Protecting Youth & Families

Opioids Funding Increases

The week started with the President in New Hampshire announcing his opioid abuse reduction plan and ended with Congress acting in a much bolder funding proposal. The President’s plan was thin on specifics but included a broad outline that included broad strokes of: • REDUCE DEMAND AND OVER-PRESCRIPTION: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will educate Americans

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Deferred Again

In the end a fix for DACA was never really considered. Despite the President’s comments on Friday it appears that a DACA fix was never a serious point of negotiation. As one of the three key factions in any budget negotiation, the President could have drawn a line in the sand and demanded a fix.

Other Items in The Budget

There were several other funding increases and efforts included in the final bill. They did agree to strip out a Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) from 1996 which had a chilling effect on CDC research on gun violence. Although the original language did not specifically ban CDC research in this area, at the time in 1996

Foster Youth and Identity Theft in America

Shaquita Ogletree On Monday, March 20, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and Cybersecurity Caucus co-hosted a briefing to discuss youth in foster care as victims of identity theft and what some companies are proposing to do to solve this problem. Speakers included Eva Casey Velasquez, President/CEO of Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), Serita Cox,

Opioid Briefing on the Hill, President to Unveil Opioid Plan

Macey Shambery On March 14, the Children’s Home Society of America hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill. Panelists included Nancy Young, Executive Director of Children and Family Futures; James Madison, President and CEO of Beech Acres Parenting Center; and Terry and Jean Childs, Grandparents and Legal Guardians. Nancy Young started off the panel with a

HHS Study Documents Link Between Substance Abuse & Foster Care Increases

he Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has released research on the relationship between increased substance abuse (especially opioids) and the increasing foster care numbers. The ASPE study, Substance Use, the Opioid Epidemic, and the Child Welfare System: Key Findings from a Mixed Methods Study takes a much deeper look at the

CDC Finds Drug Overdoses Increasing By 30 Percent 2016 to 2017

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data last week showing that opioid overdoses went up by 30% from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states. That overall statistic was dwarfed by statistics in the Midwest that showed increases of 70 percent. The CDC released the information through

ASPE Study Documents Substance Use and Child Welfare Caseloads

At the same time that ASPE released the earlier referenced study they also took a closer look at the child welfare caseload and the impact of substance use in a second report, The Relationship Between Substance Use Indicators and Child Welfare Caseloads. This report takes a much deeper look at the data at the county

HELP Committee on Opioid Crisis: Leadership and Innovation in States

Shaquita Ogletree & Macey Shambery The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee held the sixth hearing on the opioid crisis with testimony from Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) and Governor Kate Brown (D-OR) to look at leadership and innovation in the states. Chairman Alexander (R-TN) opened the meeting with the latest statistics from the

Get It Back Campaign Starts to Promote the EITC

Working with the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, CWLA is joining with other organizations to promote the Get It Back Campaign. The Center regularly works on encouraging families and now some individuals to be sure to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The campaign includes this video. The EITC allows lower income

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