Child welfare

Child welfare, any of various programs, services and, institutions designed to administer to the well-being of children. In the United States such agencies are paid for in part by federal and state taxes. They strive to ensure that children who are suffering from poverty, from the inability of parents to care properly for them, or from neglect or abuse, are provided with food, shelter, medical care, education, and other social services. Some services and organizations that deal with the welfare of children are Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Head Start, Medicaid, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Children's Defense Fund.