Bolder Horizon Glossary

Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)

AFCARS is the national database that tracks children in foster care and those adopted through the child welfare system. States and tribes that administer Title IV-E programs are required to report into AFCARS twice a year. The data include basics like the child’s age and race, information on their foster or adoptive family, and details about the child’s placements and case history. Policymakers and researchers use AFCARS to understand trends, measure outcomes, and guide improvements in child welfare.

Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA)

Enacted in 1997, ASFA was a major reform focused on safety, permanency, and well-being. The law required that children’s safety be the top priority in all state decisions and established federal timelines to move children into stable, permanent homes. These timelines require that child welfare agencies terminate parental rights and pursue adoption, guardianship, or placement with a relative if children are unable to safely return home in a given timeframe. ASFA also added a direct focus on promotion of adoption to what is now known as the MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

AFDC was the main federal cash assistance program for low-income families until it was replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in 1996. Even though AFDC no longer exists, it still plays a big role in child welfare today. Under current law, a child is only eligible for federal foster care funding through Title IV-E if their family would have qualified for AFDC back in 1996.

This “AFDC lookback” has never been updated for inflation, meaning fewer children qualify for federal support each year. In Family First, Congress made the decision to exempt prevention services and placement in family-based residential treatment programs from the AFDC lookback, meaning states are able to receive federal reimbursement for these programs regardless of the child’s family income.

Chafee Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee) 

The Chafee program provides federal funding to states and tribes to help young people in foster care and those who have recently aged out successfully transition to adulthood. It supports three main areas:

  • Independent living services for youth 14 and up as they prepare to leave care, those who exit foster care at 18 or older, and those adopted or placed in guardianship after turning 16.

  • Room and board assistance for young people who left foster care when they turned 18, up to age 21 (or 23 in states that extend foster care).

  • Education and training vouchers to help cover college or vocational training costs for youth eligible for Chafee services (See Education and Training Vouchers Program).

Together, these supports are meant to give young people who experienced foster care a stronger foundation as they enter adulthood.

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)

CAPTA is the main federal law that guides how states respond to child abuse and neglect. It provides funding and sets requirements for states to support prevention, reporting, investigation, and treatment of child abuse cases. CAPTA also funds grants to states, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to test new approaches and improve practice. Beyond funding, the law defines child abuse and neglect at the federal level and establishes the federal role in research, evaluation, technical assistance, and data collection.

Title II of CAPTA, the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program, provides grants to states to support community-driven efforts that strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect before it happens.

Child Care Institution (CCI)

Under federal law, a CCI is a licensed group setting that cares for children in foster care. It can be either publicly or privately run but must serve no more than 25 children. For youth age 18 or older, the definition also includes certain supervised independent living settings. Importantly, CCIs do not include juvenile detention facilities, training schools, or other facilities primarily for youth involved in the justice system.

Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) Program

The ETV program provides up to $5,000 per year to help Chafee-eligible youth cover the costs of college or career training. Funds can be used for the full “cost of attendance,” including tuition, fees, books, supplies, and room and board. ETVs can be used at a wide range of schools, from community colleges and universities to technical or vocational training programs. Originally capped at age 23, Family First gave states and tribes the option to extend eligibility to age 26. However, youth may receive ETV support for no more than five years total.

Family-Based Foster Care Placements

In family foster care, children live in the home of a relative (kinship care) or a nonrelative foster parent who has been approved by the child welfare agency. Family-based placements are the preferred option in child welfare because they allow children to live in a family setting rather than an institution or group facility. These placements provide day-to-day care, stability, and support while the child’s longer-term permanency plan (reunification, adoption, or guardianship) is being pursued.

Federal child welfare policy requires that children be placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting that can meet their needs. Family First reinforces this standard by prioritizing family-based placements whenever a safe and appropriate option is available.

Family-Centered Treatment Approaches

An approach to substance use disorder treatment that addresses the holistic needs of the entire family, not just the person struggling directly with the challenges of addiction. While the length of services and type of setting (in-home, outpatient, residential) can vary, what is common across these models is that children can remain with their parents while they are receiving treatment, and children also receive support to meet their needs as well.

