The Current State of Child Welfare Privatization: Stumbling Blocks to Successful Implementation Persist

OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst Industry Analysis In recent years, over half of the states’ public child welfare agencies have moved away from traditional publicly-funded service arrangements to a variety of risk or performance-based contracting options with non-governmental entities. These arrangements, referred to as privatization, are is resulting in changes not only in how services are provided but who is responsible for the outcomes and most importantly, who is controlling the resources. States are motivated by a variety of factors when they move toward privatization. While most cite legal mandates based on . . .