About the System
These reports provide a general overview of the system with its successes, aims, and problems.

• How the Child Welfare System Works (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008)
• Meeting the Challenges of Contemporary Foster Care (The Future of Children, 2004)

Legislation

• Title IV-E Waivers: Expanding and Modifying Child Welfare Demonstration Waivers to Promote Flexibility and Foster Innovation (First Focus, 2011)
• Moving Children Out of Foster Care (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2009)
• Concurrent Planning for Permanency for Children: Summary of State Laws (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009)
• The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act: Implementation Issues and a Look Ahead at Additional Child Welfare Reforms (Child Trends, 2009)
• Child Welfare: Better Data and Evaluations Could Improve Processes and Programs for Adopting Children with Special Needs (Government Accountability Office, 2005)
• National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003)
• Foster Care: Recent Legislation Helps States Focus on Finding Permanent Homes for Children, But Long-Standing Barriers Remain (Government Accountability Office, 2002)
• Child Welfare: Funding for Child and Family Services Authorized Under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act (Congressional Research Service, June 2011)

Aging Out

Reports detailing what happens to youth who age out of the system.

• Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Weighing the Costs to Government Against the Benefits to Youth (Chapin Hall, 2009)
• The Timing of Termination of Parental Rights: A Balancing Art for Children’s Best Interests (Child Trends, 2009)
• Kids Are Waiting's Time for Reform: Preventing Youth from Aging Out on Their Own (Kids Are Waiting, 2009)

Workforce

• 2004 Child Welfare Workforce Survey: State Agency Findings (American Public Human Services Association, 2005)\

CCAI's Foster Youth Internship Policy Reports

These reports written by our Foster Youth Interns provide unique and personal, yet highly practical discussion and analysis of the current state of foster care in America.

• "Leaving Our Mark on a New Generation", 2010
• "Using Yesterday to Shape Tomorrow: Uniting 500,000 Foster Youth Voices for One Mission", 2009
• "Putting the 'Foster' Back Into Foster Care: Recommendations for Improving Foster Care and Adoption", 2008