This report is the first in a series of white papers on improving the child welfare system. It analyzes how child welfare funding structures can align with the federal policy goal of providing safe, nurturing and permanent families for all children.

“One way to accomplish the dual goals of safety and permanency is to change the way our nation pays for child welfare services,” says the report, which has been distributed widely to policymakers, the media and our partners.

The report concludes: “Ultimately what is needed is comprehensive federal finance reform that allows child welfare agencies to use federal funding flexibly to support innovative programs that better serve vulnerable children and strengthen families. This approach relies primarily on the ability to use existing resources more flexibly and effectively, not on additional federal funding.”