From May 22 through May 27 more than 100 young people participated in “Shadow Day,” an event that matches youth in foster care with a member of the House of Representatives. Young people in foster care participate in a number of events, forums and training. The events this year included a viewing and discussion of
On Monday, May 23 as part of the ongoing efforts to talk about foster care for Foster Care Month, Youth Villages and the American Youth Policy Forum sponsored a briefing, Scaling Up active practices for youth transitioning out of foster care". UVLifeSet is a program started originally 1999 by Youth Villages. The goal of the
On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee, as part of National Foster Care Month held a hearing, Supporting Youth in the Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems. In opening the hearing Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) said that he hoped the hearing would result in some new information and strategies to better coordinate services between the child
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. In recognition of that, last Wednesday, May 4, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies highlighted that day as National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The special focus will continue for the rest of this month and of course coincides with the month as National Foster
On Wednesday May 4, the National Network for Youth and the True Colors Fund sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing in support of a reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act. The panel of speakers included Darla Bardine, Executive Director, National Network for Youth, Dr. Resa Matthew, Family and Youth Services Bureau,
Last week a bipartisan group of Senators joined onto a letter to HHS and the Department of Education calling on the two departments to implement new provisions in the new reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) regarding the education rights of children in foster care. The senators, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the
On April 28, the President signed a proclamation recognizing May as national foster care month. The President said in his proclamation: “The success of our country tomorrow depends on the well-being of our children today. As a Nation, we have a duty to empower each child so they have the same sense of promise and
Last week, HHS through the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), issued a Data Collection Study gathered through that Bureau’s Street Outreach Program. The results provide an over view of the grim circumstances for homeless and runaway youth. The study indicated: The average youth spent nearly two years living on the streets. More than 60
After the ICPC vote, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a bill HR 4724 that would eliminate the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). The vote and the bill was part of a strategy to get a budget resolution adopted (see below). Members of the Republican conservative caucus (Freedom Caucus) have told Speaker Paul Ryan
On Wednesday, March 16 the Senate HELP Committee passed out of committee S 2680, the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016. The bill taken up was based on a staff discussion draft. In prepared remarks Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), sponsors highlighted the overall changes in the authorization legislation,