Wednesday, September 24, 2008 

NATIONAL NEWS

 Congress Approves Major Child Welfare Reform Legislation

Over the past few months, PFC has reported to you that both the House and Senate were working on sweeping legislation that would make the broadest federal improvements to child welfare services since the enactment of the Adoption & Safe Families Act of 1997.  PFC is excited to report that the Senate and the House quickly moved this last week to pass a compromise bill, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act.  The legislation now goes to the President allowing for his signature before the expiration of the Adoption Incentive Program on September 30^th. 

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 has quickly moved through the House and Senate and was unanimously supported by both chambers.  The legislation represents the comprise package between the Fostering Connections to Success Act (H.R. 6307) approved by the House through unanimous consent on June 25^th, and the Improved Adoption Assistance and Relative Support Act (S. 3038) that the Senate Finance Committee approved by voice vote on September 10^th.

Below is a list of the key components of this legislation:

Connecting and Supporting Relative Caregivers

·         Provides federal reimbursement to States choosing to provide assistance to grandparents and other relatives who become legal guardians of children for whom they have cared as foster parents.

·         Provides $15 million per year for Family Connection Grants to promote kinship navigator programs and other initiatives designed to connect and help relative caregivers.

·         Requires relatives to be notified within 30 days of a child’s removal from their home.

·         Codifies existing licensing standards for relatives becoming foster parents and requires report on impact and next steps.

·         Allows the child welfare system to utilize the Parent Locator Service.

Improving Outcomes for Children in Foster Care

·         At State option, allows federal foster care assistance to continue up to the age of 21 for youth engaged in school, work, or other constructive activities.

·         Requires transitional plans for youth aging out of foster care.

·         Expands enhanced federal funding for training to cover private child welfare workers and court personnel.

·         Requires plan for the educational stability of every foster child and assurance of their school attendance.

·         Requires improved oversight of the health care needs of every foster child, covering their assessment, treatment, medical records, and medication.

·         Requires reasonable efforts to place siblings together when removed from their homes, or if not possible, to allow ongoing interaction.

Tribal Foster Care and Adoption Access

·         Provides direct federal foster care and adoption assistance to tribal governments for children in their care.

·         Provides $3 million per year to provide technical and start-up assistance to tribal foster care programs.

Improvement of Incentives for Adoption

·         Extends, expands and improves the Adoption Incentives Program, which provides financial bonuses to States increasing the number of children adopted out of foster care.

·         Provides federal adoption assistance to all special needs children (phased in on the basis of age and time in care), rather than only those children whose birth parents were eligible for welfare under the rules in place in 1996.

·         Requires prospective adoptive parents of foster children to be informed of their potential eligibility for a current-law tax credit.

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On Tuesday, September 23^rd, the National Women’s Law Center released its annual report comparing state child care assistance policies in four areas: income eligibility, waiting lists for assistance, copayment requirements, and reimbursement rates for providers. Quality, reliable child care helps children develop the skills they need to succeed in school and helps parents advance in the workforce. Without child care assistance, low-income families must bear the significant financial burden of paying the full cost of care on their own, and may be unable to afford the high-quality, stable care they want for their children and that parents need to work.

Missouri has made notable progress since 2006, increasing eligibility for child care assistance from 106% of federal poverty level (FPL) to our current rate of 127% FPL. Yet in 2008 Missouri is still 47^th in the nation for income eligibility for child care assistance, trailing far behind the national average of 180% FPL for income eligibility. There are only 7 states with income limits below 145% FPL.

Missouri is also now 50^th in the country for adequately reimbursing providers who accept children with state assistance – a key indicator of whether low-income families can actually access child care that is safe, reliable, and educational. Low child care reimbursement rates have the same effect as low Medicaid reimbursement rates: even when families are eligible or covered, they still cannot access the child care or health care services they need because providers cannot afford to serve them.

States are recommended to set child care rates at a level so that families can access 75% of providers in a community – yet families receiving state assistance across Missouri can only access 14% to 45% of child care programs. With such limited access, low-income families are less likely to be able to afford even licensed care with basic standards of safety and quality.

To read the full report, click here. 

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MISSOURI NEWS

Sincerely,

Emily Smith & Carrie Shapton

Partnership for Children

infopfc@pfc.org

816-531-9200

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