September/October 2011Vol. 12, No. 7New Reports Synthesize Waiver Demonstrations
Two new publications from the Children's Bureau evaluate the results of child welfare waiver demonstration projects, in which certain requirements for using title IV-B and IV-E funds were waived to give States more flexibility in spending. States that carried out the waiver demonstration projects used some of their Federal money to explore better ways of helping children and families involved with child welfare. The reports look at two sets of projects:
- Subsidized guardianship projects that used IV-E funds to subsidize caregivers (usually kin) who took legal and physical custody of children
- Flexible funding waiver demonstrations that included a variety of innovative approaches, including prevention services, family preservation, concrete services, workforce support, and more
Synthesis of Findings: Subsidized Guardianship Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations evaluates projects in the 11 States that have used waivers to subsidize guardians. The report addresses:
- Eligibility criteria for the demonstrations
- Programmatic features
- Guardianship planning and casework process
- Evaluation methodologies
- Factors affecting the offer, acceptance, and exits to guardianship
- Cost analysis
The report also provides State-by-State outcomes and discusses lessons learned from the waiver demonstrations.
Synthesis of Findings: Title IV-E Flexible Funding Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations looks at ongoing waiver programs in six States that have used their flexibility to fund a variety of programs, including family finding, parent education, case-specific concrete services (such as housing assistance), respite care, visitation services, and family team meetings. The report covers:
- Key characteristics of the demonstrations
- Summaries of process and outcome evaluation findings
- Cost analysis
The report also discusses lessons learned from the demonstrations and provides perspectives on strengthening the evaluation design of these projects.
Find the reports on the Children's Bureau website:
- Synthesis of Findings: Subsidized Guardianship Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations is available at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs_fund/cwwaiver/2011/subsidized.pdf (273 KB) - Synthesis of Findings: Title IV-E Flexible Funding Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations is available at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs_fund/cwwaiver/2011/flexible.pdf (341 KB)