JBA Team Wraps More Than Two Decades of Technical Assistance for Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations

On March 2, 2021, JBA’s Elliott Graham and Nicole M. Miller briefed over 100 federal officials from the Children’s Bureau and other agencies on findings of the Evaluation Technical Assistance for Title IV-E Waiver Demonstrations project, including outcomes and long-term impacts on child welfare legislation, fiscal policy, practices, and evaluation. The briefing capped JBA’s work on consecutive contracts beginning in 1998 to support state and tribal child welfare agencies implementing the waiver demonstrations. Waivers gave states flexibility in the use of funds for alternative services and supports, allowing them to test approaches to reforming child protection and foster care services and systems and improving child safety, permanency, and well-being. Aysha E. Schomburg, J.D., the new Children’s Bureau Associate Commissioner, participated in the briefing.

The briefing was followed by a presentation on March 23 to nearly 100 waiver demonstration staff and evaluators. Project reports and other resources—including a final summary report, demonstration profiles, and national study outcomes—are available through the Children’s Bureau website.