Introduction Despite considerable efforts aimed at equality, structural racism persists in the United States of America. Child welfare policy is one of the areas in which the problem becomes particularly apparent. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program was launched on the federal level to provide poor families with necessary aid. One of the aims of the policy is to ensure that children grow in a positive environment and their basic needs are met. Nevertheless, the issue of unequal distribution of welfare based on racial prejudices remains, showcasing the nature of structural racism in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in the context of child welfare disparities. Temporary Aid to Needy Families Act Many families across the United States struggle to make a living for a variety of reasons, and governmental programs have been attempting to alleviate the problem. The situation is particularly difficult for children, as, without support, they are forced to grow up in poverty. Being deprived of necessities while not having access to quality services and education entails an unfortunate situation in which children cannot find their deserved place in life. As a result, they have fewer chances of graduating from college and having a successful career, which is why poverty persists. While the discussed issue may concern any family, it becomes particularly acute for people of color, who suffer from racial disparities on a systemic level. The government has been proposing financial assistance programs, also known as welfare, to families in need, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant is one of them. The discussed issue lies within a broad historical context, as it has been discussed for almost a century. The first attempts at providing American citizens with effective social security policies date back to the 1930s and The Social Security Act (“The temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) block grant: A legislative history,” 2020). By the policy, federal funding was allocated to families in which at least one of the parents was incapable of providing financial support. Further policies are aimed at establishing families’ self-sufficiency and independence, especially in the case of single mothers (“The temporary assistance for needy families,” 2020). The new amendments encouraged people to work, providing them with incentives to do so. By the 1960s, debates began surrounding the necessity of reforming the welfare system. Between 1964 and 1973, the government managed to expand the range of families receiving welfare from one million to 3.1 million (“The temporary assistance for needy families,” 2020). As a result, people’s dependency on welfare grew, as well. By the following decade, temporary financial assistance began to transform into a long-term source of income for many. The Family Support Act of 1988 introduced new education opportunities, training programs, and employment services for the recipients of welfare (“The temporary assistance for needy families,” 2020). The “welfare-to-work” initiatives culminated in the 1990s, when Pres