Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Maine, Nebraska and Tennessee are among the states that have collectively been hoarding billions intended to help low-income families.

A report from Generations United and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recommends extending foster care-type supports to kin caregivers, including grandparents.

An ongoing lawsuit filed on behalf of kinship caregivers alleges the Washington, D.C., child welfare agency denied them the public support entitled to formal foster parents.

Battle Over Research Findings Amid Rocky Transition in Kansas The transition of leadership in child welfare agencies is rarely a newsmaking event. Not so this year in Kansas, where the shift from Gov.

When a series of family crises left her 3-year-old niece in need of a permanent home, April Funches opened her doors. Although the move was in the works for months, the little girl arrived lacking enough clothes and other necessities, which meant Funches’ budget took an immediate hit.

A single mother with three of her five children still teenagers living at home, 50-year-old Denita Simmons didn’t plan on adding two babies to the mix. But her godsons needed her.

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a stop-gap measure on Tuesday that will provide emergency funding to caregivers who take in a foster child before completing the approval process. Over the past year, the state’s new approval process for caregivers in the state has led to lengthy funding delays for foster parents and relative caregivers, now collectively known as resource families.

Talk to child welfare advocates about federal child welfare finance reform and the conversation almost immediately turns to Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. This is for good reason: Title IV-E, including the foster care, guardianship and adoption assistance programs, represents the only federal entitlement program targeted specifically to the needs of children who have experienced abuse and neglect.

If you read my first piece in this series on Title IV-E waivers, which are essentially short-term block grants, you can probably guess that I think converting Title IV-E into a block grant would be a terrible idea.