Accountability
The child welfare system is at a critical stage for accountability. In the past, child welfare reforms typically were motivated by individual tragedies or class action lawsuits. Today, policymakers have much more sophisticated federal and state data available to them to provide leadership and oversight for better child welfare outcomes.
State policymakers can also help develop internal state review processes that involve all the key stakeholders in the child welfare system, including agencies, courts, private providers and the community. It is particularly important for families who are impacted by the child welfare system to be involved in these efforts.
What Can Policymakers Do?
·
Require public availability of data.
Several states now publish key child welfare outcomes data on their websites, including county-by-county data for county administered states. The data can be used by administrators, policymakers, and the public to measure the state’s progress on C to dependency court programs. [i]
· Establish oversight bodies.
States can establish meaningful oversight bodies that consistently review key actions by state child welfare systems. Child abuse fatality review boards are critical for oversight in the event of child deaths. In Rhode Island, the
Office of Child Advocate
is appointed by the governor and provides oversight of actions by the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Massachusetts recently established a similar office
through an executive order. Special commissions such as the California
Blue Ribbon Commission
on Children in Foster Care can bring together a diverse group of people in the state to deal with specific outcomes areas, including timeliness to reunification, adoption and guardianship.