This website provides you with a detailed overview of the Title IV-E Prevention Program, as established under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), which enables jurisdictions to use federal Title IV-E funds for time-limited prevention services targeting mental health, substance abuse, and in-home parenting supports.

For the child welfare field, this program is critically important because:

It shifts the paradigm from reactive to proactive—investing in supports to help children remain safely in their homes or with kin caregivers, rather than entering foster care.
It promotes the use of evidence-based interventions, with the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse independently reviewing and rating programs (e.g. “well-supported,” “promising,” etc.).
It requires jurisdictions that elect to use it to submit a five-year prevention plan, align with program instructions, and meet reporting / data requirements thus promoting accountability and structured implementation.
It holds promise for better outcomes (reduced removals, improved family stability) in a cost-effective way by focusing upstream on prevention rather than only funding foster care costs.
It aligns with ongoing efforts in child welfare to be more trauma-informed, data-driven, and service-oriented—strengthening system capacity to support families rather than default to placement.
In short, this resource is valuable for practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and advocates who wish to understand how federal policy enables and constrains prevention in child welfare, how to engage with evidence standards, and how states or tribes can integrate these funding streams into their continuum of care.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Children’s Bureau – An Office of the Administration for Children & Families