Select Page

It Takes an 'Ohana

Hawaii's Foster Care Resource

Fostering Connections to Success & Increasing Adoptions Act

On October 7, 2008, President George Bush signed into law the most significant improvement to child welfare services in over a decade. As a result of the new law (P.L. 110-351), federal Title IV-E supports are now available for states to promote kinship and guardianship care, and states will also have the option to extend supports for foster youth up to age 21.

This law makes the most significant changes and improvements in the child welfare system in more than a decade by:

* Reauthorizing and updating the adoption incentives program
* Gradually de-linking Title IV-E adoption assistance from income requirements so that all children with special needs eventually have access to this federal support * Providing for Title IV-E funding of kinship guardianship placements
* Extending direct Title IV-E funding to tribal governments
* Allowing states to receive federal reimbursement for support provided to foster youth up to age 21
* Creating a grant program to support kinship caregivers
* Requiring reasonable efforts to keep siblings together
* Requiring agencies to inform prospective adopters about the tax credit

You can  download a summary or full text of the bill below. To see  resources developed collaboratively by the Childrens Defense Fund and Center for Law and Social Policy detailing the provisions of this important legislation, click here or to read “Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Weighing the Costs to Government against the Benefits to Youth” by Clark M. Peters, Amy Dworsky, Mark E. Courtney and Harold Pollack for Chapin Hall, click here.

ITAO thanks all who worked for these important reforms to improve the lives of children and youth affected by out-of-home care.

HR6893_summary
H. R. 6893 – full text
Guiding Principles for Implementation of Fostering Connections
FAQ – National Foster Care Coalition-Youth in Care to Age 21
Voices for America’s Children Summary of Fostering Connections to Success

More Articles