TABLE 2.
Selected Key Developments in American Child Welfare
| Year | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1909 | First White House Conference on Children | Articulated principles of child welfare, including preference for care in families; most child protection handled by nongovernmental entities at this time |
| 1935 | The Social Security Act of 1935 | Authorized the first federal grants for child welfare services; these were first federal grants that led states to establish child welfare agencies and to develop local programs to deliver child welfare services |
| 1962 | Kempe and colleagues publish Battered Child Syndrome | Led to much greater attention and government-directed child protection efforts |
| 1974 | Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA; Public Law 93–247) | Mandated that states establish procedures to investigate suspected incidents of child maltreatment, and provided funding to prevent, identify, and treat child maltreatment |
| 1978 | Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) | Designed to reduce inappropriate removal of Indian children from their homes, ICWA provides that only tribal courts can decide abuse and neglect cases involving children whose permanent residence is a reservation, and the tribe has the right to intervene in cases involving children living outside reservations |
| 1980 | Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–272). | Focused on family preservation efforts to help children out of foster care by providing services to prevent the need for removal |
| 1997 | Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) (Public Law 105–89). | Shift from reunification efforts to time-limited opportunities for parents to rehabilitate before enacting permanent plans for children |
| 2011 | Extension of Child and Family Services Programs (Public Law 112–34) | Focuses on proper use of psychotropic medications and addressing and coordinating services to address trauma |
| 2012 | Administration on Children and Families Memorandum on Promoting Social and Emotional Well-Being for Children and Youth Receiving Child Welfare Services | Child well-being brought on par with safety and permanency as major goals of American Child Welfare practice |