Federal Block Grant Award Summary

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families awarded the California Department of Social Services $9.74 million through the Title IV-E Prevention Program (CFDA 93.472) on October 1, 2025, for a one-year performance period ending September 30, 2026. This formula grant funds time-limited prevention services designed to reduce the need for foster care placement among at-risk children and youth. The program provides mental health treatment, substance abuse services, and in-home parent skill-based interventions for children and youth who are candidates for foster care, as well as pregnant or parenting foster youth and their parent or kinship caregivers.

The state administers these prevention services through 25 county-level sub-awardees across California, including major counties such as Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, and Tulare, as well as smaller rural counties such as Alpine, Colusa, and Mono. Each county sub-recipient operates as a state-supervised, county-administered entity responsible for delivering direct services, managing eligibility determinations, maintaining program records, and coordinating with local service providers. The prevention services are provided regardless of children's Title IV-E foster care maintenance eligibility, ensuring that eligible families receive timely intervention services to promote safety, stability, and family preservation within their communities.