# Child Welfare Workforce Support Act

This bill is designed to help address a serious problem in child welfare agencies across the country: they're struggling to hire and keep social workers and other staff who investigate child abuse, remove children from dangerous homes, and help families stay together. The bill provides federal funding and support to help states recruit, train, and retain these workers, who often face difficult working conditions, low pay, and high stress.

Right now, many child welfare agencies are severely understaffed. Social workers are overwhelmed with too many cases, which means children at risk may not get proper attention and workers burn out quickly. This bill tackles that by offering grants to states to improve training programs, increase salaries to make these jobs more competitive, and create better support systems for workers dealing with trauma on the job. It also encourages states to develop mentorship programs and better career pathways so experienced workers stay in the field rather than leaving for other jobs.

If this bill passes, families involved with child welfare systems could see better outcomes because caseworkers would have more manageable caseloads and better training. Children in foster care might experience more stability with consistent workers who know their cases. For people working in child welfare, the bill could mean better pay, clearer career advancement opportunities, and mental health support to help them cope with the emotional demands of the job. Essentially, by investing in the people who work in child welfare, the bill aims to improve the entire system's ability to protect vulnerable children and support families in crisis.

Child Welfare Workforce Support Act

Kaine, Tim

Child Welfare Workforce Support Act This bill establishes a demonstration grant program for state or local agencies, tribes, tribal organizations, and other entities that administer certain child welfare programs to support workforce recruitment, retention, and advancement. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services must award up to ten grants to states and counties, and up to three to Indian tribes, giving priority to entities with high rates of turnover in the child welfare workforce. Grant recipients must, among other activities, increase interest in careers in the child welfare workforce and provide mentoring, professional development, and other support services to new hires and other employees. In addition, they may use funds to update certain technology infrastructure.