Child and Family Services legislation awaits presidential approval

Last week the U.S. House and Senate passed The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act.  It now awaits the president’s signature for final passage. This bi-partisan legislation would reauthorize child and family service programs under Title IV-B and renew Title IV-E waiver authority for Health and Human Services. 

Here are a few highlights of this two-part bill:

Extension of Child and Family Service Programs

• Reauthorization of Promoting Safe and Stable Families – level funded
• Reauthorization of court improvement grants
• Requires state protocols regarding the appropriate use and monitoring of psychotropic medications as part of IV-B reporting
• Strengthens caseworker visitation requirements
• Further clarifies the purposes of family support services (e.g. promote safety and well-being of children and families, etc.)
• Adds additional services under Time-Limited Family Reunification Services (i.e. peer mentoring and support groups, family visitation services)
• Requires financial data reporting on IV-B - both planned and actual spending totals by service category
• Extends funding to support monthly caseworker visit and regional partnership grants (e.g. Substance abuse grants such as families impacted by methamphetamine use)
• Creates data reporting standards for services under IV-B
• Enhances requirements for education stability
• Requires financial credit reports to be provided to youth 16 and older in foster care and assistance in resolving inaccuracies
• Requires reporting of adoption spending (i.e. post-adoption services)

Title II-Child Welfare Demonstration Projects

• Establishes three-year HHS authorization window of 10 waivers per year, which could total 30 waivers over the period (2012-2014)
• Does not include a state maintenance of effort requirement as other waiver bills have
• Limits waiver renewals to 2019
• Requires states to implement two policy or program improvements from those listed in the bill (e.g. bill of rights, congregate care reduction plan, family finding, family group decision making, kinship navigator, etc)

Todd Lloyd, MSW, is Child Welfare Director, PA Partnerships for Children