NCJ Number
192233
Journal
Children's Voice Volume: 10 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 8-11
Date Published
September 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines the funding inadequacies found when child welfare agencies attempt to assist families and children in need of support and new funding proposals and strategies that would give child welfare workers the necessary resources to succeed.
Abstract
Child welfare workers are assigned to serve the families within their communities and to keep children safe. The challenges of these tasks are immense and begin with an initial safety assessment, after a report has been filed on abuse, through the coordination of services and a permanency plan for the child. However, in a child welfare worker’s attempt to provide the necessary services, these services are unattainable because they are in short supply due to inadequate funding. To support a well-developed child welfare delivery system, the following principles must become the foundation: the child must be safe; funding must be equitable and fair; and foster care and adoption assistance, under the Title IV-E of the Social Security Act must remain an open-ended entitlement. This article presented a brief overview of the status and process of Federal funding within child welfare agencies. It also presented new funding proposals and initiatives to aid child welfare workers in acquiring the necessary resources and programs for families in need. The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) developed a proposed redesign of the federal supports available to adequately fund the right mix of services at the right time. The new design would support a considerate delivery system. In addition, the development of a new Federal partnership with the States that begins when a Child Protection Service’s agency receives a report of abuse or neglect. This would reduce the worry about which Federal funding source to use and whether necessary resources are available to meet a family’s case plan. This would improve the safety, permanency , and well-being for both children and families.