Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 10. May 2013 04:24
On May 9, 2013, the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing to hear how federal rules and regulations often keep children in the foster care system from enjoying their youthful life. The opening comments by Chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA) highlighted the recent legislative changes that have attempted to improve the education success of foster youth, while ensuring that their health and education needs are met. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 29. March 2013 08:54
On March 21, 2013 the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute held a roundtable discussion on foster care and adoption legislative and policy priorities for the 113th Congress. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) described two priorities: 1) to convince the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure youth in foster care will be eligible for Medicaid coverage up to age 26 even when moving from state to state, and 2) passing legislation that will provide training for child welfare workers on issues involving sex trafficking of youth in foster care. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 1. March 2013 06:01
Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA) held a hearing on February 27, 2013 on increasing adoption from foster care through the Adoption Incentives program and other federal initiatives. Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 reauthorized the Adoption Incentive program through September 2013, which provides additional funding to states that exceed their baseline in the number of adoptions in a specific year. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 26. October 2012 05:18
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has compiled its first report from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). The database was authorized in Public Law 106-169 - the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP), which provided states with flexible funding to carry out programs that assist youth in making the transition from foster care to self-sufficiency. The legislation required ACF to develop a data collection system to track the independent living services states provide to youth and develop outcome measures that may be used to assess states' performance in operating their independent living programs. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 3. August 2012 06:18
Reporting System (AFCARS) data report, showing that there were 400,540 children in foster care as of September 30, 2011. The number is down from 406,412 in 2010. The number dropped for the sixth straight year, demonstrating the power of reforms and evidence-based practices, even amid economic upheaval in state agencies. The drop of almost 25% of the out-of-home care population since 2002 can be attributed to changes in policies and practices throughout state and county child welfare agencies. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 18. June 2012 09:50
Children’s Rights is a national advocacy group that has worked to bring change to struggling child welfare systems in more than a dozen states. The non-profit currently has class-action lawsuits active in three states related to the child welfare reform. Children’s Rights has launched a Facebook application (app) that provides the public with an interactive, social experience that is aimed at increasing awareness about the challenges and outcomes facing children in the foster care system. “Trapped: Fighting the Odds of U.S. Foster Care” allows users to track two fictitious brothers as they make their way through the child welfare system and age out of foster care with extremely different outcomes. [More]
Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 8. June 2012 09:39
On May 31, 2012, a bill was introduced in Congress that proposes to allow greater access to the education records of students in foster care. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), with limited exceptions, prohibits local education agencies (LEA) from disclosing personally identifiable information (PII) maintained in a student’s education records without first obtaining written consent from the parent or eligible student. H.R. 5871, nick-named the A+ Plus Act, would add a new exception to FERPA’s consent requirement; consent would not be required for the LEA to disclose PII to a state or local child welfare agency or tribal organization when such agency or organization has responsibility for the student’s placement and care. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 11. May 2012 08:45
Just a couple of weeks following the release of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Information Memorandums on Improving Child Well-Being and Outcomes, the Ninth Circuit of Appeals ruled in support of a child welfare agency’s responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of children in agency’s care. The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) won a major victory on May 4, 2012 on behalf of foster children in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a lower court’s dismissal of the foster care reform case brought by NCYL on behalf of Clark County's abused and neglected children, ruling that these children have a constitutional right to safety and adequate medical care. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 15. December 2011 09:32
On December 9, 2011, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released Program Instructions (ACYF-CB-PI-11-09) on changes to the Title IV-E state plan as part of Public Law 112-34. The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act of 2011 amends case plan and case review system requirements and the Adoption Assistance Program reinvestment requirements and requires Title IV-E state plan changes. States were provided with a state plan pre-print that must be completed by January 31, 2012, but the changes have an effective date back to October 1, 2011. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 11. November 2011 04:54
On November 3, Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) introduced legislation H.R. 3333 that would amend Title IV-E and require states to help alien children in the child welfare system apply for all available forms of immigration relief. Rep. Stark’s presentation to the House of Representatives provided the historical perspective of why this legislation is necessary. When children are brought into the child protection system as illegal immigrants, the status of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is available to a child in foster care who is under the age of 21 and cannot safely return to his or her family or return to country of origin. [More]
