Child Welfare Programs: A Timeline

Child Welfare Programs: A Timeline

June 3, 2021
Child Welfare Programs: A Timeline

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Child Welfare Programs: A Timeline
Programs by Year
PRWORA authorized the National Survey of Child and Adolescent
1935 Title V, Part 3 of the original Social Security Act (P.L. 74-271)
Wel being (SSA, §429). NSCAW last received its own funding for
authorized grants to states for Child Welfare Services (CWS); Title
FY2011; as of FY2015, it has been continued with CWDRT funds (as
IV authorized Aid to Dependent Children (ADC).
directed via appropriations report language).
1960 The Social Security Act Amendments of 1960 (P.L. 86-778)
1997 The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA, P.L. 105-89)
established grants for Child Welfare Research, Demonstration, or
established Adoption Incentive Payments (AIP) to encourage states
Training (CWDRT) in Title V.
to find permanent adoptive families for children in foster care unable
to return to their parents.
1961-1962 P.L. 87-31 temporarily al owed states to use ADC to pay
for a part of the cost of providing foster care to children who were
1999 The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-169)
ADC-eligible in the home from which they were removed. The
replaced the ILP with the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence
Public Welfare Amendments of 1962 (P.L. 87-543) made this foster
Program.
care support ongoing and renamed ADC as Aid to Families with
2002 The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Reauthorization Act of
Dependent Children (AFDC).
2001 (P.L. 107-133, enacted 2002) authorized Chafee Educational and
1968 The Social Security Act Amendments of 1967 (P.L. 90-248,
Training Vouchers (ETVs), moved the CIP program law to Title IV-B
enacted in 1968) required each state’s AFDC program to include
(SSA, §438), and authorized funds for Mentoring Children of
foster care support, and moved CWS and CWDRT to a newly
Prisoners (SSA, §439); MCP was funded FY2003-FY2011.
created Title IV-B.
2006 The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171, enacted
1974 The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA, P.L.
2006) increased mandatory funding for the PSSF program. It also
93-247) authorized funds for research, as wel as for grants to states
boosted CIP funding, adding training and data-related purposes. The
to improve their child protective services systems.
Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-288)
directed the increased mandatory PSSF funding toward (1) grants to
1978 Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and
improve monthly caseworker visits with children in care, and (2)
Adoption Reform Act (P.L. 95-266) authorized funding for research
RPGs to improve outcomes for children affected by parental
and demonstration grants to reduce barriers to adoption of children
substance abuse. It also time-limited the previously permanent CWS
with “special needs” (understood as children in need of a new
program authorization.
permanent family who, due to age, disability, or other factors, were
considered harder to place for adoption).
2008 The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act (P.L. 110-351) gave states the option to offer ongoing
1980 The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (P.L. 96-272)
IV-E guardianship assistance to eligible children leaving foster care for
replaced AFDC foster care with an independent foster care program
legal guardianship, began the phase out of the lookback for purposes
in a new Title IV-E, added ongoing adoption assistance for “special
of IV-E adoption assistance eligibility, and permitted states (as of
needs” children, and retained AFDC-related eligibility criteria for
FY2011) to extend IV-E assistance to youth up to age 21. The act
Title IV-E assistance. It included certain protections for children in
also created Family Connection grants (SSA, §427) and funded them
foster care embodied in a “case review system.” States providing
for five years (FY2009-FY2013).
these protections to al children in foster care (not just IV-E eligible
children) had access to more CWS funds.
2011 The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation
Act (P.L. 112-34) permitted HHS to approve a new set of IV-E waiver
1984 The Continuing Appropriations Act for FY1985 (P.L. 98-473)
projects, but stipulated that al new or existing waiver projects must
established Prevention Chal enge Grants.
end by September 30, 2019.
1985 The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985
2014 The Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act
(P.L. 99-272) established the Independent Living Program (ILP) in a
(P.L. 113-183) added legal guardianship incentives to the AIP and
new section of Title IV-E.
renamed it as Adoption and Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments.
1986 The Children’s Justice and Assistance Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-401)
It provided Family Connection grant funding for FY2014.
added new grants to CAPTA (funded via the Crime Victims Fund).
2018 The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) (P.L. 115-123,
1989 The Child Abuse Prevention Chal enge Grants Reauthorization
Title VII, Division E) gave states the option to use Title IV-E funds for
Act (P.L. 101-126) moved these grants to CAPTA (Title II).
certain evidence-based kinship navigator programs (as of FY2019),
1993 The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 authorized
and prevention services (as of FY2020). It revised and renamed the
funding for “Family Support and Family Preservation” in a new Title
Chafee Program.
IV-B, subpart 2. As of FY1995, it required funds to be reserved for
2019 The Family First Transition Act (FFTA; P.L. 116-94, Division N,
the Court Improvement Program (CIP).
§604) renamed PSSF as the MaryLee Al en PSSF.
1994 The Social Security Act Amendments of 1994 (P.L. 103-432)
Note: Timeline includes programs administered by the Children’s Bureau
amended the CWS to make case review system protections
(CB) of HHS’s Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The list of
mandatory for al children in foster care. It also authorized HHS to
laws focuses primarily on those that created, fundamental y revised, or
approve Child Welfare Demonstration Projects (also known as “IV-E
renamed these programs. These laws typical y made other program
waivers”). (See also 2011.)
changes not discussed here. Other laws not listed have amended CAPTA,
1996 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
and Title IV-B and Title IV-E of the SSA. For CB programs that remain in
Reconciliation Act (PRWORA, P.L. 104-193) repealed AFDC and
law but are no longer funded (or are not independently funded), see
replaced it with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
entries on this page for 1994, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2011, and 2014.
(TANF) block grant. The law maintained a link between IV-E and the
prior-law AFDC program. It requires a state, when determining a
Emilie Stoltzfus, Specialist in Social Policy
child’s eligibility for Title IV-E foster care and adoption assistance, to
IF11843
look back to the eligibility rules it used to determine need for cash
aid under the AFDC program (before it was replaced by TANF).
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Child Welfare Programs: A Timeline

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