After an initial delaying tactic by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WS) that called for a reading of the bill throughout Thursday, the Senate moved on the American Rescue Plan on Friday morning. A CWLA description of the still-changing package can be found here. Earlier in the week, the Senate Democratic leadership was negotiating various alterations from the
Last week, the Health and Human Service (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new report confirming that HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF) cannot ensure that all children who have been abused or neglected have court representation during judicial proceedings. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) mandates that a State
In addition to the Children’s Bureau, other critical appointments included Katie Hamm, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development; Dr. Bernadine Futrell, Director Office of Head Start; Cindy Huang, Director Office of Refugee Resettlement; and Dr. Lanikque Howard, Director Office of Community Services. Hamm has a lengthy resume in the child care arena.
On Monday, March 1, 2021, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, Casey Family Programs, Children’s Defense Fund, and Generations United hosted a webinar presenting a new tool that lays out the necessary steps for effective implementation of the kinship provisions under the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First Act) which includes kinship
On Wednesday, March 3, 2021, FosterClub, Juvenile Law Center with California Youth Connection, the John Burton Advocates for Youth, ACTION Ohio, and the Ohio Youth Advisory Board hosted a webinar on how to impact the implementation of the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act. Specifically, the organizations provided tips for getting implementation moving in
Last week, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) held their first Project THRIVE Policy Briefing of 2021. Project THRIVE is a collaborative, national campaign to support LGBTQ youth. During the briefing, HRC highlighted the Equality Act’s advances while calling attention to the attacks against the Transgender community occurring in State Legislatures. On February 25, the
On Monday, February 22, 2021, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded the $344 million in additional Chafee program awards to states and participating territories and tribes. Attached is an allotment table showing the amount of the awards. The additional ETV awards and other supplemental grants have not yet been released but will be
On Thursday, February 25, 2021, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) presented their resource guide, Reaching Youth At Risk for Substance Use and Misuse: Early Intervention Resources and Practices, developed with funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Family Foundation. Adolescent substance use prevention is a priority for the Hilton Foundation and
On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, Foster Club and the Juvenile Law Center cohosted a webinar to support state advocates successfully implementing funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act. This webinar focused on how New Jersey implemented funds from the CARES Act to young people. New Jersey received $2.4 billion block grant to address emergent needs and New
Last week the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released, Freeing Children for Adoption within the Adoption and Safe Families Act Timeline explores how frequently states make exceptions to the federal requirement that child welfare agencies file to terminate parental rights for children who remain in foster care for at least 15
