Child welfare agencies across the United States protect and promote the welfare of children and youth who are at risk of, or who have been victims of, maltreatment. The collective public investment by state and local child welfare agencies totaled $29.9 billion in federal, state, and local funds in state fiscal year (SFY) 2016. To put this amount in context, total federal spending in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016 was $3.9 trillion (Angres and Costantino, 2017).
State and local child welfare agencies rely on multiple funding streams to administer programs and services. At least seven funding sources are available to child welfare agencies, each with its own unique purposes, eligibility parameters, and limitations, creating a complex financing structure that can be challenging to understand. Each state’s unique funding composition determines what services are available to children and families, which approaches are used, and the way that child welfare agencies operate.
Child Trends conducted this 10th national survey of child welfare agency expenditures to promote an understanding of the challenges and opportunities agencies face in serving vulnerable children. This report is part of an array of resources compiled from the survey’s findings. The Child Trends website also contains state-specific resources and detailed information on the following funding sources:
- Title IV-E Spending by Child Welfare Agencies
- Title IV-B Spending by Child Welfare Agencies
- Medicaid Spending by Child Welfare Agencies
- Social Services Block Grant Spending by Child Welfare Agencies
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Spending by Child Welfare Agencies
- Spending of Other Federal Funds by Child Welfare Agencies
- Spending of State & Local Funds by Child Welfare Agencies
