Evaluation and Technical Assistance for the Title IV E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations
In 1994, Public Law 103-432 authorized up to 10 states to conduct demonstration projects that involve the waiver of certain requirements of title IV E, particularly those that limit the use IV-E funds to foster care maintenance and adoption assistance payments. A waiver gives a state flexibility to test the use of IV-E funds for services that might prevent placement, reduce length of stay in foster care, or otherwise enhance child safety, permanency and well-being. Since 1998, JBA has implemented multi-year contracts with the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) to provide evaluation and technical assistance to states with title IV-E waiver demonstrations. Under this project, assistance and support has been provided to participating states in the following areas: evaluating their child welfare waiver demonstrations; synthesizing and disseminating information that becomes available from the demonstrations; assisting ACYF in reviewing state proposals; reviewing and monitoring submission of state reports; providing technical and logistical support for annual meetings with state and Federal staff and evaluators involved in the waiver effort; and conducting cross-state analyses of findings.
The states' waiver projects have examined innovative child welfare service strategies in several areas, including: assisted guardianship; capped title IV-E allocations and flexible funding to local agencies; managed care payment systems; services to caretakers with substance use disorders; intensive child welfare service options; enhanced training for child welfare staff; post-adoption services; and tribal administration of title IV-E funds. JBA has written and disseminated of a series of in-depth synthesis papers that review and analyze key implementation and outcome findings from states in selected categories of waiver demonstrations. To date, JBA has produced three synthesis papers that review findings from assisted guardianship, flexible funding/capped IV-E allocations and substance abuse service waivers. JBA is currently drafting a synthesis of findings from states with managed care waivers. More than simple summaries of research findings, these synthesis papers have served to identify key issues and lessons learned from the implementation of the waiver demonstrations, gaps in the current knowledge base regarding the effects of IV-E waivers on child welfare outcomes, and critical areas for future research.