ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the federalist system of authority, that which operates in the child welfare system. This includes the dispersal of authority to the three governing bodies and the shifting interpretations of the governing system. It is an extension of the governing process established within the Constitution. The chapter also discusses the various levels of authority and how they blend in actual practice, including their hierarchical relationships and ambiguities, and the tensions in policy implementation that have resulted from this structure.
