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The NGA Center, in partnership with Casey Family Programs, announced the first in a series of webcasts related to safely reducing the number of children in foster care. The first webcast brought together experts to discuss permanency for older youth and what states can do to so that all youth receive the appropriate level of supports and services needed to achieve permanency. Read more...
November 24, 2008
Webcast 2—The Fostering Connections Act: State Choices and Challenges
View the archived webcast! On October 7, 2008, The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L.-351) was signed into law. The Act is an omnibus child welfare bill that amends both Title IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act. The intent of the law is to improve the well-being of children served by public child welfare agencies. The Fostering Connections Act establishes new federal funding options for states including a Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program. The law also adds new requirements regarding education and health care for children in foster care to qualify for federal funding sources. In addition, the Fostering Connections Act offers $15 million in grant opportunities for states through Family Connection Grants . The new law also extends federal support for youth up to the age of 21 and extends direct federal child welfare funding to tribal child welfare agencies. This webcast provided a brief overview of the Fostering Connections Act and options and challenges for states as they consider implementing the provisions of the law, particularly the kinship guardian assistance program. This web cast featured: -
Larry Brown, Consultant, Larry Brown Associates -
Rutledge Q. Hutson, Director, Child Welfare Policy, Center for Law and Social Policy
CLASP Fostering Connections Act Resources -
Cathy Mols, Executive Director, Maryland Department of Human Resources, Social Services Administration Viewers are encourage to email in questions both prior to and during the live event, and the webcast recording will be posted on this page for future viewing. Meeting Materials: Other Resources:
October 7, 2008
Webcast 1—Permanency for Older Youth: Strategies that Work View the archived webcast! This webcast provided an overview of the issue and examples of how leaders in states, the legal community, and youth themselves are responding to this important and complex issue and featured: Meeting Materials:
Overview of the Webcast Series The NGA Center, in partnership with Casey Family Programs, announced the first in a series of webcasts related to safely reducing the number of children in foster care. The first webcast will brought together experts to discuss permanency for older youth and what states can do to so that all youth receive the appropriate level of supports and services needed to achieve permanency. Over 20,000 youth age out from the foster care system each year. Many studies have shown that youth who exit the child welfare system without permanency are at a much higher risk for poor outcomes including homelessness, contact with the criminal justice system, unemployment, etc. Although older youth are often times more challenging to place in permanency situations, many states are overcoming barriers and moving older youth to permanency. States and localities are developing collaborative efforts with courts, private providers, and community leaders to move more youth to permanency. Increasing youth permanency is an effective strategy to safely reduce the number of children in foster care while increasing positive outcomes.
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