Last week resulted in an initial agreement between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators on an infrastructure bill while Congressional Democrats focused on what should be included in a fall reconciliation bill. On Thursday, June 24, 2021, a group of Democratic and Republican senators gathered at the White House along with the President to
On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the Department of Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), published a notice soliciting grants from Indian Organizations to establish and operate off-reservation Indian child and family service programs. Indian child and family service programs are to provide services for stabilizing Indian families and Tribes, preventing the breakup of Indian
The Administration announced the release of $20 million in COVID-19 relief funds for states to make improvements to their ACA marketplace systems. State-based Marketplaces (SBMs) allow potential health insurance customers to buy or make adjustments to their current health insurance. The March COVID-19 relief package expanded tax credits that have the effect of drastically reducing
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) hosted a conversation this week entitled How to Keep Young People of Color Safe Through Mobile Response. Experts from Connecticut and Oklahoma discussed the success of mobile response services in their state. The panelists underscored that mobile response services are an investment in de-criminalizing mental health, and a powerful
Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2021 Kids Count Data Book. This annual report with state rankings presents a comprehensive picture of child well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies multi-year trends — comparing statistics from 2010 to 2019. In addition, the report shares data on how families endured throughout the
Help us spread the word about the largest child tax credit ever and learn more at ChildTaxCredit.gov. The Child Tax Credit, part of the American Rescue Plan, is here to help families raising children make ends meet. Experts estimate the new Child Tax Credit has the potential to cut child poverty in half. We need
In the federal fiscal year 2020, only 39 percent of children in foster care were covered by federal Title IV-E foster care funding. For the first time, the percentage of children not eligible for Title IV-E foster care exceeds 60 percent. That also means that Title IV-E administrative costs and services do not extend to more than
In a complex unanimous decision in the Philadelphia V Fulton case, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Catholic Charities’ ability to continue to receive funding through the City of Philadelphia for child welfare services. The opinion that gathered all nine justices in varied configurations would appear to apply mainly to the specific circumstances in that contract and city.
On May 12, 2021, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support held a hearing on "Making a Difference for Families and Foster Youth." The hearing was intended as a review of potential updates and changes to the two Title IV-B programs for reauthorization later this year. CWLA submitted testimony for the record
The nonprofit, Understood, that focuses on programs for families, educators, and young adults to better address learning and workplace disabilities released a survey last week that indicates that in the remote learning environment, nearly three-quarters (72%) of parents have become aware or noticed their children (with learning and thinking differences) have fallen behind during the