Placement & Permanency

Child Trends Report on Funding Supports and Services for Transition-Age Youth

Child Trends released a report, sponsored by Youth Villages, on “Funding Supports and Services for Young People Transitioning from Foster Care” to address existing funding supports and services that do not adequately cover the types of intensive supports and skill development that many young people transitioning from foster care need. Nineteen child welfare leaders across

Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act Passes Unanimously

Last week, the House Financial Services Committee unanimously voted to send “The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act (H.R. 4300) (FSHO) to the House for a full vote. FSHO would give preference in housing vouchers to youth transitioning from foster care. The bill, which has bipartisan support, led by Congressman Mike Turner (D-OH) and Steve Stivers

Court Rejects Challenge to Maryland Law Banning Conversion Therapy of Minors

On September 20, 2019 a Federal District Court in Maryland rejected a challenge to Maryland’s recent law that prohibits conversion therapy of minor children. A Maryland psychotherapist, Christopher Doyle, claimed that the law violated his religious freedom. The plaintiff was supported by the Liberty Counsel based in Orlando Florida. Conversion therapy generally seeks to change

Bipartisan Deal Emerges on Family First Transition

Capitol Hill is working on a bipartisan deal that is intended to assist states to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would give states an added $500 million in child welfare funds, allowing states to spend more flexibly on the three categories of evidence-based services and create a guarantee of

CMS Issues Guidance on QRTPs but Maybe Not Clarity

On Friday, September 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided guidance on whether or not the new classification of Quality Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) will fall under the Medicaid classification as an Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMDs). There has been great concern that the new QRTP standards would cause these same child

Strengths Identified in Youth CFSR Except in Placement with Siblings

The findings of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) report, Focus on Youth CFSR Findings: 2015-2017, published by the Children’s Bureau details how child welfare agencies are working with older youth between the ages of 16 and 17 in foster care. The report addressed the following questions: (1) How well do agencies meet the

A&E’s Documentary Series “The Day I Picked My Parents” featuring Kidsave!

On Sunday, September 22, Kidsave will be featured in the A&E Television Network docu-series “The Day I Picked My Parents.” This documentary series is about the lives of older children who struggle to find families because of their age. It shines a light on the numerous challenges and hard-fought triumphs of these kids who’ve lived

Health Care Coverage Declines including for Children

The census report on health insurance coverage showed that the percentage of people with health insurance decreased by 0.4 percent last year. That represents the first decrease in coverage since the Affordable Care Act and the first increase since the 2008-2009 period. The health insurance report is based on both the Current Population Survey and

Voice for Adoption’s Adoptive Family Portrait Project

The Adoptive Family Portrait Project seeks to inform Members of Congress and their staff about the impact that adoptions have had in many of their constituents' lives, by pairing adoptive families with their Congress member. For the 15th consecutive year, Voice for Adoption (VFA) will work with adoptive families to compose their family story and

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