Hidden Foster Care Transparency Act

The Hidden Foster Care Transparency Act would require states to measure and publicly report on informal child placements, commonly called hidden foster care arrangements. These occur when state child protective services agencies place children with relatives or other caregivers without court involvement or official foster care proceedings. Currently, hundreds of thousands of children are placed into these arrangements annually, but states are not required to track or report this data, creating a lack of accountability and transparency.

If enacted, the bill would require states to report detailed information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about these placements, including the number of children involved, how the arrangements end, the types of allegations that led to them, and what services are provided to caregivers. The bill also requires HHS to submit annual reports to Congress summarizing this national data. Supporters argue these informal arrangements can keep children connected to family but lack the safeguards and oversight of formal foster care, potentially exposing children to risks without proper monitoring or support services.