Administration

Leaked: Administration Plans to Request Massive Cuts to HHS

On April 16th, 2025, the press reported that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to propose massive cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget in the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request, according to a leaked draft. The document, called a “passback,” has not been finalized and

HHS Restructuring Hits ACF Hard

Two weeks ago, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kennedy announced that HHS was being restructured, laying out a vague framework with little detail available. On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, the plan came into somewhat clearer focus as HHS began its reduction in force (RIF) procedure and started laying off nearly 10,000 HHS staff.

Trump Administration Resumes Family Detention, Holds Families in Texas Facility

Last week, news broke that the Trump Administration resumed family detention of immigrants in a South Texas facility. The practice of family detention was largely halted, but not abolished, during the Biden administration. Children Thrive Action Network, of which CWLA is a member, released a statement condemning this development. From the statement: “This action is

Child Maltreatment 2023 Report

On January 8, 2025, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2023. This year’s report shows a continued decrease in child maltreatment; it reveals that of the nationally estimated 3,081,715 children who were the subject of a child welfare agency response in FY 2023, 546,159 children were determined to

Biden Administration: Final Publications

In the last weeks of the Biden Administration, Executive offices pushed out numerous new rules, policies, and information memoranda. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released the following: Best Practices for Serving Young People Transitioning From Foster Care This Information Memorandum (IM) provides information on best practices for providing quality programs and services to

Intersection of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

Evident Change and the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab at Drexel University are proud to share “At the Intersection of Child Welfare and Juvenile Legal System Involvement: Research Strategies for Policy and Practice Change.” This paper outlines a research agenda to address needs and challenges faced by dual-system youth, or those who are involved

ABA Publishes Review of State Implementation of Guidance on IV-E/IV-D

On May 7, 2024, the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law published a review of state implementation of Federal guidance on the collection of child support from families involved in Title IV-E foster care. On July 29th, 2022, the Children’s Bureau released a Dear Colleague letter highlighting a new question and answer

Annual Report to Congress on State Child Welfare Expenditures Published

On April 22, 2024, the Children’s Bureau published the annual report to Congress detailing Title IV-B spending. This report to Congress provides national totals of planned spending by service category for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services program and planned and actual spending by service category for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program.

Administration Publishes Several Final Rules

The Biden Administration has published a number of new regulations in the past few weeks, moving at a very quick pace. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to disapprove of a final rule, but the resolution must be introduced within a specific time frame: during a 60-days-of-continuous-session period beginning on the day Congress receives the

Information Memorandum on Child Welfare-Family Violence Partnerships

The Children’s Bureau (CB) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Children and Families (ACF) and the ACF Office on Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) issued Information Memorandum (IM) ACYF-CB-IM-24-03 on April 25, 2024, on Supporting Families Impacted by Domestic Violence: Opportunities to Partner with Families to Promote Family Violence

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