Checks & Balances Public money, public record

Child Welfare Checkbook

Federal child-welfare awards by jurisdiction, the agency the money flows through, and whether that jurisdiction runs child welfare from the state or the county. Aggregate dollars and counts only — no child appears in this data.

No child’s name, ever
Which state spends the most on education?GeorgiaCompare Texas and CaliforniaHighest federal shareChild welfare in OhioBills in WyomingLowest money out
JurisdictionChild-welfare agencyAdministration Federal awards FY2023Awards Public welfare (all)
Alabama Department of Human Resources — Family Services state-administered $286M 11 $9.0B
Alaska Office of Children's Services (DFCS) state-administered $241M 15 $3.3B
Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) state-administered $1.6B 43 $25.2B
Arkansas Division of Children & Family Services (DHS) state-administered $382M 17 $9.5B
California Department of Social Services (CDSS) county-administered $13.8B 27 $186.7B
Colorado Division of Child Welfare (CDHS) county-administered $627M 18 $12.7B
Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) state-administered $452M 12 $5.5B
Delaware Division of Family Services (DSCYF) state-administered $30M 6 $3.5B
District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) state-administered $238M 17 $5.3B
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) state-administered $2.1B 16 $37.3B
Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DHS) state-administered $668M 9 $17.1B
Hawaii Child Welfare Services Branch (DHS) state-administered $206M 19 $4.0B
Idaho Division of Family & Community Services (DHW) state-administered $161M 15 $4.1B
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) state-administered $1.1B 15 $37.9B
Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) state-administered $1.1B 22 $19.5B
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — Child Welfare state-administered $295M 16 $8.4B
Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) state-administered $216M 9 $6.0B
Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (CHFS) state-administered $660M 15 $16.8B
Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) state-administered $330M 10 $15.8B
Maine Office of Child and Family Services (DHHS) state-administered $220M 18 $5.0B
Maryland Social Services Administration (DHS) county-administered $345M 14 $19.6B
Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) state-administered $535M 11 $32.0B
Michigan Children's Services Agency (MDHHS) state-administered $720M 18 $25.3B
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth & Families county-administered $834M 17 $21.0B
Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) state-administered $205M 6 $7.4B
Missouri Children's Division (DSS) state-administered $599M 11 $12.0B
Montana Child & Family Services Division (DPHHS) state-administered $140M 11 $2.9B
Nebraska Division of Children and Family Services (DHHS) state-administered $277M 18 $4.2B
Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) county-administered $537M 18 $5.2B
New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) state-administered $107M 10 $3.6B
New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) state-administered $606M 9 $26.5B
New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD) state-administered $300M 15 $9.4B
New York Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) county-administered $3.5B 21 $92.2B
North Carolina Division of Social Services (DHHS) county-administered $1.0B 35 $23.7B
North Dakota Children & Family Services (DHHS) state-administered $130M 17 $2.0B
Ohio Office of Families and Children (ODJFS) county-administered $1.6B 12 $38.2B
Oklahoma Child Welfare Services (DHS) state-administered $559M 22 $12.0B
Oregon Child Welfare Division (ODHS) state-administered $916M 16 $17.0B
Pennsylvania Office of Children, Youth & Families (DHS) county-administered $1.8B 13 $43.8B
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) state-administered $131M 14 $4.1B
South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) state-administered $283M 8 $9.9B
South Dakota Division of Child Protection Services (DSS) state-administered $66M 11 $1.7B
Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) state-administered $665M 19 $15.2B
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) state-administered $1.5B 12 $61.2B
Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DHHS) state-administered $158M 12 $6.5B
Vermont Family Services Division (DCF) state-administered $97M 11 $2.4B
Virginia Division of Family Services (VDSS) county-administered $655M 15 $22.1B
Washington Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) state-administered $1.0B 20 $16.5B
West Virginia Bureau for Social Services (DoHS) state-administered $889M 21 $6.3B
Wisconsin Division of Safety & Permanence (DCF) county-administered $416M 12 $14.9B
Wyoming Division of Family Services (DFS) state-administered $31M 12 $1.0B

Why administration type matters

In county-administered jurisdictions the spending detail lives partly in county budgets, so a state-level figure is not the whole picture. That is a property of how the jurisdiction is organised, not a gap in the data — it is flagged rather than smoothed over.

What this deliberately does not contain

No case-level records, no names, no dates of birth, no addresses. The public product is aggregate money and aggregate counts, and counts below ten are suppressed before publication so no family can be identified by arithmetic. The full privacy and audit design →