Welcome to Promoting Safe and Stable Families - (PSSF)
The Promoting Safe and Stable Families program (Title IV-B subpart 2 of the Social Security Act) provides federal child welfare funding, training and technical assistance to help build state and community capacity to meet the needs of families at risk of child welfare intervention and families in crisis. Created in 1993 by an amendment to the Social Security Act, Promoting Safe and Stable Families was most recently reauthorized in 2014 under the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act.
The purpose of Promoting Safe and Stable Families is aligned with the broad federal policy goals of safety, permanency and well-being, particularly maintaining children in their own homes, providing families with enhanced capacity to provide for their children's needs, and facilitating timely exits from foster care to reunification, adoption or guardianship.
Funds are distributed to states based on the state's share of children in all states receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Federal guidelines require a minimum spending of 20% of the state allocation in each of the four program areas and spending of less than 10% for administrative activities. To encourage shared responsibility for protecting children and supporting families, Promoting Safe and Stable Families requires a non-federal, local match of 25%. Matching contributions are provided by private, state or local sources.
In Georgia, Promoting Safe and Stable Families is administered by the Division of Family and Children Services.