Sometimes grandparents, other relatives, or family friends care for children when their parents are unable to care for them. This arrangement, known as kinship care, can occur with or without the involvement of a child welfare agency, depending…

This fact sheet describes how grandfamilies and kinship families have unique strengths and face unique challenges. It addresses key questions regarding these types of families, including how many children live in them; what available data show…

In 2020, for every 100 families in poverty, just 21 families received TANF cash assistance — down from 68 families when TANF was first enacted in 1996. The “TANF-to-poverty ratio” (TPR) is at the lowest point in TANF’s history. This interactive…

This fact sheet summarizes available federal child welfare spending programs, their provisions, and their respective funding levels. It includes funding of the Foster Care, Prevention, Permanency-Title IV-E and Child and Family Services-Title IV-…

Research has shown that policies and practices in the child care subsidy system can prevent families from accessing and keeping child care benefits that ensure their children receive care in stable, quality settings. This fact sheet highlights…

This fact sheet summarizes provisions and key aspects of the Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and Earned Income Tax Credit. Each of these three tax credits were expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 and can be…

This tip sheet offers providers guidance on being culturally- and trauma-informed while assisting displaced Afghan families. It provides ways to build connection and trust, help maintain and strengthen family relationships, and align the work…

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of findings from a study of challenges and strategies for young people (ages 14 to 24) seeking support from key safety net programs. The fact sheet draws findings based primarily on a series of…

Part of a larger project sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called Key Programmatic Elements of Engaging Fathers to Promote Self-Sufficiency (KEEP…

This fact sheet provides an overview of key findings from a Child Trends evaluation of two Team Decision Making (TDM) implementation sites and offers broader implications for the child welfare field. TDM is a model developed by agency staff to…