Children’s Monitor

SAMHSA Webinar on Behavioral Health Disparities

On February 16, 2023, SAMHSA held a virtual round table discussion focused upon behavioral health disparities within the Black community. Moderated by Brandon Johnson, several guest speakers spoke about their personal experiences and subsequent work in reducing the stigma and taboo associated with receiving therapy in Black communities. This problem is urgent, as the Black

Mitigating Risks of Substance Use

On February 16th, 2023, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) hosted a webinar titled, “Mitigating Safety and Risk for Children Affected by Parental Substance Use Disorders Involved in the Child Welfare System.” The event aimed to spread awareness of the challenges and opportunities for helping parents with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).

State of the Union

On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union urging Congress to enact his policies, many of these priorities will soon be outlined in CWLA’s 118th Congress Legislative Agenda. I’d like to expand on a few of the alignments here. President Biden urged Congress to restore and expand the Child

Federal Funding for Substance Misuse

On February 2, 2023, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) published a comprehensive resource that summarizes fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding for key federal programs related to substance use disorders (SUD). The resource includes a chart that tracks funding of programs under the authority of the Department of Health and

Child Maltreatment 2021 Report

On February 9, 2023, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2021. This year’s report, which covers the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals that of the nationally estimated 3,016,000 children who were the subject of a child welfare agency response in FY 2021, 600,000 children (estimated) were

State of Child Care Rally on the Hill

On February 7, 2023, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) held a rally to shed light on the child care crisis. Along with several other senators, representatives, and guest speakers, Murray highlighted the importance of rebuilding the infrastructure of our child care system, and the steps President Biden should take in order to mitigate and solve this

CCDBG State-by-State Appropriations Distribution

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) recently released a fact sheet that estimates the increased funding that each state will receive in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in 2023. CCDBG received a $1.9B increase in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriation Act, a 30% increase to its total funding. CCDBG is a

Child Care Crisis Briefing

Last Thursday, February 2, 2023, the Council for a Strong America hosted a briefing on childcare and presented findings from a study conducted by ReadyNation, a coalition advocating for public investment in early childhood. The event opened with a statement from Rep. Jeff VanDrew (R-NJ), who emphasized the importance of ReadyNation’s work and the findings

Paid Leave Legislation Introduced

On February 1, 2023, Democratic lawmakers marked the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) with a press conference announcing a new legislative package to establish a paid family and medical leave program and to expand and modernize FMLA. The FMLA program has successfully allowed employees to take reasonable time off to

Supporting Youth and Children in Foster Care who are Immigrants

On Tuesday, December 6, 2022 the National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council released a priority statement entitled Supporting Immigrant Children and Youth in Foster Care. Council members consulted with experts in immigration and foster care and polled current and youth formerly in foster care for their insight. The Council has forwarded three priorities:

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