Volume 11

Pew Commission Chairman Testifies on Federal and State Oversight of Child Welfare

"Key Elements" for Commission's Financing Recommendations Outlined

Bill Frenzel, Chairman of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, testified today before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources. The former Congressman (R-MN) and ranking minority member of the Ways and Means Committee addressed the state of child welfare, commended Congress on its commitment to this critical area, and outlined the Commission's progress thus far.

"Like this Subcommittee, we on the Commission want to see the nation take better care of children who have been abused or neglected," he stated. "We want to reduce the number of children who need to enter foster care. We want to help children leave foster care for a permanent family as soon as they safely can. We also recognize that this is a responsibility shared by the federal government and the states, as well as by courts in every state."

Frenzel advised that the Pew Commission will release its policy recommendations in late spring. "The Commission looks forward to returning to you in a few months with our best suggestions, and to working with you to achieve real progress," he told the Subcommittee.

The Commission's recommendations will focus specifically on reforming federal child welfare financing and strengthening court oversight of child welfare cases. While Frenzel emphasized that the Commission does not yet have recommendations, members have agreed on a set of "key elements" that are intrinsic to any financing recommendations that they might propose:

• Providing states with greater flexibility in how they can use federal funds to serve maltreated children
• Greater flexibility must be accompanied by greater accountability for states in outcomes for children
• Encouraging states to build the full continuum of services for abused and neglected children, from prevention to post-permanency
• Encouraging states to carefully test and evaluate new services and practices
• Any re-ordering of how the federal government provides funding to states must maintain risk-sharing between federal and state governments, and avoid cost-shifting

Chairman Frenzel also urged the Subcommittee to remember the critical role of the courts in the child welfare system. "No child enters or leaves foster care without a judge's consent," he said. "Judges are responsible for ensuring that states have made reasonable efforts to reunite children and parents, and that the ASFA timelines are met in every case."

In addition to offering recommendations focused on federal financing, the Commission is examining ways to strengthen juvenile and family courts, to engage state courts in the development and implementation of state plans, and to develop policies to improve court performance and oversight.

View Chairman Frenzel's testimony in full.