Senate Repeals Set of Education Regulations

Efforts to better coordinate access to education for children and youth in foster care may have suffered a setback last week Thursday.  The Senate approved a roll-back of Obama Administration regulations to implement the new education law. The regulations covered numerous parts of the newly reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education ACT (ESEA).  In part the

Senate Judiciary Focuses on Juvenile Justice

On Tuesday, February 28, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on juvenile justice issues.  The hearing began with remarks by the Chairman, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), who in his opening statement,  discussed the fact that last year he, along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) crafted a bill that garnered bipartisan support to reauthorize the

Leaked Copy of House ACA Repeal Outlines Medicaid Caps-Tax Credits

Over the weekend a leaked copy of a draft ACA repeal bill was made public by Politico magazine.  The bill draft would implement some of the general descriptions Speaker Paul Ryan outlined in a white paper the week before and like that white paper it leaves questions to be answered on how the bill will

Resources To Improve Education and Foster Care Status

The Legal Center for Foster Care & Education  has created a guide and factsheet, Roadmap for Foster Care and K–12 Data Linkages, that promotes the cooperation between state and local education and child welfare agencies in the sharing of data.  The Center points out that by sharing data, child welfare and education agencies can work

CWLA Continues Vigilance on E.O. for Discrimination in Placement  

As reported last week the Trump Administration is considering an executive order that will “respect religious freedom” and could be so broad that it will allow the discrimination in the placement of children in adoptive, foster and kinship placements. It would extend these provisions beyond religious or faith based agencies to “any organization” including for-profit

GAO Reviews State Efforts on Psychotropic Medication Use For Foster Children

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report on foster care and oversight of prescription drug medication. The report, HHS Has Taken Steps to Support States’ Oversight of Psychotropic Medications, but Additional Assistance Could Further Collaboration, as the title suggests indicates more needs to be done in terms of the overuse and prescribing

Presidential Order Could Allow Discrimination in Placement of Children

The Trump Administration may be getting ready to issue an executive order that will “respect religious freedom” and could be so broad that it will allow the discrimination in the placement of children in adoptive, foster and kinship placements. It would extend these provisions beyond religious or faith based agencies to “any organization” including for-profit

DACA Not on Table in President’s First Actions on Immigration

Last week President Trump began to address some of his immigration priorities through several executive orders.  So far he has not taken action on DACA or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The executive orders can only go so far before Congress’s approval is needed to change laws but one of the powers the President

Human Services Programs That Have Expired Reauthorizations  

With some proposing that we defund programs that have not been reauthorized, the Congressional Budget Office issues regular annual reports of how many programs have not been reauthorized. Congress frequently fails to meet the window to reauthorize programs.  An occurrence that seems more frequent in recent congresses.  In January 2016, the CBO released, Unauthorized Appropriations

Listen to a Young Man Describe His 20 Years in Foster Care!  

On Wednesday, January 11, National Public Radio’s All Things Considered—Youth Radio, broadcast a story about a young man who entered foster care at the age of one and who recently aged out of care at the age of 21. Noel Anaya spent nearly all of his life in the California foster care system and tells

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