Child Welfare Financing Survey SFY2018

This report provides findings from a biennial survey of child welfare agencies on their expenditures for state fiscal year (SFY) 2018. The survey intends to support greater understanding among stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities that agencies encounter in delivering services. According to the survey, state and local child welfare agencies rely on multiple funding sources to administer their programs, including Medicaid, Title IV-E, Title IV-B, TANF, the Social Services Block Grant program, and other federal, state, and local sources. In this report, tabular and graphic data illustrate trends in total expenditures for child welfare agencies from SFY 2016 to SFY 2018 and the different uses of funds to cover out-of-home placements, adoption and guardianship programs, child protective services, preventive services, and assistance for older youth. The report covers recent legislation and federal policy changes and how they affect child welfare expenditures. The report also identifies points of consideration for states as they assess how to determine the type of available services they might offer, in light of how states rely on different funding structures for their respective child welfare agencies.