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
The 2013 Annual Report for SSBG has been released. The annual report documents overall expenditures of the $1.7 billion in funding (approximately $1.6 billion in 2013 due to the sequestration cuts). In addition, each states breakout of how they spend SSBG and the number of adults and children served are listed. Overall the report summary
When House Education and the Workforce members introduced, the Improving Safe Care for the Prevention of Infant Abuse and Neglect Act last month, after a recent action by the Senate HELP Committee, they took a more targeted approach. Targeted toward HHS. Both bills focus on the “safe care” plans for children born and identified as
Last week a bipartisan group of House Members joined in on the effort to address the substance abuse-child welfare issue when they introduced a bill to amend CAPTA. The bill address the safe care plans that are required under CAPTA but it focuses its attention on HHS and information and data collection. The bill, the
By Dusty Murphy On Wednesday, March 23 a number of groups including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), First Focus, National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) held a briefing on the impact of ongoing raids by U.S. immigration, the Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE), as well as the
On March 17, the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF) released its final report, “Within Our Reach: A National Strategy to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.” Of key emphasis the commission report highlights: Infants and toddlers are at high risk of an abuse or neglect fatality compared to other age groups.
Before consideration of more partisan issues, the House Ways and Means Committee passed in bipartisan fashion a bill that will make improvements in the interstate placement of children, HR 4472. CWLA has endorsed legislation, The Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act, HR 4472 and its Senate version S 2574. The House
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
As part of the Senate HELP Committee’s debate of a mental health reform measure (see below), senators also endorsed S 2687, the Plan of Safe Care Improvements Act. The legislation, introduced by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) would alter CAPTA and the current language around safe care plans and existing directives to states to have a
While the Senate HELP Committee was debating mental health legislations and amendments to CAPTA, on Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce used testimony from Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to raise questions in regard to enforcement of the same CAPTA provisions. In his opening remarks Chairman John Kelley