NCHCW Forum on HUD’s Foster Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI)
On August 5, the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare hosted the webinar “FUP and FYI: Overview and Getting Started.” Last week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) introduced the Foster
Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations
With a two-year budget deal for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 in place, Congress will need to finish the FY 2020 appropriations. The House of Representatives has passed almost all of their 12 appropriations bills
Call for proposals deadline extended to August 9
Submit now for the call for proposals for the CWLA 2020 Conference: 100th Anniversary Year, Sharing Ideas that Strengthen Families and Engage Communities to Promote Child Well-Being to be held from March 25–29, 2020,
The Promise of Adolescence
On July 1, 2019 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) held a report launch for The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth. There were three panels, including Sandra
Immigration, Washington is Left to the President
The President can likely dominate the Washington coverage of immigration in the next month with the courts being the only potential roadblock to any additional aggressive presidential actions. There are a number of immigration bills
HUD Announces New FUP Initiative & Funding
On July 26, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new initiative, Foster Youth to Independence (FYI), to offer housing vouchers to young people aging out of foster care and those facing
House Committee Addresses Family Separation at the U.S. Border
On July 25, 2019, the House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled “Oversight of Family Separation and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Short-Term Custody under the Trump Administration” to examine the situation of
Legislative Update
Since the National Conference in Washington, D.C. CWLA has reached out to members of Congress advocating for increase funding in key child welfare priority areas and services and supports on child welfare bills including: the
Two-Year Budget Deal Looking for Final OK This Week
On Monday, July 22, 2019, all parties agreed to a two-year budget deal for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. On Thursday of last week, the House of Representatives went first and gave the first approval.
What Was in the House-Passed Labor-HHS-Education Appropriation
The two-year budget deal being approved by Congress provides important increases over the budget caps, but it will provide approximately $10 billion less than the House had designated for their FY 2020 non-defense appropriations. The
CWLA Calls for Action on Immigration, Urging Caution on Child Welfare Role
On Thursday, July 25, 2019 CWLA President & CEO Chris James-Brown issued a position statement regarding family separation and national immigration policy.
“We are urging Congress and the President to strengthen protections for these families
New Family First Clearinghouse Ratings Released
On Wednesday, July 24, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released two more Title IV-E Prevention Services programs and services ratings for the Title IV-E Prevention Services in accordance with the Family First Prevention
The National Academies New Report: Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity
On Thursday, July 25, 2019 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine released their new report, Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity.
The report outlines steps needed to
Civil Rights Commission Report on School Discipline Policies
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a new report on Tuesday, July 23 titled, “Beyond Suspensions: Examining School Discipline Policies and Connections to the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Students of Color with Disabilities” calling
Proposed SNAP Rule Harmful to Low-Income Children and Families
On Tuesday, July 23, the Trump Administration issued another proposed rule that would take the nation’s largest food assistance program away from 3 million people by making them ineligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition
Strengthening Federal Support to End Youth Homelessness
On July 16, the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee held a hearing entitled Strengthening Federal Support to End Youth Homelessness. Chairwoman Bonamici (D-OR) stated in her opening statement that it is a “responsibility to
Children’s Bureau Releases Guidance On How to Include Unrated Services In State Family First Plan
On Thursday, July 18, 2019 the Children’s Bureau released guidance to states on how they can include in their state plans procedures to allow for “transitional payments” for prevention services and programs that have not
Boundless Futures: Building a Youth-Focused Child Welfare System
On July 16, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) hosted the 2019 Foster Youth Internship (FYI) Program Congressional Briefing. This was CCAI’s 17th annual hearing consisting of policy recommendations from each presenter of the
HHS Study on Therapeutic Foster Care Released
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in HHS has released new findings on Therapeutic Foster Care that analyzes the benefits and challenges of TFC. Therapeutic Foster Care is intended to
GAO Says HHS-ACA Guidance Is Rule for Congressional Review
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued an opinion on July 15, 2019 telling Congress that recent changes the Administration made to the ACA waiver authority were significant enough to allow for congressional review because
Women and Girls in the Criminal Justice System
On July 16, the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing on “Women and Girls in the Criminal Justice System” to examine the exponential growth of women being incarcerated for nonviolent
Pediatrician Finds States with Stricter Gun Laws Have Fewer Child Fatalities
A new study published in PEDIATRICS offers evidence that states with stricter gun laws including laws requiring universal background checks for firearm purchase had lower firearm-related pediatric mortality rates. Pointing out that firearms are
New Study Finds Medicaid Block Grant/Per-Capita-Cap Consequences
A new report by Avalere analyzed the impact of a Medicaid block or per capita cap’s effect on health care funding. The results are very negative especially for children. The study shows that between
Immigration Continues to Get Its Focus From Congress
Congress continued to focus and debate immigration policy through a series of actions last week. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held two hearing on Wednesday, “Kids in Cages: Inhumane Treatment at