Funding

What is child welfare funding?

Child welfare programs are supported by federal, state, and local funds. Title IV-E is the primary federal funding source to child welfare programs in Virginia. Title IV-E is a federal program designed to provide funding to states to ensure proper care for eligible children in foster care and to provide ongoing assistance to eligible children with special needs receiving adoption subsidies. The program is authorized under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and is funded by federal and state matching funds. Administration is handled by the state and local public child welfare agencies.

How does VDSS currently use Title IV-E?

VDSS is entitled to federal reimbursement of certain foster care and adoption expenses. Although there is no cap on reimbursement, it is limited to three areas and the funding formula is different for each:

Maintenance (e.g. room, board and transportation to visit parents and siblings)
Administration (e.g. eligibility determination and case management activities)
Training (e.g. training for child welfare staff and foster and adoptive parents)

How will Family First change the way VDSS utilizes Title IV-E funds?

Historically, Title IV-E funds are used to support children who are in foster care.  Family First will allow Title IV-E funds to support children who are at imminent risk of entering foster care (and their families) by providing funding for evidence-based programs, to strengthen families.  Specifically, federal reimbursement will be available for trauma-informed mental health services, substance use disorder treatment and in-home parenting skills training to safely keep children with their families. 

Family First also makes changes to federal funding for foster youth.

1. Family foster homes (including relatives)
2. Placements for pregnant or parenting youth
3. Supervised independent living for youth 18+
4. Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP) for youth with treatment needs
5. Specialized placements for victims of sex trafficking
6. Family-based residential treatment facilities for substance use disorder

Family First represents a significant opportunity to support children and their families earlier.

What are other child welfare program funding sources?

We know that many families who need support may need additional levels of support, not just evidence-based programs.  VDSS will work to maximize federal and state funding, collaborate with state and local agencies and organizations to fill gaps where children may not be served through Family First. VDSS will work through the Three Branch Team to promote partnerships to leverage and increase funding and re-purpose funding streams to meet the needs of children and families.  VDSS will continue to rely on federal and state funding streams and leverage local community resources to serve children and their families.

VDSS currently administers several federal funding opportunities for local agencies and organizations which the prevention services continuum.

• Victims of Crime Services Act (VOCA) child abuse victim funding through an inter-agency agreement with the Department of Criminal Justice Services. These funds generally support Child Abuse Centers (CAC) approved and accredited through CACVA and provide comprehensive services to victims of child abuse and neglect throughout the investigation, treatment and prosecution of reported cases. CAC services include forensic interviews of child victims, case review and recommendations for services from a multidisciplinary team (MDT), victim advocacy and medical and mental health services.
• Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Grants (CBCAP) provides community organizations with an opportunity to develop and expand services for the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and to serve families at risk for child maltreatment, that otherwise may not be reached. This funding provides for a range of primary and secondary child-abuse and neglect-prevention services and activities, both statewide and locally based, such as parent education and support, public education and awareness, and home visiting. Public and private non-profit, incorporated agencies and organizations in Virginia are eligible to apply.
• Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) services may be provided through local public or private agencies, individuals, or any combination of resources. The funding for the program is used for direct and purchased services to preserve and strengthen families, avoid unnecessary out-of-home or out-of-community placements, reunify children and their families, or to find and achieve new permanent families for those children who cannot return home. The program funding is flexible and a local planning body determines what community services on behalf of the children and families in their respective communities will be funded or reimbursed for services. The PSSF Program provides services to children who are at risk of out-of-home placement and who are in Foster Care.
• Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) provides federal funding and guidance to states in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment activities, and provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations, including Indian tribes and tribal organizations, for demonstration programs and projects. Virginia’s CAPTA plan includes targeted efforts to assure the safety of children within their homes by improving local department staffs’ ability to properly identify and assess safety and risk factors within family systems and provide protective and rehabilitative services by focusing on the development and improvement of worker training, supervision, and formal tools. Emphasis has been placed on working with children under the age of two, children in out-of-family settings, substance-exposed infants (including the development of plans of safe care), receiving and responding to concerns of child abuse and neglect, and children diverted from foster care. Additionally, Virginia’s CAPTA plan focuses on enhancing local department staffs’ ability to utilize a strength-based, child-centered, family-focused, and culturally competent approach when working with children and families. Lastly, Virginia’s CAPTA plan focuses on the continued development of an accessible array of community-based services across the Commonwealth. The service array includes primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts, as well as treatment services.
• Kinship Navigator: VDSS received a grant from the Children’s Bureau for use from for use from October 1, 2018-September 30, 2021. With the grant, LDSS developed six regionally-located Kinship Navigator Programs involving forty localities (33% of the state) and partnered with 2-1-1 VIRGINIA to provide a dedicated toll-free number specifically for kinship families to receive 24 hour information and referral services across the state. Our programs are diversified and were created to meet the needs of their particular communities, however, all of the programs provide the following services: information and referral, outreach and advocacy. Many of our programs are using creative strategies such as strategically placed electronic kiosks to assist families with applying for benefits, engaging school systems and the faith-based community to reach kinship families and forming regional public-private consortiums including kinship caregivers and youth to assess the needs of kinship families in their communities.
• Healthy Families: The Virginia General Assembly continues to appropriate Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funding through VDSS to administer the Healthy Families program in 80 communities across the commonwealth, to provide home visiting services to new parents who are at risk of child maltreatment. The goals of the Healthy Families Program continue to include improving pregnancy outcomes and child health, promoting positive parenting practices, promoting child development, and preventing child abuse and neglect
• Family Violence Prevention Program: Domestic violence prevention programs are federal- and state-funded public or private, non-profit agencies that provide services to survivors of domestic violence and their children. Local domestic violence programs provide for the safety of battered adults and their children through the provision of emergency housing and transportation, crisis intervention, peer counseling, support, advocacy and information and referral. Funding also supports public awareness initiatives and the statewide Family Violence and sexual assault hotline.

VDSS also supports children and families by providing Benefits including LIHEAP, Medical Assistance TANF, SNAP, and Child Care.