The Children's Bureau provides guidance to states, tribes, child welfare agencies, and more on the complex and varied federal laws as they relate to child welfare.
This page provides resources and information about new federal legislation, regulations, and Children's Bureau policies.
This Program Instruction (PI) provides guidance to state, territorial and Tribal title IV-E agencies on the actions required to apply for title IV-B, subpart 2 funding to support the development, enhancement or evaluation of kinship navigator programs. These are federal fiscal year (FY) 2024 funds, provided in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.
The purpose of this Information Memorandum (IM) is to remind title IV-E agencies that for all adoption assistance agreements entered into on or after July 1, 2024, eligibility for title IV-E adoption assistance must be determined using the “applicable child” eligibility criteria described in section 473(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Act.
This Program Instruction provides instructions on the requirements state title IV-E agencies must meet when electing the title IV-E prevention program, ACF-ACYF-CB-PI-24-07 supersedes ACYF-CB-PI-18-09 issued November 30, 2018, upon publication.
The purpose of this Information Memorandum (IM) is to inform title IV-B and title IV-E agencies that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published a final rule for Foster Care Legal Representation on May 10, 2024 (89 FR 34818). The final rule allows title IV-E agencies to claim FFP for administrative costs of legal and certain non-legal representation.
The purpose of this Information Memorandum (IM) is to inform title IV-B and title IV-E agencies that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published a final rule for Designated Placement Requirements Under Titles IV-E and IV-B for LGBTQI+ Children on April 30, 2024 (89 FR 34818
). The final rule specifies the steps title IV-B/IV-E agencies must take when implementing the case plan and case review requirements for children in foster care who identify as LGBTQI+.