On Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing entitled ‘Child Care and Preschool: Cutting Costs for Working Families.’ The hearing centered around how to provide affordable childcare to families. Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Democrats advocated for the proposal included in President Biden’s Build Back Better package, which would expand the
On Wednesday March 23rd, 2022, Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) led the Senate HELP Committee’s hearing: “Strengthening Federal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Issues.” The Committee members and witnesses discussed issues necessitating bipartisan legislation addressing the increasing severity of the mental health and substance use disorders prevailing across the country.
The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University has released its newest monthly report on child poverty, finding that 3.4 million more children were in poverty in February 2022 than in December 2021, when families were still receiving the monthly Child Tax Credit payments. Monthly poverty remained elevated in February. Child poverty rates
February 2022 The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) recently released “Gender-Affirming Care is Trauma-Informed Care,” a new fact sheet that defines gender-affirming care, describes approaches for supporting trans, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) youth, and includes additional tools for providers. From the release: “Transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) youth can thrive when they are
Attempts to ban transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming medical care are putting tens of thousands of young people at risk. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reported that “more than 54,000 transitioning transgender youth ages 13 through 17 are at risk of losing access to gender-affirming medical care.” As of Friday, about
On Monday, March 14th, 2022, the Prevention Services Clearinghouse announced ratings for several new programs and services that had been considered for eligibility for funding under the Family First Prevention Services Act. Three programs were accepted to the clearinghouse as “promising”: GenerationPMTO – Individual; Families and Schools Together® - Elementary School Level; Community Reinforcement Approach
On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on “Improving Family Outcomes Through Home Visiting.” Several panelists focused their testimony on the personal stories of families served by programs funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, a federal
President Biden signed the $1.5 trillion spending bill on Tuesday, March15th, 2022, ending the continuing resolutions and providing a budget for FY 2022. As noted in last week’s Children’s Monitor, child welfare budget line items received some small but important increases such as an additional $5M for both CAPTA and CB-CAP; unfortunately, many line
On Tuesday March 2nd, Georgetown University held a Lunch and Learn surrounding COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Implication for Medicaid Coverage for MCH Populations. Panelists: Joan Alker, Executive Director and Co-Founder of University of Georgetown, University Center for Children and Families and Research Professor Tricia Brooks, Research Professor for the Georgetown University Center for Children and
On Tuesday, March 15th, 2022, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) rolled out a new website of resources for the upcoming launch of the 988 hotline in July. This new website includes a partner toolkit to help SAMHSA’s 988 implementation partners (crisis call centers, state mental health programs, substance use treatment providers,