Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act: New Opportunities for Federal Funding for Child Welfare Key Questions and Considerations for States  BUILDING ON SUCCESS AT CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES Austin, Texas February 27, 2009

Approach to Fostering Connections Act Traditional Approach – federal mandates v. new federal dollars New Approach – what are the opportunities to use the new law to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families? Near Term opportunities Deeper connections with relatives (including siblings) Increased permanency options for youth likely to remain in foster care Supports for older youth who we are unable to place in a permanent family before age 18 Long Term opportunities Setting the stage for more comprehensive federal child welfare reform that promotes investments in prevention, early intervention and reinvestment of savings to strengthen vulnerable families before crisis occurs.

Key Questions/Considerations for States How much time will my state have to implement the improvements in the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act? Which of these improvements can bring federal dollars into my state? What key questions should my state be asking about the new improvements? What steps can help with implementation? What national resources are being developed? Casey Family Programs 2/27/2009

What Must My State Implement Right Away, Unless State Legislation is Required? Identify and give notice to grandparents and other adult relatives when children are removed Keep siblings together in care or ensure frequent visitation or other ongoing contact, and provide additional documentation in case plans about reasons for sibling separation Keep children in their current school unless it is not in the child’s best interest, provide immediate and appropriate enrollment in a new school, and address education stability in the children’s case plans

What Must My State Implement Right Away, Unless State Legislation is Required? (2) Ensure that children in foster care, or with adoptive families or kinship guardian families are enrolled full time and attending school Inform adoptive parents or prospective adoptive parents of children from foster care of the adoption tax credit Assess whether state will qualify for adoption incentives under the new 2007 base year and the increase in the rate of children adopted from foster care Prepare transition plans for youth preparing to exit from foster are or those who have already exited but are receiving independent living services Develop a Health Oversight and Coordination Plan

What Must My State Implement Right Away, Unless State Legislation is Required? (3) What Will Be the Effective Date if State Legislation is Required? If a one year session, the quarter that begins after the close of the first legislative session after enactment If a two year session, the quarter that begins after the close of the first year of the legislative session after enactment

What Options Does My State Have? To apply for one or more Family Connection Grants To claim federal reimbursement for kinship guardianship assistance payments, effective October 7, 2008 To provide children who exit care to adoption or guardianship after their 16th birthday independent living services and educational and training vouchers To use the Federal Parent Locator Service to help identify relatives

What Options Does My State Have? (2) To claim federal reimbursement to keep youth in foster care, adoptive families, and/or kinship families beyond their 18th birthday, effective October 1, 2010 To claim federal reimbursement under Title IV-E for short term training of private agency staff, court staff, attorneys representing children and parents, court appointed special advocates, and guardians ad litem

What are the Other Provisions That My State Will Have More Time to Implement? Federal reimbursement for adoption assistance payments for more children with special needs (Phased in between FYs 2010 and 2018)

Which of These Improvements Can Bring Federal Dollars Into My State? Family Connection Grants ($15 million/year) Provision of federal funds for transporting IV-E eligible children to their current school Improved health care coordination, which is expected to increase Medicaid costs Federal reimbursement for kinship guardianship assistance payments Adoption Incentive Program (Financial reward possible if adoptions of special needs children exceed the new baseline or rate increases)

Which of These Improvements Can Bring Federal Dollars Into My State Federal reimbursement to keep older youth in care beyond their 18th birthday Federal reimbursement for adoption assistance payments for more children with special needs Implementation and technical assistance grants related to improving outcomes for Indian children and increasing access to IV-E assistance to Indian Tribes considering direct IV-E funding Authority for Indian Tribes and tribal consortia to receive direct Title IV-E funding Expanded eligibility for IV-E Training

What Key Questions Should My State Be Asking About the New Improvements? How will it benefit children in my state? How many children are expected to be eligible? Is the policy rationale consistent with the directions my states wants to take for children? To what extent is my state already doing it? How does what my state is doing compare with the new federal requirements? Is it more restrictive? Broader? How is my state paying for it? What new state or local costs will my state likely face? What are we already spending?

What Key Questions Should My State Be Asking About the New Improvements? (2) What can be said about cost-effectiveness? What short and long term efficiencies can my state expect to see? What will it cost my state it if does not implement the improvement? What will be the effect on the agency or court workload?

What Steps Can Help with Implementation? Convene an implementation work group including representatives of various stakeholders and other related agencies, with subgroups for different provisions (i.e., Promoting Permanent Family Connections To Relatives, Promoting Adoptions of Children with Special Needs, Increasing Opportunities for Success for Children in Care, Reaching American Indian Children) Develop an implementation plan, giving first attention to those improvements that took effect on October 7, 2008; identify time frame, action steps and responsible parties Identify necessary policy changes with a timetable for implementation Prepare legislation where necessary

What Steps Can Help with Implementation? (2) Prepare a fiscal note that takes into account current practice, costs and projected savings Execute necessary memoranda of understanding or something comparable when cross system coordination is necessary Develop and execute plans for training and cross training about the implementing the new improvements Establish regional or local liaisons to connect with on implementation Establish a state baseline from which to measure progress and a process for documenting compliance with the new act

What National Resources Are Being Developed? HHS/Administration for Children and Families/Children’s Bureau GrandFamilies Working Group Supports for Older Youth Preparing to Exit Care Tribal Provisions Legal Center for Foster Care and Education North American Council on Adoptable Children American Academy of Pediatrics Child Welfare Workforce Policy Group National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices

For Further Information JooYeun Chang Director, Public Policy Casey Family Programs 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. Suite760 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 728-2004 jchang@casey.org