On April 27, 2023, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Representative Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) introduced the bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act. According to Representative Khanna’s press release, “this bipartisan, bicameral bill would provide greater oversight and data transparency for institutional youth treatment
CWLA submitted a public comment in the Federal Register in support of the proposed rule that would allow Title IV-E agencies to adopt separate licensing requirements for kinship family caregivers. "The proposed changes will remove barriers for children to be cared for by their relatives and kin and will decrease burdens on the child welfare
On March 8th, 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on Kinship Navigator programs titled, “HHS Is Taking Steps to Help States Support Relative Caregivers with Evidence-Based Programs.” This report was requested in 2019 by then-Chairman of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Danny Davis (D-IL) and then-Ranking Member late-Representative Jackie Walorski
On February 14th, 2023, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (88 FR 9411) proposing to amend federal regulations to allow title IV-E agencies to adopt separate licensing or approval standards for relative or kinship foster family homes. “The Administration for Children and Families
The Quality Improvement Center (QIC) on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency recently released a new publication regarding the ways children and youth can be engaged in child welfare proceedings. Below are tools that courts can use to authentically and directly engage with children to best determine what they want and what options will work best
On December 15th the CHAMPS (Children Need Amazing Parents) initiative held a discussion concerning the conclusion of the five-year program which began in 2017. Hope Cooper facilitated a final informational session discussing findings and lessons learned during the program. Jeremy Kohomban (President and CEO of Children’s Village and Co-chair of CHAMPS) stated that CHAMPS had
On Wednesday, December 13th, 2022, Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and Danny Davis (D-IL), Chair of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee on Ways and Means, introduced the Fostering Secure Family Partnerships Act, a bill to increase federal funding for state Kinship Navigator Programs — which provide caregivers with information, education, and referrals to a wide
This year's National Adoption Month theme is "Small Steps Open Doors." It means that making small efforts, like telling a young person you believe in them or asking what's important to them, could lead to big changes. With burnout and turnover at record levels, workers should know that time-intensive, difficult interventions aren’t the only way
On November 2nd, 2022, Generations United released its 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report, titled, “Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies.” Created in collaboration with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), this year’s report takes a deeper look at food insecurity and the lack of supports among intergenerational kinship
On Wednesday, July 30, 2022, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption institute (CCAI) held their annual Foster Youth Internship Program Congressional Briefing webinar. The FYI program serves as a platform to uplift the voices of current and former foster youth in federal policy to engage and educate Members of Congress on the issues of foster care
