On February 28, 2022, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) by taking up the Brackeen v. Haaland. The case is a ruling by the full Federal U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The Appeals Court ruling was a mixed ruling on the legality
On Thursday, February 4, 2022, HHS held a session on their new Racial Equity initiative. Debra Johnson the Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs at HHS started the call by advocating for the nation to build a more just system that promotes fairness. She also outlines her agency's commitment to advancing racial equity. The next
Save the date for February 3, 2022, 2:00 PM EST, for a live event by the Children’s Bureau when they release an information memorandum (IM) “Equity in Action.” The IM covers: The impact of racism on poverty and the well-being of children and families. The need for comprehensive action to address structural racism within policies
The Prevention Services Clearinghouse, created under the Family First Act, has issued a new call for additional recommendations. As noted in the announcement the call is an opportunity for the public to recommend mental health, substance abuse, in-home parent skill-based, and kinship navigator programs and services for systematic review. Additional public calls for recommendations will
The House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act reconciliation bill (HR 5376) on Friday, November 19, 2021, after a week of waiting. The waiting was driven by the need for a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) “score” or estimation of costs and savings. That score came back on Thursday at the expected $1.7 trillion.
When Congress completed work on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act they passed a major highway and road construction bill but there are important ‘human service” components that go beyond just the potential jobs created. The most significant human service need are the new provisions on drinking water, particularly with the removal of lead but
On Monday, November 1, 2021, the Child Welfare League of America submitted its recommendations to the Senate Finance Committee on how the Committee and country can make critical changes to the nation’s mental health and substance use treatment systems. The Committee had asked the behavioral health community and other parties to submit recommendation to the
On Tuesday, August 10, 2021, the Children’s Bureau Associate Commissioner Aysha Schomburg released a letter affirming the Bureau’s commitment to advancing equity through its work at the federal level and through its work with states, territories, tribes, and all other grantees. Associate Commissioner Schomburg describes advancing equity as: “Being committed to equity means that we
On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the Department of Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), published a notice soliciting grants from Indian Organizations to establish and operate off-reservation Indian child and family service programs. Indian child and family service programs are to provide services for stabilizing Indian families and Tribes, preventing the breakup of Indian
Last week, Chapin Hall and Howard University released a new study, Untold Stories: Young adult & racial dimensions of COVID-19. The report examines previously untold stories of the pandemic among young people, focusing particularly on food and housing insecurity, mental health, and the racial dimensions of those adversities. The researchers analyzed a large, nationally representative