JohnS

About John Sciamanna

John Sciamanna is CWLA's Vice President of Public Policy.

Outcomes Data Highlights Need To Focus Reunification On 12 and Older

The new annual HHS Child Welfare Outcomes report 2010 through 2013 has been released and the summary continues to highlight a greater focus on youth coming into care at 12 or older as an area that could be strengthened.  In short they said: “Moderate correlations were found between the measure of reentry into foster care

Adoption Incentive Funding Growing Shortfall

Last October, when HHS awarded the annual adoption incentives, now renamed the Adoption and Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments Program, the awards were much less than the fifty states had earned. The awards now based on adoptions and kinship placement increases that took place in federal fiscal year 2014 (FY ’14) were funded from FY 2015. 

Promoting Safe and Stable Families Court Funding Problem

The Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) is a combination of funding streams for different but related services. Like Title IV-B part 1, Child Welfare Services (CWS), PSSF was reauthorized in 2014 as part of the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act. In FY 2017, the President is requesting PSSF funding at the

New Budget Recognizes Child Welfare Workforce and Other Priorities

President Obama released his final budget for fiscal year 2017 last Tuesday. While the politics of this year and the President’s lame-duck status makes this a difficult budget to adopt there are some key proposals that can build on a vision for reforms and changes for child welfare.  It also offers the potential for some

The Child Welfare Workforce Proposal

The Administration included in the budget a new strategy to expand and strengthen the child welfare workforce. The budget request would amend Title IV-E foster care and adoption assistance law to expand state access to current training funds. Currently states can receive a 75 percent match on state dollars spent on worker training. This funding,

Substance Abuse Regional Partnerships

The Administration is proposing that, as part of the need to reauthorize the Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) program, (title IV-B part 2) that the set-aside that targets drug treatment be increased from $20 million to $60 million a year. The drug treatment funding was created as part of the 2006 reauthorization of the

Groups Seeking Support For Flint

More than 35 groups, including CWLA, signed onto a letter circulated by the Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) calling on Senate leaders to move legislation that would provide emergency financial assistance to address the lead poisoning crisis now confronting Flint, Michigan. Michigan’s senators are attempting to get the money to help address the lead poising

Appropriations On Small Child Welfare, CAPTA Programs Level Funded

Key child welfare programs including those that are authorized or are a part of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) were all flat funded for 2017. State grants would remain at $25 million a year.  Discretionary funding would receive an $11 million boost to $44 million but as just in last year’s budget

Other Child Welfare Reforms Carried in Budget

The Administration carries over earlier child welfare reform measures submitted in the past few years. These include an ACF-CMS Demonstration Projects to address over use of Psychotropic Medication in the treatment of foster children. The proposal envisions for each of the next five years, $50 million a year through ACF matched by $100 million a

Tribal Help In Budget

The Administration proposes several assists to tribal governments and consortia intended to build child welfare capacity in a number of ways. In addition to the continuing $3 million in technical assistance for tribes attempting to take over the Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs, the Administration adds in three additional supports. Under Title

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