---
kind: "section"
citation: "34 U.S.C. § 20331"
title: "34"
title_heading: "Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
number: "20331"
heading: "Findings and purpose"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/34/20331"
units:
  - "Subtitle II — Protection of Children and Other Persons"
  - "Chapter 203 — Victims of Child Abuse"
  - "Subchapter III — Child Abuse Training Programs for Judicial Personnel and Practitioners"
---

# §20331. Findings and purpose

- (a) **Findings—** The Congress finds that—
  - (1) a large number of juvenile and family courts are inundated with increasing numbers of cases due to increased reports of [abuse](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) and [neglect](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1), increasing drug-related maltreatment, and insufficient court resources;
  - (2) the amendments made to the Social Security Act [[42 U.S.C. 301](/usc/42/301.md) et seq.] by the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 make substantial demands on the courts handling [abuse](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) and [neglect](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) cases, but provide no assistance to the courts to meet those demands;
  - (3) the Adoption[^1] and Child Welfare Act of 1980 requires courts to—
    - (A) determine whether the agency made reasonable efforts to prevent foster care placement;
    - (B) approve voluntary nonjudicial placement; and
    - (C) provide procedural safeguards for parents when their parent-child relationship is affected;
  - (4) social welfare agencies press the courts to meet such requirements, yet scarce resources often dictate that courts comply pro forma without undertaking the meaningful judicial inquiry contemplated by Congress in the Adoption[^1] and Child Welfare Act of 1980;
  - (5) compliance with the Adoption[^1] and Child Welfare Act of 1980 and overall improvements in the judicial response to [abuse](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) and [neglect](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) cases can best come about through action by top level court [administrators](/usc/34/20302.md?p=1) and judges with administrative functions who understand the unique aspects of decisions required in [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) and [neglect](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) cases; and
  - (6) the Adoption[^1] and Child Welfare Act of 1980 provides financial incentives to train welfare agency staff to meet the requirements, but provides no resources to train judges.
- (b) **Purpose—** The purpose of this subchapter is to provide expanded technical assistance and training to judicial personnel and attorneys, particularly personnel and practitioners in juvenile and family courts, to improve the judicial system’s handling of [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) and [neglect](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) cases with specific emphasis on the role of the courts in addressing reasonable efforts that can safely avoid unnecessary and unnecessarily prolonged foster care placement.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. Probably should be “Adoption Assistance”.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 101–647, title II, § 221, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4796; Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 40156(b)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1923.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Social Security Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), is act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620, which is classified generally to chapter 7 (§ 301 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1305 of Title 42 and Tables.

The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 96–272, June 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 500. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1980 Amendments note set out under section 1305 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, and Tables.

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 13021 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

### Amendments

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–322 made technical amendment to reference to this subchapter to correct reference to corresponding provision of original act.