Surgeon General Sounds Alarm on Substance Abuse
On Thursday morning, the Surgeon General made headlines across the nation when he released his new report highlighting the problem of substance use addiction across the country. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., released the
Voice For Adoption Portrait Project Highlights Adoption Month for Capitol Hill
On Wednesday, November 16, Voice for Adoption (VFA) sponsored their annual Adoption Portrait Project in honor of November as National Adoption Month. The annual event features families who have adopted children from
Washington Returns to Prepare for New Congress and Administration
This week will be the first opportunity for Washington to come back together after the presidential election. With dramatic changes in the presidential election, this week will be more than just plotting the rest of
This Week Should Provide More Clarity To Trump Presidency
Since much of the President-elect Trump’s agenda was wrapped less around specific domestic issues and more around the larger issues such as immigration and trade, it is not clear what the domestic policy agenda will
Foster Care Numbers Trending Upward
With the latest AFCARS data official, there are now clear indications that foster care numbers are trending upward. A third consecutive increase in foster care to 427,910 children in care represents an eight percent
Home Visiting Briefing Looks Toward Next Reauthorization
On Wednesday, November 2 there was a Capitol Hill briefing on the home visiting program, MIECHV (Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting). The target audience included Capitol Hill staff from both houses and both parties.
White House Releases Task Force Release Report on Mental Health Parity
Late last month the White House Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force released an important and long-awaited report addressing mental health parity in health care plans. The task force is the
2017 Budget Path Uncertain Pending Election
Nearly a month in the new fiscal year the fate of the FY 2017 budget is anything but certain. When the Congress returns on November 14, they must act on 11 of the 12 appropriations
Paper Outlines Need to Fix Medicaid Access for Youth Formerly in Foster Care
The National Center for Children in Poverty has released a new policy paper on the status of Medicaid access for young people formerly in foster care. The paper, FOSTERING HEALTH: The Affordable Care Act,
Hear It Now: A Fateful Turn on Child Care
Recently National Public Radio (NPR) ran a report on a fateful turn in the history of this nation’s child care system dating back to the early 1970s. The story outlines how close we came to
New Survey of State Child Welfare Spending Shows Continued Wide Variations in Strategies
A new Child Trends survey of state child welfare spending shows a slight decrease in funding between 2012 to 2014 with a slightly bigger decrease in federal spending. The survey showed a continued pattern
Key States in Families First Act Debate Have Big Investment In State Funds
For the states that raised objections to parts of the Families First Act, specifically California, New York, Texas and Wyoming, the Child Trends survey gives some perspective.
California and New York which raised serious concerns over
Massachusetts Tracks Increased Substance Abuse in Child Abuse Reports
Massachusetts has reported some new and detailed information on the impact of substance abuse on child abuse reports. The data, reported recently by the Boston Herald indicates that within a six month period substance
Speaker Talks Reconciliation, Freshman Seek Changes to Budget and Entitlements
In the past week two discussions were taking place across the two houses of Congress that could dramatically effect budgets, entitlements and policies.
In comments made at his regular press briefing, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) made
Poverty Group Announced
CWLA has joined with a number of groups including First Focus in forming a new Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). The coalition website states,
“One of the biggest challenges facing our nation today is the
CWLA Asks OMB to Include Funding for Key Child Maltreatment Issues
Last week CWLA called on the Office of Management and Budget to include new funds in the 2018 budget to better address key child maltreatment strategies.
The preparation of the 2018 budget is a placeholder for
Advocates Seek Greater Budget Help on Child Trafficking
In regard to letters to OMB, CWLA has signed onto a letter by the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) in support of increased funding to address trafficking including prevention and treatment. The
President Recognizes National Youth Justice Awareness Month
The President has issued a proclamation recognizing the month of October as National Youth Justice Awareness Month.
In the proclamation the President focuses much of his words on the juvenile justice system and the need
Families First Act, Now What?
There was no vote on the Family First Prevention Services Act, (HR 5456, Conference Report 114-628) as Congress finished a budget deal last week Wednesday. As a result, the bill still remains in
Congress Adopts CR, Finished Until After Election
Congress adopted a continuing resolution that will provide temporary FY ’17 funding to December 9. The CR was passed on Wednesday, September 28 and Congress adjourned until the November elections.
The action came after a deal
Kinship Care Celebrated At Children’s Bureau
September as National Kinship Care Month was celebrated at the Children’s Bureau on Friday, September 30. More than a dozen states have joined onto a national effort to celebrate kin families in the month of
HHS Publishes New Child Care Regulations
The Administration on Children and Families has now issued final regulations on the Child Care and Development Block Grant, CCDBG. The regulations are a result of the 2014 reauthorization of the CCDBG. Based on the
Tribal National Conference at White House
On Monday, September 26, the White House was the site for the eighth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference. It was also the second White House Tribal Youth Gathering. The national convening is the
Congress Now In Race To Budget Deadline
After weeks of Congressional dreams of an early departure, Congress is now in a race to make sure the government does not shut down on October 1. No one is really expecting a shutdown but
No Change On Families First Act As Fall Session Winds Down
There was no news regarding the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act, (HR 5456, Conference Report 114-628) as time in this session winds down to a pre-election pause. There were on-going