On Tuesday, November 8th, a ballot measure that passed was South Dakota’s vote to expand Medicaid to include more than 40,000 low-income adults. The Medicaid expansion measure known in South Dakota as “Constitutional Amendment D” had 56% support compared to 44% opposed, a significant margin in a conservative state. The outcome is a setback to
On Wednesday, November 9th, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Brackeen v. Haaland case about the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). “After more than three hours of oral argument, several justices expressed doubt about specific provisions of the wide-ranging law, even if they did not appear inclined to strike
On October 19, 2022, the Society for Research in Child Development published new research finding that due to its flexibility, Title IV-B funds can effectively be used to support families’ access to a variety of programs and financial supports that help to prevent child maltreatment and subsequent child welfare involvement. According to the research brief:
The Alliance for Early Success has released an inventory of state policies that impact family economic security. It is designed to spark ideas for state policymakers and will be updated periodically as additional policies are enacted. “According to some measures, child poverty fell nearly 60 percent between 1996 and 2019. Then came a pandemic that
On November 10th, 2022, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a new report, National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, describing the urgent need to improve crisis response services for children, youth, and families and provides guidance for communities to address the existing gaps in care for youth.
The Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse issued a new request for recommendations for mental health, substance abuse, in-home parent skill-based, and kinship navigator programs and services to be considered for systematic review and inclusion among services that can be paid for under the Family First Prevention Services Act. This year’s announcement highlighted a preference for
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released several resources to address the impact of parent and caregiver loss on children. It is a necessary and urgent part of addressing the ongoing impact of COVID-19, which has taken so many lives in our communities, as well as the toll that overdose, suicide, violence, and other
On November 1st, 2022, the Administration for Children and Families released the AFCARs data for 2021. Again this year, the report shows a significant decrease in foster care placements decreasing from the 2020 figure of 407,493 to 391,098 children in care in 2021, a 3.9 percent decrease from 2020 and a more than 10.5 percent
As lawmakers look to wrap up the 117th Congress this year, dozens of progressive Democrats are calling on leaders to ensure that the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) is renewed as part of the top end-of-year priorities, reports the Hill. Congressional Democrats expanded the CTC as part of the American Rescue Plan, a comprehensive package
In October 2022, the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison released a new policy brief about diaper scarcity titled, “Diaper Dilemma: Low-Income Families Face High Costs And Limited Supplies Of An Essential Good.” “Diapers are a critical element of care for infants and young children, and a substantial expense for many
