ACF Announces New Best Practices to Strengthen Ombudsman Offices and Improve Child Welfare Outcomes
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced new best practices to help states strengthen child welfare ombudsman offices and use feedback from children, youth and families to improve child welfare systems.
“Ombudsman offices can give states an independent perspective on where their child welfare systems are working and where they need to improve,” said ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. “These best practices give states practical tools to listen to children and families, identify challenges earlier and turn what they learn into better outcomes.”
The new resource builds on a May 2026 report from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), links to an external website examining the landscape and common functions of state child welfare ombudsman programs, as well as lessons from ACF’s July 2026 roundtable with state leaders, ombudsman offices, youth representatives, advocates and national partners.
ACF identified six practices that can support effective child welfare ombudsman offices:
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Define the office’s role and authority so stakeholders understand its responsibilities and limitations.
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Protect independence and credibility through impartial review, appropriate authority, access to information and operational autonomy.
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Build relationships before concerns escalate to strengthen trust and support problem-solving.
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Use complaint data to identify system patterns and inform system improvement efforts.
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Center youth and family voices in office operations, engagement and improvement efforts.
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Report findings and follow through by tracking recommendations, communicating progress and demonstrating how concerns contribute to meaningful change.
The best practices support ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative and its focus on helping states identify challenges and improve outcomes quickly. Child welfare ombudsman offices can complement federal data by examining individual concerns as they arise, identifying patterns across cases and providing context about what is happening on the ground.
ACF’s Child Welfare Policy Manual also notes that certain ombudsman activities are eligible for federal financial participation under Title IV-E. The guidance clarifies, for example, that case review, case supervision, and case management duties performed by child ombudsman personnel may be claimed when paid through a Title IV-E agency. Eligible costs may be reimbursed when included in an approved cost allocation plan.
View ACF's Best Practices for Children's Ombudsman Offices.
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