ACF Provides Public Access to State Prevention Plans and Approval Status

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of an interactive map and accompanying resource hub that provides public access to both the status of state Title IV-E Prevention Plans and the full, approved plans. Title IV-E Prevention Plans allow states and tribes to use federal funding for preventive services, aiming to keep children safely in their homes and avoid foster care.

"This expanded resource is designed to do more than improve transparency-it is intended to accelerate action," said ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. "By making all approved prevention plans publicly available, states can now learn from one another and quickly adopt services that have already been reviewed and approved."

A prevention plan identifies risks to a child, including safety concerns, and outlines recommendations to reduce those risks before removal from the home becomes necessary. Its goal is to help children remain safely in their parents' care and prevent entry into the foster care system.

The interactive map provides a user-friendly view of each state's prevention plan status, indicating whether a plan is approved, under review, or not yet submitted. Users can explore state-specific details and see which evidence-based services from the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse are included in each plan. The tool helps states identify services that already meet federal requirements and replicate those approaches without unnecessary delay. When a state adopts substantially similar language for an already approved service, ACF intends to support a streamlined, expedited review process.

"This approach reflects ACF's commitment to expanding access to prevention services quickly and efficiently," said Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau (CB) Ryan Hanlon. "By encouraging replication of proven models, CB aims to help more states implement effective services that keep families safely together and prevent unnecessary foster care placements."

Consistent with the A Home for Every Child goal to right size the ratio of foster homes to children in care, these resources promote prevention efforts to safely decrease the number of children entering foster care - while increasing transparency and usability so states can move faster to plan and implement their plans.

The interactive map and prevention plan library are available on the Children's Bureau's webpage: States Title IV-E Five-Year Prevention Plans and Approved Clearinghouse Services and Programs.