The CLWA recommends Congress extend foster care to age 21 so that every young person in foster care will have an option to stay in care, resulting in improved education, housing, and employment outcomes. In 2008, Congress passed the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (PL 110-351). That law gave states the option
Congress must pass legislation that addresses barriers to mental health care for youth and their families, including maternal mental health care, services and prevention for children and adolescents, Medicaid reform, and bolstering the workforce. Maternal mental health: postpartum depression affects up to 15% of women, and the negative short-and long-term effects on child development are
Title IV-B of the Social Security Act contains a $20 million allotment for child welfare workforce development, with a particular focus on activities designed to increase retention, recruitment, and training of caseworkers to improve monthly visits with families. At a time when caseworker turnover and vacancies are reaching crisis levels, it is necessary to expand
Funded by the New York Community Trust, the aim of NSWM's Policy Fellows Program is to encourage social workers in management to be at the forefront of policy. Social workers should engage proactively with policies that directly affect the individuals, families and communities they serve – either to redress those policies that now produce a
Washington, D.C. – The Child Welfare League of America joins more than three dozen organizations in support of the RISE (Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion) from Trauma Act (S.1770/H.R. 3180). The bipartisan and bicameral bill sponsors are Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Shelly Moore-Capito (R-WV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Representatives Danny Davis
On Friday, April 26, HHS released the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse Handbook of Standards and Procedures, which includes new information related to how the new Title IV-E prevention services allowable under Family First will work. The IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse ratings will be applied to programs and services as meeting the well-supported, supported, or
Adele Robinson has been named to head the new Pizzigati Institute on Advocacy for Children, Youth and Families, at the University of Maryland. The Institute is named for Karabelle Pizzigati, who was Director of Public Policy at CWLA from 1993 to 2000, and a veteran national expert, advocate and mentor on public policies that impact
Please save the date for the upcoming CWLA National Advocacy Summit, April 18, 19, and 20, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. More details to follow soon.
Despite the efforts of former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to clean up the legislative agenda before leaving, it looks as if Congress may be here late into the year. Based on public comments by some members of Congress, the appropriations process could still be a challenge despite the added flexibility provided by the new higher
The CWLA 2015 National Conference starts on Sunday, April 26 with over 60 workshops and additional sessions, presentations, meetings and events beginning the next day. One of the main features will be Tuesday, April 28, Hill Day in which members are asked to go to Capitol Hill to meet their members of Congress to educate