Youth Services

DACA Yes, No, Maybe

On Wednesday, September 13, the President and Democratic leaders appeared to line up on a deal that would restore protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) children and youth. The initial description indicated the DACA protections would go hand and hand with greater security funding but no wall against Mexico funding. Within hours however

President Threatens Immigration Status Through DACA Repeal

On September 5, the Trump Administration announced the eventual elimination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival or DACA.  The official announcement was delivered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.  It begins another “repeal and replace” debate but this time the President can repeal all on his own. DACA allows an undocumented young person brought into

Congress Returns with Longer List For Fall

Congress is back and the list of priorities have grown due to Hurricane Harvey. That list may have become easier or more difficult because of the need for more disaster relief.  That all remains to be seen.  There are currently 12 working days when both houses are in session before the end of September and

CWLA Status Report on Hurricane Harvey and Relief Efforts

Here at CWLA, we have been in constant communication with our colleagues in Texas and Louisiana as they face the extraordinary challenges brought by Hurricane Harvey. Before implementing any special efforts, we want to find out what, specifically, these colleagues require from us. We will be meeting via conference call with CWLA members in Texas

Dream Act Introduced

The Dream Act of 2017 has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Called the United We Dream Act, it would offer a route to permanent legal status for millions of undocumented immigrant youth. The bill comes as ten Attorneys General sent a letter to Donald Trump

Young People Talk About Current Experiences in Foster Care

On Wednesday, June 7, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, along with Florida-based Camelot Community Care, hosted a discussion, REAL kids, REAL voices, REAL time – Roundtable Discussion by Youth in Foster Care. The discussion focused on the experiences of nine young people in foster care. The hour-long dialogue included question and answers by Tavyla

New Website-Resource Focuses on Youth in Foster Care and Juvenile Justice

Last week, the American Youth Policy Forum unveiled a new web-based resource center called Understanding Foster, Juvenile Justice, and Crossover Youth. The site is part of an effort to educate policy-makers on the needs of foster care, juvenile justice, and crossover youth. The hope is that it will serve as a quick, easy-to-read overview of

Budget Targets Billions In Vital Funding

The Administration released their full 2018 budget on Tuesday, May 23, titled A New Foundation for American Greatness. The good news is that they do not propose converting Title IV-E into a block grant and most of the core discretionary funding for specific child welfare programs is at the same level as 2017.  The bad

Congressman Davis Introduces Bill on Teen Pregnancy and Foster Youth

On Thursday, May 25, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) introduced new legislation that attempts to develop and promote strategies to reduce the rate of teen and unplanned pregnancies within the foster care population. The legislation, which has been endorsed by CWLA, is called the Supporting Foster Youth in Successful Parenting Act of 2017, would direct states

Budget Cuts Funding for Evidence-Based Teen Pregnancy Reduction

The new Davis bill addressing an important need comes on the heels of an Administration budget that cuts a key program that promotes evidence-based teen pregnancy reduction programs. The budget includes the elimination of the evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program, currently funded at $101 million. Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent

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