Laws & Policies

Current as of:

The Children's Bureau provides guidance to states, tribes, child welfare agencies, and more on the complex and varied federal laws as they relate to child welfare.

What’s New in Laws & Policies? 

This page provides resources and information about new federal legislation, regulations, and Children's Bureau policies.

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CB Policy

Displaying 61 - 70 of 559
  • IM-20-06

    Foster Care as a Support to Families
    April 29, 2020
    This Information Memoranda (IM) provides information on best practices, resources, and recommendations for using foster care as a support for families in a way that mitigates the trauma of removal for the child and parents, expedites safe and successful reunification, and improves parent and child well-being outcomes. This Information Memorandum (IM) emphasizes the importance of state and tribal child welfare communities building and supporting relationships between resource families and parents to facilitate improved engagement of parents, promote timely reunification, build protective capacities in parents, and strengthen overall child and family well-being, while ensuring child safety.
  • PI-20-08

    Family First Transition Act Funding Certainty Grants
    April 16, 2020
    The purpose of this Program Instruction (PI) is to provide guidance to title IV-E agencies that on September 30, 2019 were operating a title IV-E child welfare waiver demonstration project under the authority of section 1130 of the Act on the actions required to be considered for a Funding Certainty Grant.
  • IM-20-05

    NEW LEGISLATION – Public Law (P.L.) 116-127, Section 6008 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and P.L. 116-136, Section 3720 and Title VIII of Division B of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
    April 6, 2020
    This Information Memorandum (IM) provides information to title IV-B/IV-E agencies of the enactment of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act and to provide basic information on the new laws.
  • PI-20-09

    Approval of a revised form for reporting financial data on the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Kinship Navigator and Prevention Services Programs
    March 31, 2020
    This Program Instruction (PI) provides State, Territorial, and Tribal title IV-E agencies (hereafter, "title IV-E agencies") with the revised form and instructions approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reporting quarterly financial information on the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Kinship Navigator and Prevention Services Programs, as well as annual information relating to Adoption Savings.
  • PI-20-07

    Availability of fiscal year (FY) 2020 funds under the Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect program
    March 12, 2020
    The purpose of this Program Instruction (PI) is to: (1) set forth the requirements for recipients of Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect awards for FY 2020; and (2) provide guidance and instructions for the preparation and submission of the application and annual reports.
  • PI-20-05

    Federal Fiscal Year 2020 Title IV-B, subpart 2 Funding Available to Develop and Enhance or to Evaluate Kinship Navigator Programs
    February 28, 2020
    This Program Instruction (PI) provides guidance to state, territorial and tribal title IV-E agencies on the actions required to apply for title IV-B, subpart 2 funding to support the development, enhancement or evaluation of kinship navigator programs.
  • PI-20-06

    Availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Children's Justice Act Grants to States Under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)
    February 28, 2020
    This PI sets forth the eligibility requirements and the grant application procedures for FY 2020 Children's Justice Act (CJA) grants and to provide the tentative State allocation table.
  • PI-20-04

    Family First Prevention Services Act Transition Grants
    February 27, 2020
    This Program Instruction (PI) provides guidance to agencies administering title IV-B, subpart 1 of the Social Security Act (the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program) on the actions required to apply for a one-time Family First Prevention Services Act Transition Grant.
  • IM-20-04

    Information on the updated method to calculate state and tribal funding under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee) program.
    February 13, 2020
    This Information Memorandum (IM) provides information to grantees on the formula used to calculate allotments under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee program), including information on adjustments to Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 awards and information on allotments calculated for FY 2020.
  • IM-20-03

    Strengthening Technology Support for Recruitment, Approval, and Retention of Foster Homes
    February 10, 2020
    To inform title IV-E agencies on how to use CCWIS, non-CCWIS information systems, websites, and applications to support child welfare program activities related to the recruitment, approval, and retention of foster homes.

Policy Resources

The following resources provide additional information about policy manuals, federal legislation, as well as state and tribal statutes.

