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Article: Foster care vs. families: the feds have a bias toward foster care, but states think they could protect kids better if they had more money for prevention and family support.
- Article from:
- State Legislatures
- Article date:
- June 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 National Conference of State Legislatures. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When it comes to caring for abused and neglected kids, money and the strings attached to it shape policy and practice. Even substantial increases in funding won't necessarily improve the lives of society's most vulnerable children if the money isn't being spent where it is likely to do the most good.
States and the federal government share the financial responsibility. In FY 2004, the $23 billion cost of child welfare nationally was split roughly 50/50 between the states and counties on the one hand and the federal government on the other.
The current system of federal financing favors the one approach to child safety that no one particularly likes: ...