PA Coalition for Children and Families. PA Families Separated by the Government. Corruption and Abuse of Power by Children and Youth Services. News around Berks County. Proud member of the Trump Family Preservation Team
The two main provisions of the Family First
Prevention Services Act took effect this month, opening up federal funds
for preventing the use of foster care while limiting support for group
homes.
There is a bill in the works to help more states take on the law this
year, rather than take the permitted delay of up to two years. But for
now, it looks like about one in four states will hold off at least until
2020 on implementing Family First.
Seven states have notified the U.S. Children’s Bureau (CB) of plans
to delay on Family First until 2020, and an additional 32 states plan to
delay until 2021. Washington State notified CB of a delay, but only
until December of this year.
Of the 11 tribal systems with their own IV-E plans, five plan to implement this year and six have taken a delay.
In addition to Washington, the other systems that plan to implement
Family First in 2019 are: Alaska, Arkansas, the District of Columbia,
Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, North Dakota, Utah, Virginia and
West Virginia.
Family First was signed into law in February of 2018, as part of a
stopgap spending bill to keep the government open. It permits states to
use Title IV-E entitlement funds – previously reserved for foster care
and adoption costs – for certain evidence-based services aimed at
keeping families together in more child welfare cases.
The law also limits IV-E funding for group homes and other
“congregate care” settings to two weeks, with some notable
exceptions. States that seek a delay can hold off on the limits to
congregate care funds, but cannot access the foster care prevention
funds during that time.
Of the 12 systems planning to implement Family First this year, six
have already submitted the required plans for approval to CB: Arkansas,
Kansas, D.C., Kentucky, Maryland and Utah. The bureau has yet to approve
any of the plans.
It will be interesting to see if the Family First Transitions Act,
which seems to have bipartisan and bicameral support, can move up the
timeline for some of the states taking a delay. The law, a pared down
version of the bill first introduced by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) over the summer, does three things:
A one-time, $500 million fund to help states prepare for the Family First Act provisions
A sweetener for states with a recently expired IV-E waiver, to help them cover anticipated short-term losses
A more lenient structure for the law’s evidence-based standards, at least for the first few years.
Click here for a more in-depth rundown of that bill.
States planning to delay through 2020: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, Pennsylvania.
States planning to delay through 2021: Alabama, Arizona, California,
Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming. The Family First Act was signed into law in February 2018, and mostly took effect this month.
Gregg Richman is running for Common Pleas Judge in Montgomery County. The swamp establishment despises him. All the more reason he deserves to get elected. One has to wonder, why are they afraid of him and dislike him so much? Because he is a "Free Thinker!"
I am a mom of 2 sons, Ian and Elliott. I have spent all of the past 32+ years being a MOM and Nana to 4 grandchildren. Dennis is my husband and best friend. We enjoy a peaceful life in PA and NC. I have also been a foster mom to 4 teenage girls. Dennis and I took pride in helping children during difficult times in their lives by providing a safe home and guidance. As an investigative reporter I collected a lot of information about the illegal tactics used within child welfare agencies to steal children from good families. I continue to help families that are dealing with the corruption within which landed me on the Trump Family Preservation Team. I want to clarify for everyone that follows my page or finds me through a search about their fight with child welfare. I am NOT an attorney. This blog was set up to provide information from experience and or my opinion. After seeing the abuse within children and youth services and small government. At no time is the information in this blog to be construed as legal direction. I will refer attorneys for legal advice.