Family Connection Grants

Created under the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Family Connection Grants funded projects to help children in or at risk of foster care stay connected to their families. The grants supported services like family-finding efforts, Kinship Navigator Programs, and residential family treatment. Notably, they were the first dedicated federal funding stream for Kinship Navigator Programs, which help relatives caring for children access supports and services.

Family Preservation

Family preservation refers to services and supports that help families in crisis remain safely together and avoid foster care placement. These services may include intensive in-home support, counseling, parenting education, or concrete assistance to stabilize the household. The goal is to address challenges early so children can remain with their families whenever safe and appropriate.

Federal Financial Participation (FF_)

FFP is the share of a state’s program costs that the federal government reimburses. The percentage varies by program and by state.

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY or FY)

Federal budgets and funding cycles are tied to the federal fiscal year (as opposed to the calendar year), making it an important reference point for policy and appropriations work. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Each fiscal year is named for the calendar year in which it ends. State fiscal years don’t always align with the federal schedule; some follow the calendar year, while others run from July 1 to June 30. 

Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP)

FMAP is the rate by which the federal government reimburses states for certain programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, and certain social services including Title IV-E foster care and adoption assistance. Each state’s FMAP is recalculated annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The formula is based on state income levels: states with lower per capita incomes receive a higher federal match, while wealthier states receive a smaller match. In practice, FMAP ranges from 50% (the minimum) to more than 80% in the lowest-income states. This sliding scale is meant to balance state and federal responsibility for program costs.

Foster Care Maintenance Payments (FCMPs)

Foster Care Maintenance Payments are the monthly payments made to foster parents, kin caregivers, or group care providers to cover the basic costs of raising a child in foster care. Federal law defines these costs broadly to include food, clothing, shelter, school supplies, daily supervision, personal items, liability insurance, and reasonable travel for family visits or to keep a child in their school. For children eligible under Title IV-E, payments are shared between the state and federal government. For children not IV-E eligible, the state (and often local government) covers the full cost. These payments are provided at a flat monthly rate, which is set by each state and may vary depending on factors such as the child’s age and level of need.

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Fostering Connections)

Fostering Connections is a major child welfare reform law aimed at improving permanency, stability, and long-term outcomes for children in foster care. It amended Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act in several important ways to emphasize kinship care: expanding support for kin families, investing in family-finding and Kinship Navigator Programs, and creating the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program, which allows states to receive federal funds to support relatives who take legal guardianship. The law also promoted educational stability, strengthened adoption incentives, expanded access to foster care and adoption programs for tribes, and gave states and tribes the option to extend foster care to age 21 with federal support, an important step in helping older youth transition to adulthood.

Guardianship

Guardianship is a legal arrangement in which a caregiver—often a relative or other trusted adult—assumes responsibility for raising a child when the parents cannot safely do so. Unlike adoption, guardianship does not require terminating parental rights. Parents may retain certain legal ties, such as visitation or decision-making rights, while the guardian provides day-to-day care and stability. Guardianship can be a permanent option for children when reunification with parents is not possible and adoption is not the right fit, especially when children want to remain connected to their families. Federal support for guardianship is available through the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) for eligible children.

Independent Living

Independent living services are designed to help older youth in foster care or those who have aged out build the skills and supports they need for adulthood. Services can include life skills training, financial literacy, job readiness, housing support, and mentoring. Independent living is a key component of the Chafee program and may also include supervised independent living placements for young people who remain in extended foster care.

Institutional Care

Institutional care refers to any non-family setting where children in the child welfare system may be placed, such as group homes, residential treatment centers, or psychiatric facilities. These settings are typically intended only for children and youth with significant behavioral health needs that cannot be safely met in a family or community-based setting. 

Best practices indicate that institutional care should be time-limited, high quality, and focused on treatment and stabilization so that the child can return safely to family and community as soon as possible. Federal policy emphasizes that children should grow up in the least restrictive, most family-like setting that can meet their needs.

