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How Federal Legislation Impacts Child Welfare Service Delivery
Series: Factsheets |
Author(s):
Child Welfare Information Gateway
|
Year Published: 2012 |
This factsheet provides an overview of the process by which legislative actions and policy changes at the Federal level impact State and Tribal child welfare systems and service delivery. Links to pertinent resources are provided for each step of the process. The steps in the process described in this document do not always occur in the same sequence listed here.
- Step 1: Congress passes and the President signs legislation that creates or amends a federally funded child welfare program.
- Step 2: The Children's Bureau provides guidance in response to Federal legislative mandates.
- Step 3: The Children's Bureau disburses funds to support child welfare programs as authorized by Federal legislation.
- Step 4: In response to Federal legislative mandates, policy, and/or funding requirements, States may enact statutes, and State and Tribal child welfare agencies may develop programs and policies to meet the needs of their constituencies.
- Step 5: The Children's Bureau monitors State child welfare services through data collection and onsite reviews to ensure that programs achieve positive outcomes for children and families.
- Step 6: The Children's Bureau responds to Congressional mandates to report on State performance in delivering child welfare services.
Step 6: The Children's Bureau responds to congressional mandates to report on State performance in delivering child welfare services.
Reports to Congress may analyze data collected through the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS); provide information about progress in monitoring programs, such as the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs); or provide results of specific studies mandated by Federal legislation. The information provided in these reports helps to inform future legislation.
For more information:
- Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports
Children's Bureau
Informs Congress, the States, and the public about State performance on key child welfare outcomes and changes in performance over time. These reports are required by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA). - Child Maltreatment Annual Reports
Children's Bureau
Provides the most complete national information about child maltreatment known to State child protective services agencies and are based on reports from the States to NCANDS. - Reports and Results of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs)
Children's Bureau
Provides access to Statewide Assessments, Final Reports, Program Improvement Plans, and Individual Key Findings Reports for each State. - National Incidence Study (NIS)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
A congressionally mandated, periodic research effort to estimate the incidence of child abuse and neglect in the United States by combining information about reported cases with data on maltreated children identified by professionals who encounter them during the normal course of their work. NIS-4, the most recent study, was published in 2010. - Suggested Citation: Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012). How Federal legislation impacts child welfare service delivery. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.
Next Steps
Step 1: Congress passes and the President signs legislation that creates or amends a federally funded child welfare program.