Feds Plan New Survey on Kids in Foster Care Needs
Published Date: 8/28/2026
Notice
Summary
The government is gearing up to collect fresh data on kids and families involved in child welfare to help improve foster care and family support. This new survey will recruit states and counties, then interview children and their caregivers to learn about their well-being and needs. Comments on this plan are open until September 28, 2026, with no new costs to the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Agency Staff Monthly File Submissions
Child welfare agency data systems staff will submit monthly sample files. The table shows 100 respondents submitting 15 files each at 1.0 hour per submission for a total burden of 1,500 hours and an annualized burden of 500 hours.
Caregivers and Children Surveyed
If your family is involved with the child welfare system, caregivers of children ages 0 to 17 may be asked to complete a baseline survey and children ages 6 to 17 may be asked to complete a child survey. The notice estimates 6,273 caregiver surveys at 1.0 hour each and 4,160 child surveys at 0.75 hours each, with an overall estimated total annual burden of 3,673 hours.
Deidentified Data Archived for Research
Deidentified NSSCAW data will be archived for research use. Researchers and policymakers will be able to use the archived data for studies about child and family well-being.
Three-Year Approval and Annualized Burden
ACF requests 3 years of approval for baseline data collection, and the burden estimates are annualized over those 3 years. The notice gives an estimated total annual burden of 3,673 hours for the listed instruments.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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