Make Hidden Foster Care Visible

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Hidden foster care keeps children invisible. When CPS facilitates a child living outside their parent’s home with a relative, without formal entry into foster care, the separation is often not documented, tracked, or connected to supports. Nevada estimates for 2021 to 2023 suggest 41% to 46% of children who could have entered foster care were instead diverted to relatives. In 2023 roughly 1,880 children were diverted while about 2,700 entered foster care, and rural diversion estimates ran from 57% to 64%. These figures may undercount the true scope because UNITY, the state’s child welfare data system, does not consistently record where a child lives after an investigation. Nevada should define CPS-facilitated parent-child separation in state policy, require documentation in UNITY or its successor system (where the child lives, caregiver relationship, arrangement type, date of separation, and referrals to services), establish a standardized referral pathway to Kinship Navigator Programs for legal, educational, financial, and community supports, and require annual reporting on the prevalence, characteristics, service connections, and outcomes of these arrangements. This does not require more children to enter foster care and does not automatically create custody, guardianship, or court involvement. It ensures that when CPS separates a child from a parent, the child stays visible and the family is connected to support.