Sec. 2. Findings

320 words·~1 min read·/bill/114/hr/3781/ih/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress makes the following findings: Our Nation's child welfare financing system gives States and Indian tribes few resources to invest in prevention and family services that help keep children safely at home or in the care of other family members. Title IV–E of the Social Security Act currently provides States and Indian tribes with mandatory Federal funding support for children only after they are placed in foster care. Title IV–E provides few incentives for State and tribal efforts to prevent the need for out-of-home placements of children or to reduce the time children spend in foster care.

In contrast, State and tribal innovations implemented through title IV–E waivers suggest that permitting State and tribal spending under title IV–E for front end prevention and family services may help reduce the prevalence and length of foster care placements while maintaining or improving safety and permanency outcomes for children. Additionally, State experiences with subsidized guardianship demonstrate that when children cannot remain with their parents, children placed with relatives or kin experience greater stability than children placed with non-relative foster families.

Kinship or relative care reduces the emotional trauma associated with separation from parents, helps keep siblings together, and preserves cultural heritage and community bonds. Providing supportive services to relatives and kin can reduce the number of children entering or re-entering foster care. At the same time, current Federal funding for broad, community-based, primary prevention programs through title IV–B is too limited to adequately reach the number of families in need.

Greater access to prevention and family services will help keep children safe and supported at home with their parents or other family members, give States and Indian tribes the flexibility to adapt evidence-based support services to the specific needs of each family, and ensure that States and Indian tribes are held accountable for allocating services in ways that maximize safety and permanency for children, while minimizing the prevalence of lengthy foster care placements.