Federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR)

The Children's Bureau conducts the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), which are periodic reviews of state child welfare systems, to achieve three goals:

• Ensure conformity with federal child welfare requirements.
• Determine what is actually happening to children and families as they are engaged in child welfare services.
• Assist states in helping children and families achieve positive outcomes.

After a CFSR is completed, states develop a Program Improvement Plan (PIP) to address areas in their child welfare services that need improvement. During the PIP implementation period, the state and Children’s Bureau monitor the implementation and progress toward goals and obtain feedback from system partners such as caseworkers, supervisors, families, youth with lived experience, Tribes, and the legal and judicial communities.

If the state is unable to demonstrate the agreed-upon improvement after the PIP implementation period and subsequent post-PIP evaluation period, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) must withhold a portion of the state’s title IV-E and IV-B federal child welfare funds.

CFSR Round 4

Round 4 of the CFSR commenced in 2023 with the Statewide Assessment. Simultaneously, a multidisciplinary stakeholder group, From the Ground, Up, was created in order to analyze the California child welfare system and identify root causes to be addressed in statewide system improvement efforts like the PIP.

In early 2024, Stakeholder Interviews solicited feedback and perspectives from key stakeholder groups, including Tribes, parents, caregivers, and youth. The Children’s Bureau issued their Final Findings in July 2024. Because the state was found not to be in substantial conformity in several areas, the state is currently in the process of developing a PIP, which will detail activities the state will conduct over a two-year period. 

CFSR Round 3

Round 3 of the CFSR commenced in 2016 with the Statewide Assessment, Stakeholder Interviews, and state- and county-conducted Qualitative Case Reviews. These activities resulted in Final Findings the Children’s Bureau provided to the state in January 2017. Because the state was found not to be in substantial conformity in several areas, the state negotiated the Round 3 PIP, which details activities the state conducted over a three-year period.

By the end of the PIP implementation and measurement period, California met all areas and had no financial penalties.

CFSR Round 2

The state implemented the PIP during a two-year period; July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011. As part of the plan, California agreed to meet certain federal outcome benchmarks by a certain time, or face financial sanctions. By the end of the two-year Round 2 PIP (June 30, 2011), California met all six strategies and action steps associated with each strategy and all 17 data measures.