New Report Shows 35,000 Fewer Abused and Neglected Children Eligible for Federal Foster Care Support in 2005, Increasing Burden on States
February, 2007
A new national report issued today highlights that increasing numbers of Indian and non-Indian children are not eligible for the nation’s largest foster care entitlement program—Title IV-E. For American Indian, the issue is particular acute because nearly 10,000 American Indian/Alaska Native children are in the nation’s foster care system today, frequently at disproportionately higher rates compared to non-Indian children.
“Fewer numbers of children eligible for Title IV-E means increased reliance on state funding. As state funding gets tighter, the opportunity for tribes to develop funding agreements with states or have access to additional services for their children can decrease,” said Terry Cross, executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA).
In 1998, more than half of all children in state-sponsored foster care were eligible for federal support, but by 2005, less than half were—an estimated 35,000 fewer eligible foster children. The number is projected to decline by approximately 5,000 children each year, according to a new analysis released today by the Kids Are Waiting: Fix Foster Care Now campaign, led by the Pew Charitable Trusts. This decrease in children served is due in part to an antiquated eligibility provision known as the “lookback.”
Many factors have contributed to the decline in the number of children eligible for federal foster care support, including changes in state policies and the demographics of a state’s foster care population. However, experts agree that part of the decline is the result of the lookback policy, which ties eligibility for foster care to the income standard for a welfare program dismantled more than 10 years ago. The decrease in the number of children eligible for federal foster care has translated into an estimated $1.9 billion loss in federal foster care support to the states between 1998 and 2004.
Entitled “Time for Reform: Fix the Foster Care ‘Lookback’,” the report represents the kick-off of a campaign to highlight the urgent need for federal foster care reform, including inclusion of tribal governments for badly needed Title IV-E funds. Among the groups already partnering with Kids Are Waiting are Fostering Results, Generations United, National Council for Adoption, National Indian Child Welfare Association, North American Council on Adoptable Children, Public Children Services Association of Ohio, and the Center for Public Policy Institute in Texas.
The so-called “lookback” provision makes a child in foster care’s eligibility for federal funds dependent on whether the family from which he or she was removed would have qualified for support in 1996—according to the rules from the now defunct federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.
The lookback policy also raises fundamental questions about whether any children in foster care should be denied federal support. For example, American Indian children who receive services from tribal foster care programs do not qualify for Title IV-E federal support unless their tribes have negotiated funding compacts with the state. Establishing a government-to-government relationship between tribes and the federal government in order to receive direct foster care funding is part of a larger list of recommendations organized by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care.
The report describes a variety of proposals for addressing the lookback provision. For a full copy of the report, visit www.kidsarewaiting.org.
About the Kids Are Waiting Campaign
Kids Are Waiting: Fix Foster Care Now is a national, nonpartisan campaign dedicated to promoting foster care reform. Led by the Pew Charitable Trusts, an ever-growing number of local, state, and national partners are working together so that our most vulnerable children do not spend their childhoods waiting in foster care for the families they deserve. For more information, visit: www.kidsarewaiting.org.
About the Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations, and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society. In 2003, Pew launched a major policy initiative to help move children in foster care more quickly and appropriately to safe, permanent families and to prevent children from coming into foster care in the first place. Since that time, Pew has supported the nonpartisan Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care and promoted public education and advocacy to encourage reform.
About the National Indian Child Welfare Association
NICWA is a national nonprofit and the most comprehensive source of information on American Indian child welfare and works on behalf of Indian children and families. NICWA provides public policy, research, advocacy, information, training, and community development services to a broad national audience; state child welfare agencies; and other organizations, agencies, and professionals interested in the field of Indian child welfare.