Plan for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance—Title IV–E

Section 471 under title IV-E of the Social Security Act (the Act) authorizes collection of information through the title IV-E plan (Plan for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance). A title IV–E plan is required from each state, territorial and tribal child welfare agency requesting Federal funding for the title IV-E foster care, adoption assistance and as well as for the optional guardianship assistance, kinship navigator and prevention services programs. Section 479B of the Act provides for an Indian tribe, tribal organization or tribal consortium (tribe) to operate a title IV–E program in the same manner as a state with minimal exceptions. The tribe must have an approved title IV–E Plan. The plan also includes information required for participation in the optional programs authorized by Public Law 115–123, the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). The FFPSA authorized optional title IV–E funding for time-limited (one year) prevention services for mental health/substance abuse and in-home parent skill-based programs for: (1) A child who is a candidate for foster care (as defined in section 475(13) of the Act), (2) pregnant/parenting foster youth, and (3) the parents/kin caregivers of those children and youth (sections 471(e), 474(a)(6), and 475(13) of the Act). A state or tribal title IV–E agency electing to participate in the program must submit a five-year title IV–E prevention program plan that meets the statutory requirements. See Program Instructions ACYF–CB–PI–18–09 and ACYF–CB–PI–18–10 for more information.) The FFPSA also amended Section 474(a)(7) of the Act to reimburse state and tribal IV–E agencies for a portion of the costs of operating kinship navigator programs that meet certain criteria. To qualify for funding under the title IV– E Kinship Navigator program, the program must meet the requirements of a kinship navigator program described in section 427(a)(1) of the Act. The kinship navigator program must also meet practice criteria of promising, supported, or well-supported in accordance with HHS criteria and be approved by HHS (section 471(e)(4)(C) of the Act). To begin participation in the title IV–E Kinship Navigator Program, a title IV–E agency must submit an attachment to its title IV–E plan that specifies the Kinship Navigator model it has chosen to implement, the date on which the provision of program services began or will begin, and that provides an assurance that the model meets the requirements of section 427(a)(1) of the Act as well as a brief narrative describing how the program will be operated. (Please see Program Instruction ACYF–CB–PI–18–11 for additional information.) This request is necessary to extend approval of the title IV-E plan and incorporate necessary changes to reflect recent changes in statutory, regulatory and policy requirements or options and to remove outdated information. Additional information is provided in section A15 of Supporting Statement A.

The latest form for Plan for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance—Title IV–E expires 2028-08-31 and can be found here.

Title IV-E Plan

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Community and Social Services - Social Services