Policy & Practice | Fall 2026

By Nathan Grossman I

mplementation of statewide Comprehensive Child Welfare Information Systems (federally designated as CCWIS since 2016) has become one of the most significant and complex tasks in state human services administra tion. Leaders are being asked to modernize technology, greatly strengthen data quality and integration, and support better decision making at the front line, all while continuing to operate legacy systems and manage day-to-day demands. That’s a tough balancing act, and it’s hard to ignore how few CCWIS projects are making it all the way to implementation. According to the federal Children’s Bureau’s June 2026 Issue Brief (“Child Welfare Technology System Implementation Shows Minimal Progress: After 10 years and $2 Billion, Modern Information Systems Are Still Out of Reach”), after 10 years and more than $2.2 billion in investment, most CCWIS projects are still not operational. 1 Fewer than one third have gone live. Many have been underway for six to eight years, and some have been shut down without ever launching.

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