On February 14th, 2023, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (88 FR 9411) proposing to amend federal regulations to allow title IV-E agencies to adopt separate licensing or approval standards for relative or kinship foster family homes. “The Administration for Children and Families
On February 16th, 2023, President Biden signed an Executive Order to support the advancement of racial equity and service to underserved communities, specifically in federal agencies. Ambassador Susan Rice, White House Domestic Policy Advisor, and Shalanda Young, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, hosted a briefing on the content of the
On February 16, 2023, SAMHSA held a virtual round table discussion focused upon behavioral health disparities within the Black community. Moderated by Brandon Johnson, several guest speakers spoke about their personal experiences and subsequent work in reducing the stigma and taboo associated with receiving therapy in Black communities. This problem is urgent, as the Black
On February 16th, 2023, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) hosted a webinar titled, “Mitigating Safety and Risk for Children Affected by Parental Substance Use Disorders Involved in the Child Welfare System.” The event aimed to spread awareness of the challenges and opportunities for helping parents with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).
On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union urging Congress to enact his policies, many of these priorities will soon be outlined in CWLA’s 118th Congress Legislative Agenda. I’d like to expand on a few of the alignments here. President Biden urged Congress to restore and expand the Child
On February 9, 2023, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2021. This year’s report, which covers the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals that of the nationally estimated 3,016,000 children who were the subject of a child welfare agency response in FY 2021, 600,000 children (estimated) were
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) recently released a report, “Substance Use Disorder in Pregnancy: Improving Outcomes for Families,” which details the Administration’s plan to improve access to effective treatment for people who are pregnant and have substance use disorders, support families and prevent unnecessary foster care placements, and make better use of
On January 27, 2023, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) hosted a national briefing to provide awareness regarding resources to assist states, organizations, and child welfare workers in responding to concerns of child trafficking. The briefing reviewed the Information Memorandum released on December 1, 2022 by the ACF in preparation for National Human Trafficking
On January 18th, 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a statement to recognized the expansion of access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD). The 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law by President Biden on December 29, 2022, expands access to medication for opioid use disorder. The legislation removes
On January 12th, 2023, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) released a brief regarding childcare and early education (CCEE). They describe how the use of geographic maps could help lead to understanding local and community context regarding support when making decisions around improving access to the Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG).
