Grandfamilies Act Introduced
On May 23, 2019, the Grandfamilies Act (S. 1660/H.R. 2967) was introduced by Sen. Bob Casey (PA) in the Senate, with cosponsors Sherrod Brown (OH) Tammy Baldwin (WI), Kristen Gillibrand (NY), and Maggie Hassan (NH), and Rep. Danny Davis (IL) in the House. The Grandfamilies Act aims to “provide greater support for grandfamilies and older caretaker relatives.”
The legislation includes a broad range of provisions to help grandfamilies by:
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Increasing access to Social Security benefits.
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Improving access to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, including addressing barriers related to child support enforcement.
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Incentivizing states to create temporary guardianship laws for grandparents and other relative caregivers who need to step in quickly to care for a child.
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Creating a national technical assistance center on grandfamilies.
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The Senate bill also provides support for housing specifically for grandfamilies.
A full version of the proposed legislation can be found hereopens in new window.
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Update & Resource
As of Monday, May 20, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2480 - the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) via voice vote. This bill is currently headed to the Senate. The Stronger CAPTA asks for funding increases for communities and states to implement strategies and programs that help prevent child abuse. With the passage of this reauthorization, this prioritizes the need for investment in systems and programs that work.
On May 21, 2019, Casey Family Programs released a brief on The Child Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act (CAPTA). The brief provides information on the legislative history, summarizes the law, describes funding opportunities for both national and state-level, and discusses the importance of CAPTA in keeping children safe, strengthening vulnerable families and supporting strong communities.
A full version of this brief can be accessed through the Casey Family Programs websiteopens in new window.
Clearinghouse Website
The Prevention Services Clearinghouse was recently established by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to systematically review research and evaluations on programs and services that provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements.
The Prevention Services Clearinghouse website allows users to:
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Learn about the programs and services rated as well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria.
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Access information about the review process and ratings, including the Prevention Services Clearinghouse Handbook of Standards and Procedures.
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Find answers to frequently asked questions, including how to recommend programs and services for review.
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Access information about program or service implementation and resources.
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Sign up for email updates.
To learn about what prevention services have received a favorable rating, access the websiteopens in new window.
Child Welfare Data Modernization Act
The only compulsory national data on children in foster care is collected in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting Systems (AFCARS). AFCARS was authorized by Congress in 1986 and requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect from states consistent and reliable data on demographics and characteristics of foster and adopted children; biological, foster, and adoptive parents; the number of children entering and exiting foster care and awaiting adoption; and information on placements and permanency plan goals. Congress also authorized a 50 percent federal match for states implementing AFCARS compliant systems. In 1993, seven years after initial authorization, the first AFCARS regulations were published by Children’s Bureau. And in 1994, recognizing the effort and costs states were required to expend to develop and implement compliant data systems, Congress authorized a temporary 75 percent enhanced federal match for states to build their new child welfare data systems.
The AFCARS regulation was updated in 2016. AFCARS had not been updated in twenty-three years – since the 1993 regulation was published. The 2016 AFCARS regulation is a major overhaul of AFCARS and state and tribal child welfare data systems. Tribes and states are faced with expenses to implement these long overdue updates. To address these important gaps in funding, Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-37) and introduced the 2019 Child Welfare Data Modernization Act. Like the 1994 temporary enhanced match, the Child Welfare Data Modernization Act would provide a 75 percent temporary enhanced federal match for states and tribes implementing the 2016 AFCARS regulation. Since states and tribes started updating child welfare data systems in 2017, the temporary enhanced federal match applies to efforts undertaken by states and tribes from January 2017 through the federal fiscal year 2020. This rewards early adopters while ensuring that data is collected in the timeliest way. The 2016 AFCARS reporting requirements are currently administratively delayed. However, the Children’s Bureau has encouraged child welfare agencies to collect “all of the data elements contained in the 2016 final rule regardless of what is ultimately required to be reported to ACF.” Further, ACF “commends[s] the willingness to collect a more comprehensive array of information.” (84 Fed.Reg. 16575, April 19, 2019)
Should you decide to reach out to any elected official to follow up on any of the material presented in this article, please do so as an individual and not as a representative of APA. To find out more information about your elected officials and how to contact them, please visit this websiteopens in new window.