanent adoptive or guardianship
Title IV-E-funded kinship navigator programs are intended to
families. In September 2023, HHS awarded $46.5 million
ensure kin caregivers have access to services and supports that
to 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
meet their own needs and those of the children in their care.
FY2024 funding of $75 million continues this program,
The programs may serve kinship families whether or not they
although discretionary funding authority ended in FY2021.
have child welfare involvement. IV-E support is authorized at
50% of a state/tribe’s costs, if the navigator program meets IV-
Emilie Stoltzfus, Specialist in Social Policy
E evidence standards. Through May 2024, five kinship
IF10590
navigator programs were rated as meeting those standards.
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Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding


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