A new GAO report: CHILD WELFARE Pandemic Posed Challenges, but also Created Opportunities for Agencies to Enhance Future Operations, includes the result of a survey of state and local child welfare agencies on the challenges of the past year. The challenges included child protective services, the legal system, providing support for families and workers in foster
More than 500 organizations have signed a letter to Congress requesting that residential facilities that meet the new Family First Act “Qualified Residential Treatment Program” (QRTP) standards be exempt from being classified by Medicaid (CMS) as an Institution for Mental Diseases or “IMD.” The letter in part states: “(The Family First Prevention Services Act) FFPSA
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) eleven interns presented an experience and research-informed policy recommendation report in a Congressional Briefing entitled Building the Path Forward for Change in the Child Welfare System. The Foster Youth Interns (FYIs) shared their recommendations on a wide range of important topics, including maintaining sibling connections, racial equity, services for indigenous youth,
The House of Representatives moved on two significant bills last week that included funding for 9 of the 12 appropriations bills. The first “minibus” appropriations rolled together seven bills, including the appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS), Agriculture, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Interior, Military Construction, and Transportation-Housing are rolled
The Administration is seeking feedback on potential improvements to the Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse handbook. The request for comments was posted on July 15, 2021, on the Federal Register. The deadline for comments is August 16, 2021. The Handbook of Standards and Procedures outlines the process and procedure for review by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Human Rights for Kids hosted a conversation entitled Treat Kids Like Kids: Why Congress Must Prioritize Criminal Justice Reform for Children. The event featured both professionals and individuals with lived experience. They highlighted a series of important bills currently being proposed in the House of Representatives that aim to remedy many of the harms impacting youth involved in
Last week the House Appropriations Committee passed through the subcommittee (Monday, July 12, 2021) and then through the full committee on Wednesday (July 14, 2021) the appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS). The $253 billion appropriations for the three departments passed out of full committee by a vote
On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, President Biden announced the nomination of Rahul Gupta as the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position many have referred to as the “drug czar.” A day later, the CDC released preliminary data that showed a record 93,000 people died of a drug overdose last year in the
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) passed at the end of 2020 provided increased support for older foster youth in all 50 states, and each state has utilized the funding in varying ways. Over the past months, Foster Club has hosted conversations with advocates in various states to share about the older youth pandemic relief efforts in
The Trevor Project's third annual survey, National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, brings to light the difficulties for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 13-24 experiences across the U.S. The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning young