Home > Systemwide > Service Improvement/Systems Reform > Child Welfare Reform

Child Welfare Reform

Reform efforts are fundamental changes involving the implementation of multipronged strategies to achieve set outcomes. Child welfare reform efforts usually focus on enhancing safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families and may encompass changes in policies, procedures, funding, or service delivery structure.

These efforts may be undertaken in a local agency, a statewide child welfare system, or at a national level. They may address the entire child welfare system or major parts of the system, such as child protective services or out-of-home care. Whatever their goal or focus, child welfare reform efforts are intended to improve service delivery and achieve better outcomes.

• Reviews and recommendations
• State and local examples
• Reform based on Federal initiatives
• Fiscal reform
• Reform based on litigation
• Child protective services and prevention reform
• Foster care and adoption reform

Selected Resources National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement Offers training and technical assistance to improve management and operations, bolster organizational capacity, promote service integration, and develop supervisory and management systems; also coordinates, facilitates, and evaluates onsite training and technical assistance across the National Resource Centers.

Updated on June 10, 2008