  • Child Welfare Policy Manual: Policy questions and answers applicable to child welfare programs operated by the Children's Bureau.
  • The Title IV-E Plan Preprint - The current version of the title IV-E plan preprint for state and tribal title IV-E agencies is in the following program instructions: 
    • ACYF-CB-PI-18-07: Preprint Section A, State and Tribal Title IV-E Agency Plan for Foster Care Assistance, Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Programs 
    • ACYF-CB-PI-18-11: Preprint Section A, State and Tribal Title IV-E Agency Plan Attachment XII: Requirements for Participating in the Title IV-E Kinship Navigator Program 
    • ACYF-CB-PI-18-09: Preprint Section B, State Title IV-E Agency Plan for Title IV-E Prevention Services and Programs
    • ACYF-CB-PI-18-10: Preprint Section B, Tribal Title IV-E Agency Plan for Title IV-E Prevention Services and Programs
    • ACYF-CB-PI-23-08: Preprint amendment based on changes from the Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-348)
    • ACYF-CB-PI-23-10: Preprint Section A, amendment to adopt separate licensing or approval standards for relative or kinship foster family homes and to ensure foster care maintenance payment amount equity for relative and kinship foster family homes.
  • Form CB-496 — The current version of the Title IV-E Programs Quarterly Financial Report CB-496 with instructions is in ACYF-CB-PI-21-08, issued July 15, 2021.
  • Understanding and Complying With Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and The Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994, as amended by The Interethnic Adoption Provisions (IEP)  - This curriculum is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau, in coordination with the National Resource Center for Adoption, a service of the Children's Bureau.
  • Congress.gov  - Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public.
  • State Statutes Search - Search Child Welfare Information Gateway for state statutes on issues related to child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. Results will provide summaries of state statutes (and full text of laws, in some cases).

Laws, Legislation, and Regulatory Actions

Federal Laws

Federal laws are bills that have passed both houses of Congress, been signed by the president, passed over the president’s veto, or allowed to become law without the president’s signature. Individual laws, also called acts, are arranged by subject in the United States Code . Federal laws that govern Children’s Bureau programs are: 

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) - This document presents CAPTA as amended by P.L. 115-271, the Substance Use—Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act or the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, enacted October 24, 2018. The text includes the Adoption Opportunities program.

Compilation of Titles IV-B, IV-E and Related Sections of the Social Security Act - This compilation includes the titles IV-B, IV-E, and related sections of the Social Security Act as amended by section 305 within Title III, Division CC of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, P.L. 116-260, enacted December 27, 2020.

Legislation

Legislation consists of bills introduced by legislative bodies to amend or enact laws.  Legislation must become law to have any force or effect. The Government Printing Office and Congress.gov provide access to the official public laws.  For a list of recently enacted child welfare-related laws, click here.  Additionally, the following resources provide information about some enacted federal child welfare laws:

  • Index of Federal Child Welfare Laws  - Since 1974, many laws have been passed by the U.S. Congress that impact children and families and the agencies that serve them. A list of selected laws is included.
  • About CAPTA: A Legislative History - This document summarizes the legislative history and purpose of CAPTA, the key federal legislation addressing child abuse and neglect.

Regulatory Actions

Executive branch agencies, such as the Administration for Children and Families issue regulations that interpret, implement, and enforce enacted laws. Regulations are published in the Federal Register . The Federal Register contains government agency rules, proposed rules, public notices.  It is published every weekday, except on federal holidays. The Regulatory Actions page provides the Children’s Bureau’s proposed and final regulations and notices for public comment since 2008 and includes links to the sections of the Code of Federal Regulations that govern the title IV-B and IV-E programs.

Technical Bulletins

The Children’s Bureau develops technical bulletins to supplement official guidance and assist states and tribes in implementing child welfare policies and practices. Technical bulletins cover a variety of topics, including the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS), and child welfare monitoring.

  • AFCARS Technical Bulletins - These technical bulletins supplement official guidance and assist states in developing, implementing, and maintaining their Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).
  • NYTD Technical Bulletins - These technical bulletins supplement official guidance and assist states in developing and implementing the data collection and reporting requirements for the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD).
  • CCWIS Technical Bulletins - These technical bulletins supplement official guidance and assist states and tribes in developing, implementing, and maintaining their Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS).
  • CFSR Technical Bulletins - These technical bulletins supplement official guidance and assist states in understanding and preparing for child welfare monitoring reviews.
  • Legal and Judicial - This technical bulletin supplements official guidance and assist states and tribes regarding legal and judicial matters.
  • Title IV-E Prevention Program Technical Bulletins - These technical bulletins supplement official guidance and assist title IV-E agencies in implementing data collection and reporting requirements for the title IV-E prevention program.