This week, a bipartisan Dear Colleague letter was circulated in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Congressmen Frank Mrvan (D-IN), and Dusty Johnson (R-SD). As the Dear Colleague says: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis led to an increase in the number of children in foster
CWLA and other national and state groups signed a letter calling on the President to make permanent the improvements to the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). The American Rescue Plan (ARP) includes significant, but temporary, improvements to the CTC, the EITC and
On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, President Biden celebrated the 11th anniversary of the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by extending the current open enrollment until August 15, 2021. The announcement extends a special pandemic-related enrollment period that had started on February 15 and was to last until May 15, 2021. It is also an
On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, FosterClub and Juvenile Law Center with Youth Villages provided a second summary of the older youth sections of the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act program instructions and highlighted key areas to support the implementation of the law. This webinar specifically provided the summary and highlights
This is a continuation of last week’s description of the American Rescue Plan Act. The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief measure has a lot in it that directly and indirectly addresses the impact of this year-long pandemic. It addresses many issues that have received increased focus because of this past year’s struggles (racial and regional inequities within the
On Tuesday, March 16, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 485 – Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) by 345-73, and now it heads to the Senate. It proposes robust funding increases for states and local communities to implement strategies and programs that prevent child abuse is critical to strengthen families and protecting
On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, a panel of experts discussed how businesses, nonprofits, and the government could work together to address diaper needs, a growing public health issue. Before the pandemic, 1 in 5 babies lived in poverty, and 1 in 3 families struggled to afford diapers. Now, the pandemic has exacerbated this need which
Child Trends has released the new biennial report on state spending on child welfare, Child Welfare Financing SFY 2018, and it shows little dramatic difference from previous years. Total child welfare agency expenditures increased by 6 percent from SFY 2016 to SFY 2018, but only by 2 percent over the past decade. That may not be
SchoolHouse Connection and National Network for Youth hosted a webinar on Wednesday, March 16, that discussed the American Rescue Plan Act and what it means for children and youth experiencing homelessness. This webinar was meant to think through pieces of this package and how to help children and youth access all the support they can.
On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, the Children’s Bureau released guidance on implementing funds appropriated by The Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act, included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed in December 2020 by Congress. The Program Instruction, ACYF-CB-PI-21-04, provides guidance and instructions for the John H. Chafee Foster Care Programs for Successful Transition to