Kin/Relative

In child welfare, “kin” and “relative” are often used to mean the same thing. Federal law and regulations typically use the term “relative,” especially in defining eligibility for foster care and related programs. However, states and tribes have the flexibility—and are encouraged—to define “relative” more broadly to include fictive kin (close family friends or other trusted adults who have a significant relationship with the child). We use the term “kin” to reflect that broader understanding, even though statutes and regulations usually say “relative.”

Federal child welfare policy emphasizes placing children with kin whenever a safe and appropriate placement is available, recognizing that children often do better when they can remain connected to family and community.

Kin Caregiver

A kin caregiver is a grandparent, other relative, or fictive kin (a close family friend or trusted adult) who provides full-time care for a child when the child’s parents are unable to do so. Kin caregivers may be part of the formal child welfare system—licensed or approved as foster parents—or they may provide care informally, outside the child welfare system. Both groups play a critical role in keeping children connected to family and community when safe and appropriate.

Kinship Navigator Program

Kinship Navigator Programs help grandparents, relatives, and fictive kin raising children connect with the resources, supports, and services already available in their communities. These programs provide information and referral, help families navigate complex systems, and often offer direct assistance. 

They also promote coordination among public agencies, community organizations, and nonprofits to make sure kinship families can access the help they need. Under Family First, Kinship Navigator Programs are eligible for federal Title IV-E reimbursement if they meet evidence-based standards, making them an important part of the shift toward strengthening families and supporting kinship care.

Kinship Placements

A kinship placement occurs when a child in the custody of the child welfare system is placed in the home of a kin caregiver—a grandparent, other relative, or fictive kin. Federal child welfare policy prioritizes kinship placements when they are safe and appropriate, recognizing that children often do better when they can stay connected to family, culture, and community.

Medicaid

Medicaid is the federal-state health coverage program for low-income individuals and families. It covers children, pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities, and others who meet eligibility rules. In child welfare, Medicaid plays a key role because children eligible for Title IV-E foster care, adoption assistance, or guardianship assistance are automatically eligible for Medicaid. States also have the option to extend coverage to certain “medically needy” individuals who don’t meet income limits but have significant health expenses.

Medicaid is an entitlement program, meaning everyone who qualifies has a legal right to coverage. It is the largest payer of behavioral health services for children and youth nationwide and the primary source of medical and mental health coverage for children in foster care.

Prevention

In child welfare, prevention refers to a continuum of services and supports provided to strengthen and support families, ranging from preventing abuse and neglect to addressing risks before foster care becomes necessary. Prevention services may include mental health treatment, substance use services, parenting support, and assistance with basic needs like housing, food, or childcare. Family First expanded Title IV-E to allow federal funding for certain prevention services, marking a shift in federal child welfare policy toward keeping families safely together.

Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF)

A PRTF is a non-hospital residential setting that provides comprehensive in-patient mental health treatment to Medicaid-eligible children and youth under age 21 who cannot remain in a family-based setting because of mental illness, substance use disorder, or severe emotional disturbance. PRTFs are highly structured, physician-directed programs designed to be short-term, with the goal of stabilizing a child so they can safely return to their family or move to a less restrictive treatment setting. Federal rules require that PRTFs only be used when other treatment options have not worked, or when a child’s needs or safety cannot be met in a family or community-based setting.

PRTFs are among the most restrictive and expensive placement options in child welfare. They are not eligible for Title IV-E Foster Care Maintenance Payments (FCMPs) and are instead paid for through Medicaid. Under Family First, states face new limits and standards on the use of non-family placements, including PRTFs, to encourage more children to be placed in family-based settings whenever safe and appropriate.

Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) 

A QRTP is a specialized, non-family setting created under Family First to ensure higher-quality care for children and youth with serious emotional or behavioral needs. To qualify as a QRTP, a program must:

  • Be licensed and nationally accredited;

  • Use a trauma-informed treatment model;

  • Have registered or licensed nursing and clinical staff on-site and available 24/7;

  • Involve family and permanency teams in treatment planning; and

  • Provide at least six months of family-based aftercare services once a child leaves the program.

