The Importance of Active Efforts in Child Welfare

HECWA says states must make reasonable efforts to prevent breakup of families. But the way that they're implemented, no federal law is ever going to tell a state court that they have to give somebody a housing voucher in order to keep them from losing their rights. And so what you're doing is putting these well-resourced families against families who just don't have that amount of resources. The original reason that a child ended up in this court in the first place is basically so attenuated from anything that's happening.