Permanency

November is National Adoption Month

November is national adoption month. This year’s theme is “Every Conversation Matters”, which means engaging youth in permanency plans through open conversations about adoption. As Adoption Month approaches, the Children’s Bureau kickstarted the conversation by hosting the webinar Every Conversation Matters featuring two young women with lived experience and an adoption supervisor. The first young

Foster Care Entry Rates Grew Faster for Infants than for Children of Other Ages

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a new report, Foster Care Entry Rates Grew Faster for Infants than for Children of Other Ages, 2011-2018, that found that infants accounted for more than 70 percent of the total increase in foster care entries in recent years at the national, state, and

Ways and Means Committee Carries Biggest Parts of Reconciliation

Last week the House Ways and Means Committee released and then worked on perhaps the biggest parts of reconciliation and the Biden Administration’s “Build Back Better” agenda when they published the tax provisions. The tax pieces can be divided into two broad parts, tax deductions and incentives and tax increases to pay for the tax

Title IV-E Funding for Family-Based Substance Use Disorders Facilities

ASPE released a new brief, How Some States Use Title IV-E Foster Care Funding for Family-based Facilities that Treat Substance Use Disorders, highlighting four states, California, Minnesota, Montana, and Utah. The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) allows states to claim reimbursement from the federal title IV-E foster care program for foster care maintenance payments

House Committees Begin Work on Reconciliation

Last week the House Ways and Means Committee and other committees began to work on their parts of the reconciliation package. The Ways and Means Committee began work on their version of family and medical leave, trade, retirement, and Medicare expansion, but they have left other actions for this week. The House Education and Labor started their work

Early Findings CTC Cutting Food Insecurity

An August analysis based on Census data released after the first Child Tax Credit (CTC) was issued in July indicated that the percentage of American families with kids who report not having enough to eat fell dramatically. The data offer proof that the monthly payments are having a major and immediate impact on millions of households.  

September is Kinship Care Month! Celebrating Kinship Caregiving Families

This September 2021, please join CWLA for a special recognition of all the relatives, extended family members, and tribes and clans who provide round-the-clock protecting and nurturing for children, either through informal family arrangements or child protective services. Nearly three million kinship caregivers across the country provide safety, support, cultural ties, and affection for the children

Rental Assistance is Available to Help Renters and Landlords

Dear CWLA Champions: Please share this information with you clients, staff, and networks! If you’re a renter having trouble paying your rent, utilities, or other housing costs – or if you’re a landlord trying to stay afloat with tenants in this situation – help may be available. State and local programs are distributing billions of

GAO Report On Child Welfare: Pandemic Posed Challenges, but also Created Opportunities

A new GAO report: CHILD WELFARE Pandemic Posed Challenges, but also Created Opportunities for Agencies to Enhance Future Operations, includes the result of a survey of state and local child welfare agencies on the challenges of the past year. The challenges included child protective services, the legal system, providing support for families and workers in foster

Organizations Call for QRTP Facilities Exemption From IMD Restrictions

More than 500 organizations have signed a letter to Congress requesting that residential facilities that meet the new Family First Act “Qualified Residential Treatment Program” (QRTP) standards be exempt from being classified by Medicaid (CMS) as an Institution for Mental Diseases or “IMD.” The letter in part states: “(The Family First Prevention Services Act) FFPSA

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