A report by the Inspector General (IG) for HHS indicates that children in foster care are not receiving required health screenings. The report comes after a November 2014 IG report that found that there were significant shortfalls in health screening for all children enrolled in Medicaid. The new report, Not All Children in Foster Care
On February 25 the Bureau of Indian affairs in the Interior Department issued new guidelines and regulations regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The guidelines are the first update since 1979 shortly after the law was enacted by Congress. These updated guidelines are intended to provide procedures and best practices for use in Indian
Some in Washington are advocating the elimination of SSBG as a way to fund child welfare services. The theory is that eliminating the $1.7 billion in SSBG dollars might free up some funds for child welfare and perhaps also cut federal spending at the same time. Such calculations however ignore the fact that SSBG funds
The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities has released a list of the upcoming hearings with the next one being this week on February 27 and 28. It will be held at the Marriott City Center, 520 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205, To attend in person or via webinar/teleconference and receive a copy
On Thursday, February 19, HHS released the FY 2015 funds of $386 million for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program/MIECHV). In releasing the funds HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said, “Home visits by a nurse, social worker, or early childhood educator during pregnancy and in the first years of life
Last week CLASP and the Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report on the federal home visiting program (MIECHV) called, An Investment in our Future: How Federal Home Visiting Funding Provides Critical Support for Parents and Children, The report build on some of the research and information provided last week by HHS as
Last Monday, the President started the FY 2016 appropriations process when he sent to Congress his formal budget request. Although many observers like to describe such budgets as “dead on arrival” or DOA whenever there are two different parties controlling the White House and Congress it none-theless starts a process and sets goals in
The Administration’s budget includes several proposed appropriations increases or changes in law to expand child welfare services, particularly for children and families involved with foster care. It is in fact a change for a budget area that rarely experiences any requested increases beyond what happens under the entitlement programs. Whether any action takes place will
On Friday, HHS released the first preliminary information and research on the home visiting program the Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV). The research referred to as, Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation or MIHOPE focuses on the initial planning, outreach and target families. The research partners for this and future reports are
On Tuesday, January 27, Capitol Hill was the scene of a briefing and a report-release by the Children's Advocacy Institute and First Star that leveled heavy criticism of federal oversight of the nation’s child welfare services. The report, Shame On U.S , details an examination of the federal government and its oversight of the nation’s