On Tuesday, May 12, HHS published final rule for the updated Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) regulations and requirements. AFCARS data reported by states annually helps to build a profile of the “child welfare” population by producing annual numbers on children in out-of-home (foster) care, adoptions and youth aging out to
On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, Members of Congress and Congressional staff were invited to attend a short virtual briefing hosted by Youth Villages, Juvenile Law Center, and FosterClub on how COVID-19 is affecting older youth from foster care. FosterClub revealed results from their new survey where over 600 transition-age youth from foster care between 18
On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) unveiled the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, the next major coronavirus relief bill. The legislation provisions related to former foster youth and other vulnerable youth populations includes the following emergency assistance: • $50 million for the John H. Chafee Foster
Last Wednesday, May 13, 2020, was the deadline to file amici briefs at the U.S. Supreme Court on the case of The State of California, ET AL. v. The State of Texas, ET AL., a Supreme Court case that could strike down the entire ACA before this year’s election. Several dozen briefs were filed led
CWLA is pleased to share with you a video diary special in collaboration with CBS News on COVID-19's impact to the child welfare and human services field. The video diary highlighted the significant role that child welfare workers play. Please take the time to view this nine-minute video diary of some of the dedicated child
On Tuesday, May 5, the Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and the Secretary of Interior David L. Bernhardt announced how billions of dollars in Coronavirus Relief Fund money will be distributed to Native American tribal governments throughout the country. The CARES Act, which passed on March 25, included a set aside of $8 billion for tribal governments
The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research released preliminary results of the online survey, “The Experiences of Foster Youth During COVID19” that was conducted in April 2020. Responses from over 200 young people spanning 32 states and the District of Columbia highlighted the economic and social needs of a vulnerable population during the
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, Senator Ron Wyden introduced the Invest in Child Safety Act. The legislation, which CWLA has endorsed, attempts to deal with the child sexual abuse problem that has exploded as the use of the internet and related social media have expanded over the past decade. It creates an office to enforce and protect
On Thursday, May 7, 2020, the National Center for Victims of Crime (“NCVC”), the National Children’s Alliance (“NCA”), and the Child Welfare League of America (“CWLA”) sent a letter to the nation’s governors asking for them to focus attention on the need to address child sexual abuse. While there has been some attention to the concern that
On Wednesday, May 6, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Representative Kim Schrier (D-WA), and colleagues introduced the Emergency Funding for Child Protection Act that would bolster efforts by child protective services and non-profits to prevent abuse. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) provides funding to states to improve child protective services and funds community-based