ANNOUNCEMENT

New Policies Added to the Child Welfare Policy Manual

Today, July 30th, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration for Children and Families published 6 new Question and Answers in the Children’s Bureaus’ Child Welfare Policy Manual (CWPM). Below is a summary of the new policies:

Separate Poverty and Neglect.

The new policy encourages states to update their maltreatment definitions under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to exclude from neglect the inability to provide adequate housing, child care and other material needs if the family has insufficient financial means to do so (CWPM 2.3 Q/A #5).

• Children should not be removed from their families due to financial hardship alone. Several states have already clarified that poverty alone should not cause child removal. And there is evidence connecting this clarification to reductions in child removals. 
• The Biden-Harris Administration is encouraging states to clarify the distinctions between child maltreatment and financial hardship.

Expand Support for the Prevention Services Program.

A new policy provides more flexibility to Tribal governments to use prevention services adapted to the culture and context of tribal communities when they have agreements with state child welfare agencies (CWPM 8.6 Q/As #1 and #2). Another new policy explains in greater detail that federal administrative funding available to help families get to and engage with prevention programs, such as case management, peer navigation and transportation to help families engage with services (CWPM 8.6C.1 Q/A #4). The final new policy clarifies what information a title IV-E agency and community partner must collect and retain under the title IV-E prevention services program (CWPM Section 8.6A Q/As #3 and #4).

• Prevention services need to be well resourced, tailored to best meet the needs of families and grounded in evidence. New Biden-Harris actions respect Tribal sovereignty and expand how states and Tribes can use federal funding for prevention activities to provide greater assistance to children and families before a crisis point.

Prioritize Kin and Youth Needs.

The new policy allows child welfare agencies to draw on federal dollars to finance background check operations to facilitate quicker licensing for kin and others who provide foster care (CWPM 8.1B #33).

• Children who cannot safely remain with their parents but live with relatives and other kin have better outcomes than those who are not placed with kin in foster care, including in stability, behavioral health, and education.
• The Biden-Harris administration policy and other initiatives will incentivize jurisdictions to do more to ensure children in foster care can live with kin and meet youth needs.

The CWPM can be viewed here. For more information about these new policies, please contact the Children’s Bureau Program Manager in your region here.

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