Federal Support For All Children

The link between eligibility for federal foster care support under Title IV-E to eligibility for the now-defunct Aid to Families with Dependent Children program should be removed. Social workers should be focused on helping children find safe, permanent families, rather than wasting hours chasing down paperwork related to a parent’s eligibility for a program that hasn’t existed for 10 years.  Native American children under the jurisdiction of a tribal government are also not eligible to receive the benefits of Title IV-E, since tribes are not eligible to apply for this federal program.  Tribal governments should be allowed to apply for Title IV-E funds directly and operate the program for children under their care.

Between 1998 and 2004, an estimated 35,000 fewer children were eligible for federal foster care support in part due to this outdated eligibility requirement, and translating to a roughly $1.9 billion decrease in child welfare funds to the states.  

Relevant Legislation:

• The Adoption Equality Act of 2007 (S. 1462 / H.R. 4091)
• The Partnership for Children and Families Act (H.R. 4207)
• Tribal Foster Care and Adoption Access Act of 2007 (S. 1956/H.R. 4688)

Additional Information:

• Time for Reform: Fix the Foster Care Lookback
• Time for Reform: A matter of simple justice by National Indian Child Welfare Association and the Kids Are Waiting campaign