When policymakers and advocates envision reform to federal child welfare policy, they are often motivated by the common misperception that there is an overreliance on foster care as an intervention.
Further, current federal proposals to reduce reliance on congregate care and ensure every child should be raised in a family should be grounded in the experiences of states, like California, that are already engaged in those efforts. The California Child Advocates for Change debunked the myths that underlie many of our federal foster care reform efforts and highlighted the key areas of reform needed at the federal level.