On Monday, April 18, CWLA members focused on the National Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. Dr. David Sanders Ph.D., Chairman of the Commission, Executive Vice President, Casey Family Programs, presented some of the key findings and recommendations of the recently-released commission report. After Dr Sanders’ power-point presentation, discussion began with panel comments
On Thursday, April 7, 2016, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published an add-on in proposed regulations to last year’s (February 9, 2015) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) The original notice, and still under evaluation, are regulations that would modify the requirements
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.
On Tuesday, February 23 the National Council of Juvenile Family Court judges sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing to highlight juvenile justice issues. The briefing included a panel discussion that was led by Dr. Sean Marsh from the Council and he was joined by four judges: Judge Karen Adams, AZ, Judge Deborah Schumacher, NV, Judge Richard
On August 11, HHS issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on state child welfare information systems. Under the NPRM, HHS proposes to revise the regulations for the Statewide and Tribal Automated Child Welfare Information System—sometimes referred to as SACWIS. SACWIS, extended in 2012 to cover tribes, is the information system and technology that
The Coalition on Juvenile Justice and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute have published a new brief paper, "American Indian/Alaska Native Youth & Status Offense Disparities: A Call For Tribal Initiatives, Coordination & Federal Funding." The paper examines the overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaskan Native youth in the nation’s juvenile justice system. The research indicates that
On Friday morning May 15, the White House sponsored a forum that focused attention on the topic of preventing placement of children in foster care. The discussion included more than 60 individuals representing national organizations (including the Child Welfare League of America), federal officials, state representatives and individuals affected by the child welfare system. Part
ACF has followed the recent request for comments on revised AFCARS data reporting with a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on additional (Indian Child Welfare Act) ICWA-Related Data Elements. On April 2 the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a notice of intent to publish a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) related to
On February 25 the Bureau of Indian affairs in the Interior Department issued new guidelines and regulations regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The guidelines are the first update since 1979 shortly after the law was enacted by Congress. These updated guidelines are intended to provide procedures and best practices for use in Indian
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