Protecting Youth & Families

Home Visiting Extended for Five Years

  As part of the CR/budget deal, Congress has finally extended the home visiting or Maternal, Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) for a full five years. It has been a long haul for the home visiting coalition which originally sought a doubling of funding over five years. With the raging budget and health care

New Child Maltreatment Report Shows Continued Increase

  The latest data from HHS through the annual Child Maltreatment report indicates that the number of children substantiated as abused or neglected was 676,000 in 2016 compared to 683,000 in 2015. Consistent with the past several years the vast majority of children were victims of neglect (74.8 percent) compared to physical abuse (18.2 percent)

CHIP Protected From Future Action in This Congress or Administration

  The budget agreement includes a further extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for ten years. The last CR had finally extended the expired CHIP program for six years. That was done because when Congress further restricted the ACA it meant that if CHIP disappeared it would be more costly to the federal

Congress Passes Olympic Athlete Child Abuse Protection Bill

On Tuesday January 30, the Senate gave final approval to a bill to protect Olympic athletes from potential abuse by toughening requirements on the US Olympic Committee and by increasing protection for survivors. The House acted on a modified version of S 534, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act

Immigration Breakthrough or Not?

Last week failed to bring any real clarity to what has now become an immigration debate. Hanging in the balance is the fate of the approximate 780,000 current DACA recipients who will face the full impact of the President’s March 5 deadline eliminating the protections. The Trump Administration and hardliners are insisting on a swap

House Expected to Take Up SSA Bill That Will Protect Foster Youth

On Monday, the House is expected to vote on a bill that makes reforms in oversight of representative payees and others who oversee recipients of Social Security benefits. The legislation H.R. 4547, Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act will change current law so that in instances when a Social Security beneficiary or SSI recipient

Report Cites Progress From Fatality Commission

Two groups have released a new report evaluating the impact of the work of the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF). The report by Within Our Reach and the Children’s Advocacy Institute and funded by Casey Family Programs found dozens of changes in policy and law directly reflecting the recommendations included in

More Voices Demanding Increases in Child Care Funding

The Child Care and Early Learning Coalition received a bipartisan boost on January 19, when two former members of Congress representing both parties and ideologies came together to endorse a call for significant increase in child care funding by asking congressional appropriators to double funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for

Juvenile Justice Coalition Looking for Sign-On to Letter

Shaquita Ogletree The Act 4 JJ Campaign is circulating a letter to Congress urging members to protect children and youth in the justice system and pass the federal juvenile justice bill ---Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act (JJDPA). The law has not been reauthorized since 2002. JJDPA supports efforts across the nation and helps young

They Call Us Monsters Film Highlights Negative Impact of Juvenile Justice

Shaquita Ogletree Last week, Campaign for Youth Justice and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates hosted “They Call Us Monsters” screening to raise awareness and bring to light the incarceration of juveniles. The film follows three young men in a California facility that signs up for a screenwriting class and details their violent crimes, sentencing, and

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