By Dana Mandolesi on March 29, 2010
[from the Child Welfare League of America, Child Monitor Online 3.29.10]
Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA), leaders of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, circulated a press release and letter last week urging the inclusion of foster youth views in the upcoming education reauthorization legislation. Ten other senators joined Grassley and Landrieu on the letter. As the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee holds hearings on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly designated the No Child Left Behind Act), the letter requests that youth in foster care be invited to testify about their educational experiences and their suggestions for reform. In a letter to the HELP Committee, senators pointed out, “Youth in foster care report multiple school changes as they move from placement to placement. Because they change schools so frequently, youth in foster care are more likely than their peers to underachieve academically, repeat grades, and eventually drop out of school. Youth who do not graduate are more likely to be unemployed, have no health insurance, be single parents, and rely on public assistance.”
Landrieu specifically cites the invaluable influence of foster youth in passing the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, saying, “We must empower youth to educate Congress about their unique experiences in foster care and the obstacles they face. They help us make better policy decisions.”
The Fostering Connections Act includes several mandates for child welfare agencies to follow in order to improve educational stability for children in care. Because the law does not place the same mandate on the school districts, there is an imbalance of awareness and resources to ensure proper cooperation and coordination that leads to successful educational experiences.
Posted in Community Opportunities, Federal Foster Care Policy Updates | Tagged child welfare league of america, cwla, fostering connections to success act, grassley, landrieu, senate
By admin on January 21, 2010
[from the Children's Monitor Online from Child Welfare League of America 1/11/09]
One of the differences between the House and Senate bills on health care is that the House legislation includes language that protects the use of therapeutic foster care under Medicaid. The Senate version of health care that came out of Finance Committee contained some of the same protections, but when the two Senate bills were combined the Finance Committee language was not included. As a result, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is circulating a letter to fellow senators asking that a final health care bill include the House language found in section 1727 of the House bill. At press time, more than 10 of Stabenow’s Democratic colleagues had signed on. Stabenow’s office is still seeking additional signatures through the close of business today, Monday, January 11. To call your senator to ask them to sign on to the letter, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Posted in Federal Foster Care Policy Updates, Uncategorized | Tagged child welfare league of america, cwla, debbie stabenow, medicaid, therapeutic foster care
By admin on January 20, 2010
[from the Children's Monitor Online, of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) 1/11/09]
The Children’s Bureau has now approved amended state plans from Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee that will allow the states to utilize Title IV-E funds for the new kinship-guardianship option as provided for through last year’s Fostering Connections Act (P.L. 110-351). Ten other states along with the District of Columbia have also submitted state plan amendments. These states are Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
The kinship-guardianship option became effective shortly after Fostering Connections was signed into law in October 2008, but there is no timeframe or deadline for states to take the option. While some were expecting states to act more quickly, enactment coincided with the recession, which has had a delaying impact. Factors that may inhibit states include some states requiring legislative changes, other states contemplating dramatic cuts in human service funding, and other states awaiting greater instruction and clarification from HHS, including on an important issue as to whether or not children already in kinship placements and otherwise eligible being covered once a state has taken the option or whether coverage extends only to new kinship arrangements established after a state plan has been amended. HHS has stuck by the December 2008 guidance, requiring the narrower eligibility, but some states such as California are seeking a broader interpretation.
Posted in Federal Foster Care Policy Updates | Tagged child welfare league of america, cwla, fostering connections to success act, guardianship, kingap, kinship
