Foster Care: Incomplete Implementation of the Reforms and Unknown Effectiveness
PEMD-89-17
Published: Aug 14, 1989. Publicly Released: Sep 13, 1989.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the extent to which the incentive funding structure of federal child welfare services grants encouraged states to implement reforms to reduce widespread abuses of the foster care system.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress may want to consider funding additional information development to improve the knowledge base about how case monitoring and delivery of services can best promote the goals of the Child Welfare Services grants in total. Specifically, it might be more desirable to target any additional money for the federal agency to conduct sound evaluations of promising state and local programs and to disseminate the guidance resulting from those evaluations to the states. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
Congress is considering making these state grants an entitlement. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should reexamine HHS standards for certifying states' compliance with the section 427 requirements to ensure that receipt of incentive funds is contingent, from 1989 onward, on the states meeting all of the law's requirements. In particular, HHS should require states to demonstrate the implementation of all the required elements of the case review system. |
Closed – Implemented
The Commissioner, ACYF, established a joint ASPH OHDS 427 Review Task Force to develop NPR for a revised review process. The Department is currently working on the notice of proposed rulemaking from the Task Force's recommendations.
|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should promptly comply with the legislative mandates of Public Law 99-509 regarding the development of an adoption and foster care information system. |
Closed – Implemented
Final regulations were signed by the Secretary are now with the Office of Management and Budget. These regulations are apparently exempted from the moratorium.
|
Full Report
Office of Public Affairs
Topics
Child care programsstate relationsFoster childrenGrant award proceduresGrant monitoringGrants to statesGrants-in-aidManagement information systemsState-administered programsChild welfare