For a Title IV-E–eligible child to receive federal foster care maintenance payments in a QRTP, additional safeguards apply: a qualified individual must assess the child within 30 days of placement, a court must approve the placement within 60 days, and the child’s continued stay must be reviewed at ongoing permanency hearings.

Social Security Act (SSA)

The Social Security Act, enacted in 1935, created a federal safety net of programs providing financial support to retirees, unemployed workers, people with disabilities, and survivors. Over time, the law has been expanded to include a wide range of public assistance and health programs. This includes major social programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), making it one of the most significant pieces of social policy legislation in US history. 

For child welfare, the most important provisions are in Title IV, which provides federal grants to states for services to children and families. Within Title IV, Title IV-B funds child welfare services such as family preservation, reunification, and adoption support, while Title IV-E funds foster care, adoption assistance, guardianship assistance, and certain prevention services. Together, these programs form the backbone of federal child welfare financing.

Social Services Block Grant

SSBG is a flexible source of federal funding that allows states and territories to design social service programs that meet their communities’ needs. States use SSBG funds for a wide range of services, including protecting children and adults from abuse, neglect, or exploitation; helping vulnerable individuals remain safely in their homes or access appropriate care; and promoting independence and self-sufficiency. Importantly, states can also use SSBG funds for child welfare services, but they have broad discretion in how funds are allocated, making SSBG one of the most flexible federal funding streams in this space.

Supervised Independent Living

Supervised Independent Living (SIL) settings are voluntary foster care placements for older youth who are transitioning into adulthood. In SIL, young people live on their own in an apartment, shared housing, or other approved setting while continuing to receive case management and supportive services. The goal is to provide a bridge to independence and self-sufficiency, giving young adults more responsibility while ensuring they still have a safety net.

States can choose to offer SIL as part of extended foster care, allowing eligible young people to remain in care and receive support up to age 21 (or later in states that extend foster care beyond 21). SIL placements are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement if they meet federal requirements, making them an important tool for states seeking to support older youth as they transition into adulthood.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

The TANF program provides federal block grants to states, tribes, and territories to support low-income families with children. States have flexibility in how they use TANF funds, but the program is built around four purposes: helping families care for children in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; reducing dependency by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; preventing and reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

In child welfare, TANF is often used in two key ways: to provide direct support to kinship caregivers and families either as a way to prevent foster care entry or to support unlicensed kin caregivers within the system, and as a flexible funding source that helps finance the child welfare system itself. While the level of funding varies by state, TANF is the second-largest federal funding source for child welfare, making up 19% of all federal child welfare funding in FY2022.

Time-Limited Evidence-Based Supports

Certain programs and services that meet federal evidence standards can be funded under the Title IV-E Prevention Program to prevent foster care placement. They are time-limited (typically up to 12 months per child and family) and must be rated as well-supported, supported, or promising by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Eligible categories include mental health services, substance use treatment, and in-home parent skill-building programs.

Title IV-B

Title IV-B of the Social Security Act provides capped federal funding to support a wide range of child welfare services that help keep families together, promote permanency, and improve child well-being. Unlike Title IV-E, which is an open-ended entitlement, Title IV-B funds are limited and distributed to states based on a formula. Title IV-B funds account for roughly 4% of all federal child welfare spending. 

Title IV-B has two main subparts:

Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program (Subpart 1 or CWS)
This program gives states flexibility to design coordinated child and family service systems that rely on community-based agencies and prioritize raising children in safe, loving families. Funds may be used to:

  • Protect and promote the welfare of all children;

  • Prevent abuse, neglect, or exploitation;

  • Support at-risk families so children can remain safely at home or return home in a timely way;

  • Promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children in foster care and adoption; or

  • Provide training and support to ensure a qualified child welfare workforce.

MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program (Subpart 2 or PSSF)
This program supports services that strengthen and stabilize families. PSSF funds four categories of expenditures:

  • Family preservation services for families at risk or in crisis.

  • Community-based family support services to promote child safety, strengthen parenting, and enhance child development.

  • Family reunification services to help children return home safely and quickly.

  • Adoption promotion and support services to encourage adoption when it is in a child’s best interest.

