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1 1 (January 14, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govebqr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: res 01 Research Service Irdorminu th~ Iegisiati ~ suite 11*14 Updated January 14, 2021 Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding The Work of Child Welfare Agencies Children depend on adults-usually their parents-to protect and support them. The broadest mis sion of public child welfae agencies is to stirengthen families s o that children can depend on their p arents to provide themwith a s afe and loving home. More specifically, child welfare agencies workto prevent abuse or neglect of children by their parents/caregivers. If abuse orneglecthas already happened, theagencies are expected to provide aid, services or referrals as needed to ensure children do not re-expeiience maltreatment. For some children, this meansplacementin foster care. Federal child welfare policy has three primary goals: ensuring children's safety, enablingpermanencyfor children, and promoting the well-being of children and their families. Fos ter care is understood as a temporary living situation. The first task of a child welfare agency is to provide services to enable children to safely reunite with their families. If thatis not possible, then the agency works to find a new permanent family for the child via adoption or guardianship. Youth in care who are neither reunited nor placed witha new pernnnent family are typically emancipated at their state's legal age of majority. These youth ares aid to have aged out ofcare. Children Served During FY2019public child protection agencies screened alleg ations of abuse or neglect involving 7.9 million children, carried out investigations or other protective responses involving 3.5 million of those children, and provided follow- up services in the homes of some 1.1 million of those children. Following a child protective services investigation, some children are removed to foster care. During FY2019, more than 251,000 children entered care. The circumstances most often associated with children's entry to foster care are neglect and/orparental drug abuse. Among the 424,000 children who were in foster care on the last day of FY2019, the majority (82%) lived in family homes (nonrelative or relative foster family homes and pre-adoptive homes), 10% lived in a group home or institution, about 7% were on trial home visits or in supervised independent living, and close to 1% had run away. Among the 249,000 children who formally left foster care during FY2019, more thanhalfreturnedtotheirparentsor went to live informally with a relative (53%), while 37% left care for a new permanent family via adoption or guardianship. At the s ame time, 8% aged out of care, while most of the remainder(1%) were transfered to the care of another agency. Who Bears Public ResponsibilityforThis Work? Under the U.S. Constitution, s tates are considered to bear the primary public responsibility for ensuring the well-being of children and their families. Public child welfare agencies at the state and local levels work with an array of private and public entities-including the courts and social service, health, nrental health, education, and law enforcement agencies-to carry out child welfare activities. This work is done consistent with state laws and policies. At the same time the federal governnrenthas long provided technical support and funding that is intended to improve state child welfare work. By providing this funding, the federal govemment compels s tates to meet certain program rules, such as requiring permanency planning for all children in foster care. Compliance with these child welfare requirements is monitored via federal plan approvals, audits, and reviews. The Children's Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers most federal child welfare programs. State level administration may be housed in the statehuman services department, or by anindependent, state-levelchild and family services agency. Some stateshave county-administered programs supervised by the state agency Child Welfare Spending and Programs State child welfare agencies spent about $30 billion on child welfare purposes during s tate FY2016, according to a survey by theresearch group Child Trends. Most ofthatspending drew froms tate and local coffers (56%). Of the remainder, 27% was s uppliedby federal programs solely dedicated to child welfare-including those authorized in Title IV-E and Title IV-B of the Social Security Act (SSA) and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)-and 17% fromother federal programs not solely child welfare-focused (principally, these are the Social Services BlockGrant and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Federal child welfare policy requirements are linked only to piograms dedicated solely to child welfare purposes. For FY2021, Congress provided at least $11.6 billion for such programs via the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260), including regularannual funding (primarily in Div. H) and s upplemental COVID-19-related funding (Div. X). Figure 1. Federal Child Welfare Funding by Purpose (FY202 I total: $1 1.6 billion) Dollars shown in millions iis & e r z en , 3253 Source: Prepared by CRS usingfunding levels provided in P.L 1 16- 260 or oth erwise provided for FY2021 . Amounts shown forfoster care and prevention and adoption, and guardianship, are based on definite budget authority provided. Actual federal spending may be greaterdueto support authorized as part of COVID-19 response. * Includes regularand supplemental COVID 19-relatedsupport. https://crs reports.congress.gc 9

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