Expanding State Research Capacity in Child Welfare: The Need for State Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

In 2018, funding for child welfare programs drastically changed under the Bipartisan Budget Act: Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). To pull Title IV-E funding for prevention programs, all states must evaluate outcomes of children and families involved in child welfare. To meet these guidelines, state agencies need research structures, including internal Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). IRBs allow state governments to conduct ethical research, and expand research within the discipline. As researchers pursue careers outside of academia, these structures are pivotal and lead to policy contributions and knowledge in the discipline. This study evaluates the following in all 50 US states: How many states have internal IRBs? How many states have IRBs that are accessible to the state’s child welfare agency? How have states set-up internal IRBs to function within a government context? The analysis found 34 states have at least one federally registered IRB of which 31 appear active within the state. However, only 11 of the 31 states have an IRB accessible to child welfare departments. These 11 states provide a blueprint for how to establish and maintain an IRB that supports child welfare agencies. Three distinct set ups emerged: holistic multi-department IRB, singular department/agency IRB, or those governed by an inter-agency sharing agreement. These findings show multiple states use an internal IRB to support state researchers. However, these IRBs are not currently accessible to the child welfare agency. For agencies to meet the requirements of FFPSA, IRBs must be expanded to the child welfare agency or built within the state.