On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, Foster Club and the Juvenile Law Center co-hosted another Older Youth Pandemic Relief. This session discussed the extension of foster care services provisions from the Supporting Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act legislation passed in December 2020. Presenters included Jennifer Pokempner from
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, Congressional Democrats introduced a sweeping immigration bill. Unveiled by Representative Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), this legislation is based on the proposal announced by President Biden on his first day in office, which would be called the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. The bill introduces
Last week, nine House Committees acted on their parts of a reconciliation bill that will make up President Biden’s COVID-19 relief measure. Within the package are key CWLA priorities, including more than $39 billion in child care funding, year one of a Children’s Allowance, $350 billion in state and local government relief, $350 million more in
Young people with experience in foster care have suffered significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supporting Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act was passed on December 27, 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 following months of advocacy by young people. This law promises to provide relief
On Wednesday, February 10, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released four more Title IV-E Prevention Services programs and services ratings for the Title IV-E Prevention Services in accordance with the Family First Prevention Services Act. The Family Check-UP® is a brief, strengths-based intervention model for children ages 2 through 17. Family Check-Up
This past week the Senate and House began to lay the groundwork for a budget reconciliation that could lead to the enactment of a Biden-COVID-19 relief package. The House began the process when it passed a budget resolution that provides the legislative authority to use reconciliation on Wednesday, and the Senate took up that resolution
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan includes expanding of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) with recommendations that the credit be made fully refundable and that the maximum benefit be increased from the current level of $2,000 per child for children zero to 16 years old to $3,600 per child under six years old and $3,000 per child ages
On February 4, 2021, CLASP launched #WhyWeCantWait: A New Deal for Youth (ND4Y) calling leaders in the public and private sectors to support youth-led policy solutions that address the glaring economic and social injustices facing young people today. A New Deal for Youth will propose policy recommendations and community solutions developed by and centering the
On Thursday, February 4, 2021, Senator Ron Wyden re-introduced the Invest in Child Safety Act. The legislation, which CWLA has endorsed, was first introduced last year. It attempts to deal with the child sexual abuse problem that has exploded over the past few years as the use of the internet and related social media have expanded over
On Friday, January 29, 2021, Dr. Mark Courtney, the University of Chicago professor and the Principal Investigator of the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH), reported an update of California’s Extended Foster Care research. To preface, the goal of Extended Foster Care (EFC) is to “promote human capital acquisition, positive social connections, and general
