August 31, 2020 The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released thirteen (13) more Title IV-E Prevention Services programs and services ratings for the Title IV-E Prevention Services in accordance with the Family First Prevention Services Act. These practices include mental health services, substance abuse prevention and treatment services, and in-home parent skill-based programs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, new report found that during June 24-30, 2020, 11 percent of young adults seriously considered suicide. 40 percent of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use during the pandemic, including anxiety/depression systems or trauma or stressor-related disorder symptoms. The CDC's new data included self-reported
At one point last week, Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, dropped a suggestion that maybe an FY 2021 appropriations bill could be attached to a final COVID-19 bill number 5. A final bill would take a lot of consensus on spending levels using the old budget caps. It would seem more
On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released his party’s counter to the House of Representatives HEROES Act. The rest of last week left the impression that Senate Republicans are not sure about the next steps. The HEALS Act, as it has been labeled, is actually eight different bills from different members
There are several priorities CWLA holds for the next package that reach beyond “child welfare” but are critical to families and to future trends for child welfare caseloads. These can be as broad as tax rebates (that need to reach families that adopt, foster parents, kinship care and youth that transition from foster care) but
On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, New York U.S. District Judge George Daniels blocked the Trump Administration's new "public charge" immigration restriction. The Judge's ruling was based on how the Administration's new rule prevents some immigrants access to critical COVID-19 services. Public charge is a test applied to immigrants who the government believes will rely
Last week, Arizona provided a directive to foster parents and relative caregivers that when schools reopen, children in foster care should be attending school. The Department has said they will consider some exceptions. The Arizona Department of Child Safety Director Mike Faust said in a public statement that he reached the decision based on consultation
New research from BMJ.Com (British Medical Journal) published in July provided evidence that state policies that limited the sale of handguns to people aged 18 or older (relative to 21 or older) were associated with an increase in the suicide rate among adolescents aged 18 to 20 years of age. The paper, State handgun purchase age
On Friday, July 31, 2020, the House passed HR 7614 a second “mini-bus” legislative package that included six more appropriations bills. Combined with the previous week’s action that moved four appropriations bills, the House of Representatives has passed ten of twelve appropriations bills. Before moving on this legislative package, House leadership removed funding for the Department
As the end of the week approached, Washington was still waiting for a complete initial package from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on what will be a fifth COVID-19 relief measure. Negotiations that had started within the White House on Monday between the President’s staff and Republican Congressional leaders from the House and Senate