The Senate Caucus on Foster Youth has a new co-chair, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). She replaces Senator Mary Landrieu who is an original co-chair along with Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) when the caucus was formed in 2009. Senator Landrieu did not win her re-election race. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) made the announcement and welcomed Stabenow
The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities has released a list of the upcoming hearings with the next one being this week on February 27 and 28. It will be held at the Marriott City Center, 520 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205, To attend in person or via webinar/teleconference and receive a copy
On Thursday, February 19, HHS released the FY 2015 funds of $386 million for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program/MIECHV). In releasing the funds HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said, “Home visits by a nurse, social worker, or early childhood educator during pregnancy and in the first years of life
Last week, not too far off from the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved HR 5. The vote followed party lines when it passed by a vote of 21 to 16. There were no hearings on the legislation with
Last week CLASP and the Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report on the federal home visiting program (MIECHV) called, An Investment in our Future: How Federal Home Visiting Funding Provides Critical Support for Parents and Children, The report build on some of the research and information provided last week by HHS as
Last Monday, the President started the FY 2016 appropriations process when he sent to Congress his formal budget request. Although many observers like to describe such budgets as “dead on arrival” or DOA whenever there are two different parties controlling the White House and Congress it none-theless starts a process and sets goals in
The Administration’s budget includes several proposed appropriations increases or changes in law to expand child welfare services, particularly for children and families involved with foster care. It is in fact a change for a budget area that rarely experiences any requested increases beyond what happens under the entitlement programs. Whether any action takes place will
On Friday, HHS released the first preliminary information and research on the home visiting program the Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV). The research referred to as, Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation or MIHOPE focuses on the initial planning, outreach and target families. The research partners for this and future reports are
On Tuesday, February 3, the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Voice for Adoption sponsored a briefing on a current pilot project that is speeding up child welfare placements across state lines. The National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise (NEICE) pilot project, is being funded by the Children’s Bureau to test out a new data
On Wednesday, January 28 members of congress and several advocacy groups came together to unveil the introduction of the Homeless Children and Youth. Act of 2015. The legislation would amend federal housing law to change the definition of homeless youth to align with other federal programs such as the Runaway and Homeless youth Act, the