About

Child Welfare Information Gateway is your connection to trusted resources on the child welfare continuum. We provide publications, research, and learning tools selected by experts to support thriving children, youth, families, and communities.

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    • Welcome to Child Welfare Information Gateway—where you can find what you need, when you need it, to strengthen families and support children and youth in your community.


    Whether you’re a child welfare professional or service providers working directly with families, a relative caring for a child, or a parent working to bring your child home from foster care, we have free and trusted resources to assist you.  

    Our purpose is to equip individuals with the resources needed to support positive outcomes for all children, youth, and families. We provide access to the following:

    • Publications
    • Research
    • Laws and policies
    • Databases covering a wide range of topics, including prevention , child abuse and neglect, adoption, search and reunion, and equity.

    We recognize that families of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds are more likely to be investigated by child protective services and that Black children are more likely to be placed in foster care due to reasons such as racial bias and systemic factors.  We are committed to  addressing these inequities by developing and distributing content with a concerted effort to advance racial equity. The foundation of our work is based on kin-first culture; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and lived experience.

    We are a service of the Children's Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    Our purpose is to equip child welfare and related professionals with the resources needed to support positive outcomes for all children, youth, families, and communities.

    We provide content for families, youth, the public, and child welfare professionals, including those who work in adoption and other related professions.

    Through our website, you can download and share over 200 free publications vetted by the Children’s Bureau, including more than 50 Spanish-language products. Our library is among the Nation’s most extensive collection of child welfare-related resources, and you can browse a wide range of topics.

    Each year, in partnership with the Children’s Bureau, we sponsor three national initiatives:

    Watch our video to learn more about Child Welfare Information Gateway.