It appears now that a tentative date for debate on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secretary Education Act, S 1177 (ESEA/No Child Left behind Act) will be the week of July 7. The Senate is off this week for the July 4th break but key senators from the HELP Committee have been waiting to
On Friday, June 19, 2015, Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced a key bipartisan measure, the Educational Stability of Foster Youth Act. The bill is an attempt to align federal education law with was enacted under child welfare law, Title IV-E in 2008. The bill would: Ensure that children can
On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, the Department of Health and Human Services along with the White House coordinated a convening of states to help address the implementation of last year’s Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act. In announcing the event, the National Convening on Trafficking and Child Welfare , the White House
Senator Wyden is still seeking input on his discussion draft bill. The discussion draft would build on the Administration’s FY 2016 budget request that seeks to expand the use of the foster care “candidacy” category as a methodology to provide home and community based services for children who have not yet been placed into foster
On Tuesday, May 19, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the use of congregate care. The hearing was titled, "No Place to Grow Up: How to Safely Reduce Reliance on Foster Care Group Homes." The hearing focused on the desire to make sure that children do not grow up or stay in
For the second time in four days, on Tuesday, May 19, the White House was the center for a discussion on foster care. This event was framed around the Champions of Change program in which the White House recognized 12 young people who had been in foster care at some point in their lives. The
On Friday morning May 15, the White House sponsored a forum that focused attention on the topic of preventing placement of children in foster care. The discussion included more than 60 individuals representing national organizations (including the Child Welfare League of America), federal officials, state representatives and individuals affected by the child welfare system. Part
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is still seeking input on his draft legislation. On Monday, May 5, Senator Wyden, the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee released a “discussion draft” of legislation that would invest new money into child welfare services through Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. The discussion draft would build on
May is National Foster Care Month and as a result there have been a number of events on and around Capitol Hill focusing attention on child welfare in an effort to highlight issues around out of home care. On Tuesday the Senate Finance Committee will add to the focus by holding a hearing. It will
As part of their efforts and recognition of May as National Foster Care Month, the Children’s Bureau is hosting two webinars in the next two weeks. The first webinar, Supporting Permanency for LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care, was on Thursday, May 14. A second webinar will be on Thursday, May 21, from 2:00 to 3:30
