Disaster Planning for Child Welfare Agencies

Child welfare agencies are entrusted with supporting, protecting, and caring for children and families in their communities. This work can be complex and difficult even during calm times, and it can become even more so in the midst of natural or manmade disasters. Federal law requires State child welfare agencies to develop disaster plans. Doing so is a best practice that can help child welfare agencies be better prepared to serve children and families, both those that were previously in contact with the agency and those that may require the agency’s assistance due to the disaster. This factsheet outlines the reasons child welfare agencies should develop disaster plans, provides an overview of plan development, points to resources for creating preparedness plans, and highlights State and local examples.