On June 5, Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) introduced HR 3114 – Every Child Deserves A Family Act and on June 13, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced S 1791, the Senate version. This legislation prohibits organizations receiving federal funding from discriminating against children and families and promotes safety, well-being, and permanency
Members of Congress in both the Senate and the House are interested in providing states with additional resources and support to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First). The Family First Transition and Support Act, S 1376, was introduced on May 8, 2019 in the Senate by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Debbie
Last week, CWLA submitted our comments on the implementation of an Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) update. The Administration had frozen the 2016 final rule that updated AFCARS data requirements. In the interim they asked for additional comments and issued an updated notice of proposed rulemaking in mid-April. The revisions eliminated
On Wednesday, June 19, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration hosted a webinar on "Implementation of Models to Support Best Practice Prescribing Antipsychotics: SAMHSA Initiatives". Justine Larson, MD, MPH, MHS for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Gloria Reeves, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine both presented on the current
On Tuesday, June 11 the Senate Caucus on Foster Care and the Camelot Community Care held a youth-led discussion on “What’s next for me? Facing my future as I age out of care.” The panel was comprised of seven young adults between 19-22 years of age, who were in the foster care system for anywhere
On Wednesday, June 5, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) and Congresswoman Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR) introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act (ECDF). The legislation prohibits discrimination against children, youth, families, and individuals on the basis of religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), and marital status in the administration and provision of child welfare
A June 6, 2019 letter from Children’s Bureau Commissioner Jerry Milner to child welfare leaders indicates some broader flexibility in funding Family First Prevention Services in the initial implementation. The key part of the letter is the last paragraph where Commissioner Milner states: “Therefore, the CB plans to issue guidance allowing a state to
On Thursday, June 6, the Senate Focus Youth Caucus and Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (JCYOI) of the Annie E. Casey Foundation sponsored the congressional briefing “Chafee Plus 20” to examine the role the Chafee program has had in supporting better outcomes for youth and facilitate discussion about what how policy can continue to recommend
On Tuesday, June 4, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth sponsored briefing on Right to Counsel in Child Abuse and Neglect Dependency. The focus of this meeting was to educate individuals about the importance of high-quality legal representation for children and parents. The five panelists included Frank Utomo and Levi Zwick-Tapley, former foster care
On Wednesday, June 5, AEI hosted the panel Big data, little kids: How technology is changing child welfare to inform participants about the lagging technology used in the child welfare system and present some ways to utilize technology to make the system more effective. The panel consisted of Thea Ramirez, Founder and CEO of Adoption-Share;