Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced H.R. 6156 this week that renews the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to approve demonstration projects designated to identify and address better outcomes for children who are in a state’s child welfare system. The language of the bill adds language related to projects that “provide early intervention and crisis intervention services that safely reduce out of home placements and improves outcomes for children.” The waiver authority expired in March 2006 and has not been available to states since then. Florida and California were the last states to receive approval from the Administration of Children and Families to adopt a system of care for the child welfare systems that were outside of the regulations set forth through Title IV-B and Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.  In late August Secretary George Sheldon of Florida’s Department of Children and Families testified before the Ways and Means Committee on the success of the Title IV-E waiver on placements into the foster care system. Since the beginning of the waiver in October 2006, Florida has reduced out of home placements by 37 percent.  The new authority, if approved, will be from 2011 through 2016, giving states new opportunities to test hypotheses related to the system of care that are hampered by strict regulations related to Title IV-E eligibility and spending. The legislation has strong support from the Senate as well and is expected to be passed.

About Kay Casey

Kay Casey has over 20 years of experience in federal and state child welfare policy and programs, having worked for the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Florida Department of Children and Families prior to joining PCG. She is responsible for the review and assessment of fiscal processing systems that impact a state’s ability to identify, document, and report expenditures for federal reporting purposes accompanied with the programmatic impact on the state’s system of care.

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