On October 25, 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law held a hearing entitled, “the Human Rights of Foster Children.” In February, following reports that children in the care of Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) have been subjected to abuse and neglect, Subcommittee Chairman Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
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
The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on October 25, 2023, entitled “Exploring Paid Leave: Policy, Practice, and Impact on the Workforce”. Committee Chairman Ron Wyden [D-OR] opened the hearing by talking about how crucial paid leave is to supporting the America workforce. Without it, Americans must decide between caring for loved ones and providing
On October 25, 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing entitled, “Ensuring the Well-Being of Unaccompanied Children, Pt. II,” to examine the efforts of federal agencies to protect migrant children from labor exploitation, human trafficking, and abuse and neglect in foster care. Chairman of the Committee, Senator Dick Durbin [D-IL], delivered the opening statement
The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, held a hearing on October 24, 2023, to examine how the United States government measures poverty. The hearing titled, “How the Biden Administration Plans to Redraw the Poverty Line and Rob Resources from Rural America,” addressed suggestions provided to the government from the National Academy
The Food Research Action Center (FRAC) hosted a webinar on October 25, 2023, entitled “The Pathway for Congress to Pass an Expanded Child Tax Credit”. Alex Ashbrook, the Director of Root Causes and Specific Populations at FRAC, opened the discussion by explaining that one in eight kids struggle with hunger, a jump from one in
The Children’s Bureau hosted a webinar on Thursday, October 19th entitled “Proving Extended Foster Care Works for Young Adults”. Presenters Angie Schwartz, the Deputy Director for the California Department of Social Services and Mark E. Courtney, a CalYOUTH researcher, Co-Director of the Transition Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub, and Professor emeritus at UC Berkeley’s
On October 12, 2023, CWLA submitted comments for the record on the Ways and Means Subcommittee hearing on, “Modernizing Child Welfare to Protect Vulnerable Children.” Our comments explained the history and background of the programs in Title IV-B of the Social Security Act and highlighted a number of key areas of focus for a potential
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar on October 4, 2023, entitled “Ensuring Access to High-Quality, Affordable Care and Education for Low-Income Families”. Panelists Julia Henly from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Yoonsook Ha from Boston University’s School of Social Work, and Gina Adams from
A new Child Trends brief from Drs. Tyreasa Washington and Brittany P. Michalec-Adkins studied children in out of home care (OOHC) and found that children in kinship care performed better academically than children in non-relative foster care. Children placed with kin tend to have better academic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes, and an increased sense
