These briefs are intended to identify challenges and expose wasteful spending to promote accountability and better stewardship of taxpayer dollars. This page serves as the central repository for all ACF Issue Briefs, which will be regularly released to ensure policymakers and the public have ongoing access to clear information about ACF’s work.
Issue Briefs
October 2026
- Children in Child Welfare are More Likely to be Prescribed Psychotropic Medication than Other Children on Medicaid: Findings from Florida and Kentucky
- Directed by Executive Order: Reconsideration of the Regulatory Costs of Head Start’s 2016 Final Rule
September 2026
- Head Start Operates Within Existing State Child Care Licensing Infrastructure and Includes Established Supports for Alignment and Coordination Between Systems
- Nearly a Quarter of LIHEAP Funds Are Not Spent on Direct Household Energy Assistance, with Four Percent Reserved in FY25
- From Compliance to Capacity. What the First 30 A Home for Every Child PIPs Reveal
- Research Does Not Identify an Optimal Teacher-Child Ratio That Improves Child Outcomes, Though More Stringent Ratios May Increase Per Child Spending
- Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator Grants. Turning prevention authority into operational and sustainable services
- Over the Past 10 Years, Head Start Administrative Spending Remained Relatively Steady and Always Below the 15 Percent Statutory Ceiling
August 2026
- Safeguarding TANF Assistance: State Options for EBT Location and Purchase Restrictions
- From FY16 to FY25, Fewer Head Start Families Received Comprehensive Services and the Percentage of Families Receiving Services Also Declined for Many Categories
- Structure Matters: How State Child Support Program Administration and Procedures Can Impact Federal Spending and Support Order Establishment Performance
- Predictive Risk Modeling in Child Welfare Practice: Ten Demonstration Projects to Advance A Home for Every Child
- HHS’ Historical Approach to Head Start Regulation Following the 2007 Statutory Reauthorization has Increased Costs and Reduced Access, without Substantial Quality Gains
July 2026
June 2026
- TANF and Work: The Gap Between Perception and Reality - June 2026
- The Prevalence of TANF Child-Only Cases Involving Immigration-Status-Ineligible Parents
- Child Welfare Technology System Implementation Shows Minimal Progress: After 10 years and $2 Billion, Modern Information Systems Are Still Out of Reach
May 2026
April 2026
March 2026
- CSBG Reporting Is Burdensome and Does Not Accurately Describe How Funds Are Actually Used
- States Increasingly Promote Kinship Care, though Significant Opportunity Remains for Improving Licensing, Definitions, and Reach: Nearly Two-Thirds of Jurisdictions Have Not Yet Amended Title IV-E Plans to Adopt Separate Licensing Standards
- Modernizing Child Welfare Technologies and Tools: Opportunities for Predictive Risk Modeling to Improve Child Safety and Outcomes
- Administrative Costs Drive Foster Care Claims and Are Increasing Per Child as Caseloads Decline: Trends in Title IV-E Foster Care Expenditures FY2019-FY2023
January
Memoranda
Prevention has met its match - Letter to Child Welfare Directors - October 1, 2026