States must spend at least 20% of their PSSF allotment on each category. A portion of funds is also reserved for research, evaluation, and technical assistance, which may be distributed through contracts or discretionary grants.

Title IV-E

Title IV-E of the Social Security Act is the largest source of federal child welfare funding and operates as an open-ended entitlement program. Unlike Title IV-B, which is capped, Title IV-E allows states and tribes to receive unlimited federal reimbursement for a portion of eligible costs. Title IV-E has several major components:

  • Title IV-E Foster Care
    Provides federal funding to help states and tribes cover the cost of safe and stable out-of-home care for children under their jurisdiction until the children can return home safely, be adopted, or achieve another permanent placement. Funds may be used for foster care maintenance payments for eligible children placed with foster families, kinship families, or in certain non-family settings.

  • Title IV-E Adoption Assistance
    Provides federal funding for adoption subsidies and ongoing financial assistance to support the adoption of eligible children with special needs. In adoption, all legal ties to the child’s birth family are permanently severed, and the adoptive caregiver assumes full legal and parental responsibility.

  • Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP)
    Created under Fostering Connections, GAP allows states and tribes to use Title IV-E funds to provide ongoing financial assistance to relatives who become a child’s legal guardian. GAP promotes permanency by making guardianship a viable alternative to long-term foster care when reunification and adoption are not appropriate. Unlike adoption, a child’s legal relationship with their parents does not need to be severed in guardianship, making it a more suitable option for children who want to remain connected to their families. 

  • Title IV-E Prevention
    Added under Family First, this program allows states and tribes to use Title IV-E funds for certain evidence-based, time-limited services designed to prevent children from entering foster care. Eligible services include mental health treatment, substance use prevention and treatment, and in-home parenting skill programs for children at imminent risk of entering foster care and their families.

  • Title IV-E Training
    Provides federal funding to support training for a broad range of stakeholders, including public and private agency staff, court staff, attorneys, court-appointed special advocates, guardians ad litem, foster parents, adoptive parents, and relative caregivers.

  • Title IV-E Administrative Costs
    Reimburses states and tribes for a share of the administrative expenses involved in running child welfare programs. Eligible costs include case management, eligibility determinations, data collection and reporting, legal support, and certain pre-placement activities to prevent unnecessary foster care entry.

Title IV-E Agency

A Title IV-E agency is the state or tribal agency responsible for administering foster care, adoption assistance, guardianship assistance, and prevention programs funded under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. To receive federal Title IV-E funds, these agencies must meet federal requirements, which include determining eligibility, providing and overseeing out-of-home care, and facilitating permanent placements for children. In some states, the state agency directly administers these programs, while in others, local agencies operate them under state supervision.

Title IV-E Plan Amendment Process

To receive federal Title IV-E funding, each state or tribal child welfare agency must have an approved Title IV-E plan on file with the Administration for Children and Families. When an agency makes significant changes to its operations, policies, or relevant laws—including when a state chooses to implement an optional program like the Title IV-E Prevention Program—it must submit a plan amendment for federal approval. This process ensures that states and tribes remain in compliance with federal requirements while adapting their programs to meet local needs.

Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse)

The Clearinghouse was created by the Administration for Children and Families to review the evidence behind programs and services that may be funded under the Title IV-E Prevention Program. The Clearinghouse conducts independent reviews of research and rates programs in four categories—well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria—based on whether they meet the evidentiary standards required by Family First. These ratings determine which services states and tribes may use Title IV-E prevention funds to support.

Trauma-Informed Care/Practice

In child welfare, trauma-informed care is an approach that recognizes the lasting impact of trauma on children, families, and staff. It involves understanding how trauma shapes behavior and development, spotting the signs and symptoms of trauma, and responding in ways that support healing and recovery. Trauma-informed practice means building policies, procedures, and everyday interactions that avoid re-traumatization and instead help children and families feel safe, supported, and empowered.

Unnecessary Foster Care

“Unnecessary foster care” refers to situations where a child is removed from their family even though they could have remained safely at home if the right services and supports were in place. The term recognizes that foster care can be traumatic and disruptive, and that whenever it is safe and appropriate, children do better when they can stay with their families and receive help in their own homes.