For a variety of reasons, public agencies at all levels of government are increasingly interested in the return on their investment. Nationally, expenditures for child welfare programs exceed $20 billion. The return on investment question simply asks – are children better off as a result of what we spend on their behalf? In his presentation, Dr. Wulczyn will explore accountability within the child welfare system from various perspectives including the practical and the political. Fred Wulczyn, PhD is a Research Fellow, Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, where he directs the Center for State Foster Care and Adoption Data. He is the recipient of the 2006 Peter Forsythe Award for Leadership in public child welfare, presented by the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators. In 2006 to 2007, he served on Mayor Street’s Child Welfare Review Panel. His recent writings focus on racial disparities in the foster care system, adoption in the post-AFSA era, and fiscal reform. He is the lead author of Beyond Common Sense: Child Welfare, Child Well-being, and the Evidence for Policy Reform.