The purpose of this Information Memorandum (IM) is to inform title IV-E agencies that a NPRM was published proposing to amend the AFCARS regulations to require state title IV-E agencies to collect and report data elements related to the procedural protections of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA). This NPRM was published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2024 (89 FR 13652 ). Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This document lists the recipients of the 2016 Adoption Excellence Awards and provides a brief description of each recipient’s work. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

On October 17, 2000 the U.S. Congress, under Public Law 103-310, amended the Public Health Services Act to authorize specific activities pertaining to Infant Adoption Awareness (title XII, Subtitle A). The legislation requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to award grants to adoption organizations to develop and implement programs to train the designated staff of eligible health centers in providing adoption information and referral to pregnant women on an equal basis with all other courses of action included in nondirective counseling for pregnant women. The term "eligible health centers" means public and nonprofit private entities that provide health services to pregnant women. The legislation also requires the Secretary to establish a set of best-practice guidelines to which the DHHS-funded training programs will adhere in providing training to staff of eligible health centers. In response to these legislative requirements, the Department of Health and Human Services has developed the following "best-practice" guidelines to be followed by recipients of cooperative agreements in developing curriculum and providing training to implement the Infant Adoption Awareness Training Program (IAATP). This "best-practice" guideline is critical for attaining the primary IAATP goal- enhancing the ability of health center personnel to provide adoption information and referral on an equal basis with all other courses of action included in nondirective counseling for pregnant women. Consistent with the intent of the legislation, these guidelines were developed in consultation with 29 experts in the fields of adoption, child welfare, health services, medicine, law, and adoption counseling, as well as adoptive parents. Training Goals Basic Skills Curriculum Training Structure Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This Program Instruction (PI) provides State, Territorial, and Tribal title IV-E agencies with the renewed and revised form and instructions approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reporting quarterly financial information on the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Kinship Navigator and Prevention Services Programs, as well as annual reporting data for Adoption Savings. ACF-ACYF-CB-PI-24-09 supersedes ACYF-CB-PI-21-08. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

All title IV-E agencies (states, territories, and tribes) report financial information on a quarterly basis for the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Prevention Services, and Kinship Navigator programs using Form CB-496. Title IV-E agencies also provide information on adoption savings, derived from the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program, using Form CB-496. A summary of the adoption-savings data is posted on the Children’s Bureau website Adoption Savings Data. Form CB-496 quarterly reporting includes costs (expenditures and next-quarter estimates) and caseload data in various funding categories. All expenditures are actual payments made to foster parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians, vendors, service providers, and contractors or actual payments for agency administrative, personnel, or other allowable cost items that are allocable to the program in accordance with an approved or pending cost allocation plan or negotiated indirect cost rate. Expenditures are reported as “total computable,” which includes both the federal and tribal/state shares and the federal share, which is computed using the appropriate federal medical assistance percentage or federal financial participation rate costs as specified in statute. Caseload data include the average monthly number of children for whom specified title IV-E expenditures were made. Some reported caseload data cover all children receiving assistance or services in the program area, including those who are not title IV-E eligible. A copy of Form CB-496, including detailed instructions for completing the form, can be found in Program Instruction ACYF-CB-PI-21-08. Beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2019, the Children’s Bureau posts an annual FY summary of Form CB-496 expenditures and caseloads as reported by each title IV-E agency. Posted data tables include the combination of current-quarter and prior-quarter adjustment expenditures and current-quarter caseload data as delineated in quarterly Form CB-496 submissions for each FY. Actual funding provided to each title IV-E agency for each identified program can differ from the reported expenditure amount if the Administration for Children and Families determines that some portion of the claims are not allowable. Beginning in FY 2022, the Children's Bureau is also providing a summary chart showing trends in claims for each of the title IV-E programs over the past five years. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This is an overview presentation on the AFCARS SNPRM. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This Information Memorandum (IM) informs title IV-B and IV-E agencies and State and Tribal Court Improvement Programs of the enactment of Division X and Section 305 of Title III of Division CC of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and provides basic information on the new law. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This Information Memorandum (IM) is to remind state and tribal title IV-E agencies of the school enrollment and educational stability requirements for students in foster care included in the title IV-E and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This report provides state-specific data from fiscal year 2007 about the number of children who are adopted through a public agency and who receive an adoption subsidy. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.