The federal government's dereliction allows states to fall short on meeting minimum child welfare standards. Below is information specific to Montana:

CFSR Results Summary: In its Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process, HHS determines whether each state is in substantial conformity with 7 specific outcomes (pertaining to the areas of safety, permanency and family and child well-being) and 7 systemic factors (relating to the quality of services delivered to children and families and the outcomes they experience).  In the first two rounds of the CFSR, HHS has concluded that Montana was:

Round 1 (2002)

• NOT in substantial conformity with 6 of the 7 Outcomes
• NOT in substantial conformity with 2 of the 7 Systemic Factors

Round 2 (2009)   

• NOT in substantial conformity with 6 of the 7 Outcomes
• NOT in substantial conformity with 1 of the 7 Systemic Factors

Although federal law mandates that any state found not to be operating in substantial conformity during an initial or subsequent review must begin a full review within two years after approval of the state's program improvement plan, HHS has announced that Montana will not undergo Round 3 of the CFSR until FY 2017 (see CFSR Technical Bulletin #7 (March 2014)).

Documents from the U.S. Health & Human Services Children's Bureau

• Child and Family Services Review Reports and Results
  
  
  • Montana Performance Improvement Plan (Round 2)
  • Final Report: Montana Child and Family Services Review, 2009 (Round 2)
  • Montana Performance Improvement Plan (Round 1)
  • Final Report: Montana Child and Family Services Review, 2002 (Round 1)
• Title IV-E State Reports and Program Improvement Plans (PIPs)
  
  
  • Initial Primary (FY 2000)
  • Primary Review (FY 2003)
  • PIP
  • Secondary Review (FY 2006)
  • Subsequent Primary Review (FY 2009)
  • Subsequent Primary Review (FY 2012)
• Other Documents / Reports
  
  
  • Montana AFCARS Assessment Review (2009)
  • Montana section from HHS' Child Welfare Outcomes, 2009-2012, Report to Congress

Child Welfare In the News**

• Gazette opinion: What Montana can learn from worst child abuse cases (Billings Gazette - January 08, 2015) Among the bills that the Legislature will see to improve child protection, there is one simple proposal that should draw bipartisan support: A child fatality review commission. It would give the same level of scrutiny to cases of child homicide as now is given to homicides involving adults. A commission would increase awareness of child abuse and bring together a diverse group of Montanans to recommend child protection system iprovements.
  
• Gazette opinion: Montana kids suffer parents' drug abuse (Billings Gazette - January 05, 2015) Parental addictions are a factor in the majority of child neglect and abuse cases that result in foster care placements statewide. For the past five years, about 60 percent of Montana foster care placements involved parental addiction to alcohol or other drugs, according to the state Child and Family Services Division.
  
• Montana must expand child abuse efforts (Opinion) (Billings Gazette - January 06, 2014) the number of Montana children in foster care hit a record high this past year with 2,400 children, according to CFSD. That's an increase of 20 percent over the past two years and a 60 percent increase since 2008, according to Sarah Corbally, division administrator in Helena.
  
  

**news summaries taken from daily newsfeed service of HHS' Child Welfare Information Gateway