Fostering Youth Transitions 2023

The Annie E. Casey Foundation released a new data brief, “Fostering Youth Transitions 2023: State and National Data to Drive Foster Care Advocacy,” on May 8, 2023. The brief examines the experiences of teenagers and young adults in foster care as reported by all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The brief

Do Education and Training Vouchers Make a Difference?

The Urban Institute hosted a webinar on March 7, 2023, that reviewed their recent research report on Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs). The report highlights the various barriers that prevent youth in foster care from attending higher education and ultimately had a sample inclusion of over 125,000 young people (ages 16 and above) in foster

Foster Youth and Driving Act Reintroduced

On March 8th, 2023, House Ways and Means Work & Welfare Ranking Member Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Co-chair Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) re-introduced the Foster Youth and Driving Act, legislation that would increase the economic and social independence of youth in care by helping them obtain their driver’s licenses.

Requesting Unspent Chafee and ETV Funds for FY23

States, territories, and tribes have the option to request federal Chafee and Education and Training Voucher (ETV) funds that were not spent in other states. The funds that are potentially available for reallotment for FY 2023 are funds that were initially allocated in FY 2021, which includes unspent Division X funds. It is likely that

Learn, Listen, Lead: The Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth

On February 1, 2023, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (CCFY) co-hosted with the National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI), Youth Villages, and iFoster a “Learn, Listen, Lead” event at the U.S. Capital. The program included introductions and remarks from caucus chairs and a panel discussion on priorities and legislative agendas for the 118th Congress. Representative

Better Support for Young Adults Transitioning out of Foster Care

The Urban Institute released “Four Ways to Better Support Young Adults Transitioning out of Foster Care” on January 26, 2023. The article examines the intent and outcomes of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, known as Chafee, which was signed into law in 1999 and provides support to assist

Bill Providing Medicaid Coverage for Youth Formerly in Foster Care Takes Effect

The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (or SUPPORT Act), passed in 2018, included a provision titled “Coverage Continuity for Former Foster Care Children Up to Age 26,” on page 10, which took effect on January 1st, 2023. This important provision requires states to cover youth under

CWLA Webinar: SOAR Program Assists Children with Benefits Applications

CWLA hosted a seminar featuring the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) sponsored SOAR for Children Program on Thursday, October 13th. The aim of the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) program is to streamline and speed up SSI/SSDI applications to assist those in need of the funds. The program certifies direct practitioners

Senate Companion for Foster Youth and Driving Act Introduced

On October 3rd, Senators Hassan (D-NH), and Young (R-IN) introduced the bipartisan Senate companion bill to the Foster Youth and Driving Act, originally introduced in the House by Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE). The Senate companion bill makes no changes to the House bill. As previously covered, H.R. 7932 Foster

Home Visiting Reauthorization Regains Momentum

For the past few weeks, advocates for home visiting programs have been working with the House Ways and Means Committee staff to make progress on reauthorizing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, which expires on September 30th, 2022. On Wednesday, September 14th, the Ways and Means Committee indicated that they had

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