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LEGISLATIVE ALERT
© Child Welfare League of America. The content of these publications may not be reproduced in any way, including posting on the Internet, without the permission of CWLA. For permission to use material from CWLA's website or publications, contact us using our website assistance form.
July 30, 2004
Immediate Action Needed!
Urge Congress to make Significant Improvements to New Child Welfare Financing Bill
On July 19, I sent you a LEGISLATIVE UDPATE
© Child Welfare League of America. The content of these publications may not be reproduced in any way, including posting on the Internet, without the permission of CWLA. For permission to use material from CWLA's website or publications, contact us using our website assistance form.
sharing with you
CWLA's testimony presented to the House Ways and Means Human
Resources Subcommittee at a hearing focused on child welfare
financing reform proposals. Just a few days following that
hearing, Representatives Herger (R-CA), Camp (R-MI), Cantor
(R-VA), DeLay (R-TX), Johnson (R-CT), and Lewis (R-KY),
introduced the Child Safety, Adoption, and Family Enhancement
(Child SAFE) Act, H.R. 4856.
The proponents of the bill seek to reduce the number of children
in foster care. The bill attempts to accomplish this by
incorporating a version of the Bush Administration's foster care
block grant proposal with some of the recommendations of the Pew
Commission on Children in Foster Care. As introduced, however,
the bill fails to guarantee the safety and services that abused
and neglected children need.
A detailed summary of the bill can be found on CWLA's website at:
 www.cwla.org/advocacy/childsafeactsummary.htm.
A summary of CWLA's concerns about the bill can be found at:
www.cwla.org/advocacy/childsafeactconcerns.htm.
Your U.S. Representative needs to hear from you that the bill as
introduced is unacceptable and needs to be substantially
improved. Together, we can build bipartisan support for the
comprehensive child welfare reforms that America's vulnerable
children and families need.
ACTION REQUIRED:
- Call your U.S. Representative. Congress is in recess until
Labor Day. You can reach your Representative in your home state
at his/her District offices. To find information about how to
contact your Representative through a District office, access
your Representative's website at www.house.gov.
- Write to your U.S. Representative regarding your concerns
about the Child SAFE Act, H.R. 4856, and about the improvements
needed. A sample letter is available through our online letter
writing system by clicking on "CWLA Kids' Advocate Online" at
www.cwla.org/advocacy.
MESSAGE:
Tell your U.S. Representative that the Child SAFE Act (H.R. 4856)
is UNACCEPTABLE as introduced, and needs to be substantially
improved. Ask him/her to contact Representative Herger and the
other sponsors of the legislation about the shortcomings of H.R.
4856.
At a minimum, H.R. 4856 should be amended to:
- Preserve uncapped funding for Title IV-E foster care
maintenance payments. Children who need foster care must have
guaranteed access to it. There are more effective ways to reduce
the need for foster care than capping the federal funding
available to support it.
- Guarantee significantly increased resources to provide a
broad range of services that would reduce the need for foster
care. These services should include prevention, specialized
substance abuse and mental health treatment, and post-permanency
services to support children and strengthen families according to
their individualized needs.
- Expand federal support for subsidized guardianships. States
should be permitted to use federal Title IV-E funds to provide
subsidies for children who have been in foster care with
relatives who have obtained legal guardianship and are committed
to caring for the children.
- Guarantee necessary resources to enhance the capacity and
quality of the child welfare workforce. Highly trained
caseworkers, who have manageable caseloads and effective,
supportive supervision, are critical to addressing the special
needs of the children and families who come to the attention of
the child welfare system.
- Strengthen the accountability of the child welfare system for
achieving positive outcomes for children. There is a need for
better data about what happens to children from the time they
initially come into contact with the child welfare system until
the time they are safely in a permanent home. More information is
also needed about how federal funds are being spent for various
types of services so that spending can be tied to achieving
positive outcomes for children.
For more information, contact Liz Meitner, CWLA Vice President of
Government Affairs, at emeitner@cwla.org or 202/942-0257.
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