Current funding for federal fiscal year ends on December 3, 2021, and while it appears likely Congress will pass another CR for a matter of weeks, a full year long appropriation adding new funds now seem much in doubt. A CR that extended for the rest of FY 2022 means that there would be a
On Thursday, November 18, 2021, HHS announced it was rolling back a controversial Trump Administration waiver that allowed some child welfare agencies to discriminate in their placement decisions. The Biden action quickly gained the praise of key House Democrats who are backing the anti-discrimination-in-placement-decisions legislation. Early in the Trump Administration, HHS had issued a waiver
In celebration of National Adoption Month, Voice for Adoption (VFA) hosted its 17th annual Adoptive Family Portrait Project on November 10th, 2021. This year's theme: 2021: Unresolved ACES - Access to mental health services and impacts it has on permanency. With a special thanks to VFA Communications Policy Associate intern, Derya Ozcan, and in collaboration
On Monday, November 1, 2021, the Child Welfare League of America submitted its recommendations to the Senate Finance Committee on how the Committee and country can make critical changes to the nation’s mental health and substance use treatment systems. The Committee had asked the behavioral health community and other parties to submit recommendation to the
On Thursday, November 4, 2021, Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) introduced 21st Century Children and Families Act (HR 5856). The bill bans discrimination in placement and recruitment of foster and adoptive parents and places added emphasis on kinship care. It requires states to substantiate with clear and convincing data and analysis that the child welfare agency
Last Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) and Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN) introduced a new bill (HR 5661) to extend the temporary relief for youth exiting foster care. On Wednesday it passed the House by a fast-track voice vote. The December 2020 Covid-19 relief package included flexibility in certain programmatic services for Chafee-eligible
November is National Adoption Month and this year’s theme is Every Conversation Matters. Every Conversation Matters is about engaging youth in permanency plans through open conversations about adoption, asking youth their perspectives, and understanding their journey. Honoring of adoption began in 1976 when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis declared an Adoption Week to spread awareness about
On Monday, October 25, 2021, the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) started a new campaign, Counsel for Kids. According to a statement by the organization, “With 673,000 children navigating America's child welfare courts every year and enduring concerns about unequal access to justice, today the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) launches
The Democratic strategy to try and keep as much and as many parts of the original House reconciliation bills, meant that many program will be reduced in length. Perhaps the prime example is the fate of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Continuing and making permanent the CTC has been one of CWLA prime issues this
On October 19, 2021, CMS put out a new, Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) Reimbursement: Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Requirements, Q & A. The new question and answer appear to be an attempt to address the conflict that some states are facing that by adhering to the new Title IV-E foster care Qualified