In this brief, child welfare leaders and agencies learn about an approach, called placement day analysis, that calculates the financial impact of diverting or shortening child welfare placements. Equipped with this information, decision makers can identify the right interventions and program changes — those that are good for both children and lean agency budgets — to invest in moving forward.
Placement day analysis pinpoints real savings generated by avoiding child welfare placements or reducing lengths of stay. As a result, this approach can be used to uncover fiscal trends; compare and forecast costs as new programs are considered; and track expected versus actual costs and savings.
