1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 and 2018)

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. For Further Information
JooYeun Chang
Director, Public Policy
Casey Family Programs
2001 Pennsylvania Ave. Suite760
Washington, DC 20006
(202)