# Plain Language Summary: Reducing Administrative Burden for Child Welfare Agencies Act

Child welfare agencies across the country spend enormous amounts of time filling out paperwork and reporting to the federal government. This bill is designed to cut through that red tape and give these agencies back time to focus on what actually matters—helping children and families. The bill requires the federal government to take a hard look at all the forms, reports, and data collection requirements it imposes on state and local child welfare agencies, then figure out how to streamline them.

Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services has to do four things. First, it needs to review all the forms and reporting requirements and eliminate duplicates—situations where agencies are essentially reporting the same information multiple times in different ways. Second, the department must measure exactly how many hours child welfare workers spend on paperwork compliance and then work with agencies to cut that time by at least 15 percent. Third, it has to listen to what agencies say about their fiscal and oversight requirements and make sure those requirements match what other federal grant programs require, so agencies aren't following completely different rules depending on which program they're dealing with. Fourth, the bill makes clear that tribal nations get special consideration for their sovereignty when these changes are made.

The federal government has two years to make these changes happen and must notify all child welfare agencies about what's changing. Within three years, the Department of Health and Human Services must report back to Congress explaining exactly what it did to reduce the burden. The goal is straightforward: cut unnecessary paperwork so that child welfare workers can spend less time at their desks and more time actually serving the children and families who need help.