In Memory of  Trevor Nolan   1991-1997

Child Maltreatment 1999: Reports from the States to
the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). 

The Adoption and Safe Families Act passed by Congress in 1997 gave financial incentives to states for removing children from their homes and putting them up for adoption.  The federal government gives the states an average of $13,000 per child in foster care each year out of the Social Security Trust Fund, with up to $50,000 a year to provide "services" to that child.  In addition, the government gives a "bonus" of $4,000 - $10,000 to states who can terminate a parent's rights and successfully adopt the child to another family.  The federal government also pays a per-child bonus to each state that increases its annual number of adoptions from the foster care system. 
In contrast, the federal government pays the states nothing to leave a child in his or her home, and nothing if that child is placed with relatives during the red-tape laden investigation.  
The federal government only pays the states an average of $1,100 per year for each child receiving welfare.  That's it. 
With the lure of all that federal and Social Security money, some states are making the removal of children from their homes take precedence over protecting children who are actually in danger.