Time in Care
Children in foster care today have already spent an average of two years separated from their families without a permanent solution.
The good news is that a focus on early intervention and permanence has contributed to a decrease in the numbers of kids in foster care. The bad news is that an arcane federal financing structure is complicating the prospects for further progress. Comprehensive child welfare financing reform is needed now. Casey, along with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, has developed a policy framework with targeted recommendations for child welfare reform that Congress has traditionally embraced with bipartisan support.
Greater investments in children and families may be warranted, yet we should start by reallocating existing federal funds to better target and promote the best practices we know lead to better outcomes for children and families.