Child Welfare : Program Requirements for States

States have primary responsibility for administering child welfare funds. However, the federal government provides substantial child welfare funding that is contingent on states meeting certain program requirements. The greatest part of federal assistance for general child welfare services, as well as adoption assistance, foster care, the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program and Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, is included in Title IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act. Under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), states also receive funds to strengthen child protective services, develop networks of state-wide community-based, prevention focused family resource and support programs, and improve handling, investigation and prosecution of child maltreatment cases. This book categorises and describes state program requirements linked to these federally funded child welfare programs and includes a list of important related definitions from the Social Security Act.