Placement & Permanency

Kinship Care Supports Children’s Academic Performance

A new Child Trends brief from Drs. Tyreasa Washington and Brittany P. Michalec-Adkins studied children in out of home care (OOHC) and found that children in kinship care performed better academically than children in non-relative foster care. Children placed with kin tend to have better academic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes, and an increased sense

Child Welfare Hearing on Title IV-B Reauthorization

On Thursday, September 28, 2023, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee held a hearing about Title IV-B of the Social Security Act entitled, “Modernizing Child Welfare to Protect Vulnerable Children.” Title IV-B is a small but important source of funding for child welfare agencies and community-based organizations, and it is due to be reauthorized this

New Regulations Supporting Children and Families in Foster Care

On Thursday, September 28, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions to support children and families in foster care. These actions include releasing three regulations to strengthen services and supports for children and families in the child welfare system. Final Rule: Support kinship caregivers – family members and loved ones who step forward to care

Keeping Youth at the Center of Kinship Care

The Capacity Building Center for States hosted a webinar on September 13th entitled “Keeping Youth at the Center of Kinship Care Practice: Prioritizing Relationships, Community, and Culture”. They brought together three different presenting groups from California, Connecticut, and Alaska to talk about the benefits of kinship care and the different navigator programs that they have

QRTP/IMD Compromise Moves Forward in House

On July 19, 2023, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup of fifteen health bills for the SUPPORT Act Reauthorization. H.R. 4056, the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act, was not fully included, but compromise language on this bill was added as an amendment in the nature of substitute

SUPPORT Act Markup Includes QRTP/IMD Bill

On July 13, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a markup of seventeen bills, including H.R. 4056, the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act. This legislation would exempt Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) from the institutions for mental disease (IMD) exclusion in Medicaid. If this bill were

SUPPORT Act Hearing on Substance Use Legislation

On June 21, 2023, the House Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee held a legislative hearing entitled “Responding to America’s Overdose Crisis: An Examination of Legislation to Build Upon the SUPPORT Act” to evaluate how the Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act has worked

Poverty & Youth with Foster Care History

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published an issue (Vol. 39, No. 1) titled "Youth with Foster Care Histories: Emancipation and Well-Being" in June 2023. The issue explores the complexities of foster care and addresses key areas related to the well-being of youth with foster care histories. The issue acknowledges

Supreme Court Upholds ICWA

On June 14, 2023, the Supreme Court released a decision in Haaland v. Brackeen, upholding the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in a 7-2 decision. ICWA was adopted by Congress in 1978 because of an abusive history by the US government that frequently resulted in the placement of Indian children in boarding

June is Reunification Month: Webinar

In celebration of National Reunification Month, the American Bar Association hosted a free informational webinar titled “What Child Welfare Agencies Can Do to Support Reunification Parent Partnerships and Reunification Practices” on June 7, 2023. The Oregon and Georgia Departments of Human Services shared steps their organizations have taken to best support children and families in

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