Child Welfare Services Insufficient to Meet Need

Child Welfare Services Insufficient to Meet Need

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on federal child welfare funding finds states go beyond designated funding streams to further child welfare, but it is still not enough to meet the needs of children and families.  The report was required by The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-34), which mandated the GAO look at federal funding sources for child welfare services. To assess child welfare funding sources and their sufficiency, the GAO interviewed child welfare officials and experts and reviewed federal law; reports; federal expenditures; and state expenditures in Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico and Virginia.