Title IV-B of the Social Security Act^[1] is a federal entitlement allotted to state child welfare agencies that is operated by the Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). It is a prevention program which provides funds that can be used to enhance state child welfare service capacity to prevent child maltreatment (i.e., abuse and neglect) and bolster support for caregiver communities. The portions of funding to state child welfare activities can support community programs, primary responses to maltreatment (i.e., differential response), kinship supports, and the preservation of family and culture within Indigenous communities. Title IV-B can also serve as a flexible distributor of child welfare funds and connector to other larger programs, but there are barriers.

How States Use IV-B Funding

Public child welfare agencies are eligible to receive discretionary funds for Title IV-B by submitting detailed implementation plans called a Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP). As there are no federal eligibility rules for Title IV-B funds, states have greater liberality on the justification for programs. However, grant-funded projects under Title IV-B stipulate certain inclusion criteria (e.g., youth with juvenile justice involvement, adult serving as kinship caregiver).

Maltreatment prevention through differential response and community-based programming is used in several states by Subpart 1. Family preservation, support, reunification, and adoption services are major activities funded by PSFF-Subpart 2, meaning states must use at least 20% of PSSF funds in whichever category of services are used. See the following table for a breakdown of planned expenditures from FY 2022 (Promoting Safe and Stable Families, 2023).

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Data reproduced from Capacity Building Center for States

Agencies can also apply to receive help with extending services into the community, evaluating programs, and improving court processes. State and local governments combine Title IV-B with other funds to support the following additional programs:

• Parenting and healthy marriage classes that increase relationship skills within the family
• Home visiting services for infants and young children of first-time parents
• Supports for caregivers of children with special needs.

Allotment of Funds

Research has highlighted the hurdles which limit the application of Title IV-B by states. Federal funding allocated for IV-B is limited (~4-5%) compared to larger Title IV-E programs (~50-60%; federal allocation in FY 2020, Rosinsky et al., 2023). Subpart 1 funds are allotted as base level of $70,000, and additional funding is distributed in proportion to the state’s population of youth under the age of 21 and the state’s average per capita income. PSSF funds are distributed directly to child welfare agencies after a CFSP is submitted. Other funds are set aside for nationally funded competitive research projects. States are required to match 25% of received funding (i.e., $3-4 of federal for every $1 of state spending). The CARES Act (2020) was responsible for adding $45 million in non-matched dollars to the program (Rosinsky et al., 2023). Kinship care was also reinforced through the Consolidated Appropriations Act with $85 million to PSSF (Department of Health and Human Services, 2022).

Programs funded to provide differential responses (i.e., family interventions without Child Protection Services) are the most effective at reducing child maltreatment and responding to cases of parental substance use in the home. In addition, Title IV-B funded programs are effective at linking parents and caregivers to other programs such as parent training, and external programs for social (e.g., EITC, SNAP, TANF benefits) and educational assistance (e.g., Early Head Start) (Harden & Barth, 2022).

Recommendations for Policymakers’ Consideration

• Incentivize states to improve the provision, implementation, and evaluation of services supported through Title IV-B.
• Include provisions for families to receive basic needs and concrete assistance. Title IV-B does not include basic needs assistance or concrete services in and of itself. Many families coming into contact with child welfare are in poverty; however many families in poverty do not neglect their children.
• Equitably distribute funds to Indigenous communities. The Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of ICWA (Haaland v Brakeen, 2023), has reinforced the need to use Title IV-B to support indigenous communities, and to find innovative ways to find root causes and address community factors related to maltreatment.

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^[1] Title IV-B has three major subparts. Subpart 1, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program, provides grants to states and Indian Tribes for prevention and family preservation programs, as well as reunification services to families who have been separated (Children’s Bureau, 2012). Subpart 2 known as MaryEllen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program (PSSF) was designed to provide support for delivery of services that are community-based, as well as kinship and relative-based care of youth (Promoting Safe and Stable Families, 2023). Subpart 3 funds data exchange and agency interoperability processes.