The adoption incentive was created by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) in 1997 and was expanded to some kinship placements because of the 2014 reauthorization. States are awarded if they increase adoptions from foster care over the previous year. That incentive also includes now increased placements into Title IV-E kinship placements. The last
The Family First Act made it into the CR/budget agreement after the House inserted it in their slimmed down CR proposal. The Senate picked up the package. It is close to the version that had been considered in late 2016 with some additional behind the scenes modifications added into the final version. It includes the
On Wednesday, January 31, the Brookings Institution was the location for the 2018 CHAMPS kick off. Last December the coalition sponsored a briefing on Capitol Hill. CHAMPS – children need amazing parents is a campaign that promotes the need for state and local agencies to establish a new partnership between foster parents and child welfare
Recently one of our members passed along this 2017 article based on the experiences of child protection workers in one overburdened county in Ohio—one of those areas overwhelmed by the spread of opioids. ‘It’s just horrific’: caseworkers break their silence to reveal toll of addiction on children Read the article by The Guardian, and understand
On Monday, December 4, the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign was launched to promote best interests of all children in foster and adoption systems. The campaign is headed up by the Family Equality Council and includes a coalition of nearly two dozen founding organizations including the Child Welfare League of America. The goal of
On Saturday, December 3, the Senate gave final approval to their tax package by a vote of 51 to 49. It now will be negotiated with the House. The tax legislation being considered by Congress would not only have major implications for a range of issues and families reliant on the current tax structure but
On Thursday, November 30, HHS released the latest data on child welfare and it now shows that there are 437,465 children in foster care as of September 30, 2016. This is the fifth straight year of increases going from 396,966 in 2012 to 437,465 in 2016. Likely the 2017 numbers are even higher. That is
Last week’s Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released similar bills to extend the Court Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP is part of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program. It provides approximately $30 million a year to all fifty states through their state court systems to better link and educate judges
On Wednesday, November 15, CWLA partner organization Voice for Adoption, hosted their 13th annual Adoptive Family Portrait Project. November is national adoption month and the project is a way to highlight adoptions from foster care. Members of Congress are recruited to display and feature families from their state or district. An adoptive family’s photo is
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved their tax bill (HR 1) by a vote of 24-16 while the Senate unveiled the outline of their version of tax reform. After various changes the House bill preserved the Adoption Tax Credit while the Senate bill also retains the credit in their version. Aside from
