On December 15, 2023, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released it’s 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates, which is an annual snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing, and in unsheltered settings. The report found more than 650,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night
On November 8, 2023, the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) published a new brief, “Behavioral Health Diagnoses and Treatment Services for Children Involved with the Child Welfare System.“ ASPE found that nationally, more than 40 percent of children involved with the child welfare system -- including children and youth in foster care as
Between November 13 and December 4, 2023, there were six Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) deadlines that were directly related to child welfare. CWLA submitted comments in support of four of the six proposed rules: Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities Safe and Appropriate Placements Requires for
On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, the new Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council (CICC) held its kickoff event in Washington, D.C. The CICC was created to coordinate across federal agencies to reduce child poverty and improve child wellbeing. The agenda included remarks from officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, two panels of experts focusing
On November 15, 2023, the Children’s Bureau released an Information Memorandum (IM) entitled, “Interagency Collaboration between Child Welfare and Educational Agencies to Support the Academic Success of Children and Youth in Foster Care,” to remind state and tribal title IV-E agencies of the school enrollment and educational stability requirements for students in foster care included
On November 16, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new guidance that explains that a person’s health-related social needs (HRSN) are “derived from a person-specific assessment of social determinants of health (SDOH),” and that research has demonstrated that addressing SDOH and meeting HRSN has a positive impact on a person’s health
UnidosUs, along with Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), National Urban League, Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, Coalition on Human Needs, and Protect Our Care, released an issue brief regarding
The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) oversees the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse and sought comments on proposed rule changes and clarifications for the existing standards and procedures for the Handbook of Standards and Procedures 2.0. The notice for comments was posted in the Federal Register, where a
On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration released a statement calling for additional funding for domestic emergency aid priorities, including $16 billion in additional child care funding to address the loss of COVID relief dollars. From the fact sheet: “There are already reports of providers needing to raise parent fees to help cover operating
On October 11, 2023, the Children’s Bureau released a new Program Instruction regarding the new finalized rule that allows states to create a separate licensing standard for relative or kinship foster family homes. This Program Instruction provides instructions for title IV-E agencies that opt to adopt licensing or approval standards for relative or kinship foster
