CASCW at the Capitol

CASCW at the Capitol, our child welfare policy blog, was developed as a way to disseminate relevant child welfare-related policy information to child welfare practitioners and supervisors.

December 2012

Tentative 113th federal congressional schedule, leaders announced

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:13-06:00December 3rd, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

The first session of the United States 113th Congress has been (tentatively) announced. According to the U.S. Senate website, the 113th Congress will convene on January 3, 2013. Minnesota's representation is as follows:Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)Senator Al Franken (D-MN)Representative Timothy J. Walz (D-MN1)Representative John Kline (R-MN2)Representative Erik Paulsen (D-MN3)Reprentative Betty McCollum (D-MN4)Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN5)Representative [...]

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November 2012

House HHS joint committee meeting to discuss the November forecast

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:13-06:00November 29th, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

On Friday, December 6, at 9am, the two House Health & Human Services (HHS) committees (Reform and Finance) will meet jointly to discuss the November forecast, the fiscal cliff and its impact on the Depts. of Health and Human Services, and methadone as a chemical dependency treatment. It will be held in room 10 of [...]

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‘Best interests of the Indian child’ – in whose eyes?

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:13-06:00November 27th, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

A former Oklahoma foster parent is pursuing legislative changes to state and federal Indian child welfare laws in response to a personal experience she had in which her two former foster children lived with her for three months before being placed in a tribal foster home. She is concerned that the law would require such [...]

October 2012

Incorporating preventative strategies in child welfare services

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:14-06:00October 15th, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

Five counties in Pennsylvania have been selected to participate in a new federal project aimed to improve outcomes for at-risk youth by allowing flexibility in the use of federal Title IV-E funds. They will be using their flexibility to incorporate preventative strategies into child welfare services. Currently, federal Title IV-E funds are meant to be [...]

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House and Senate bills propose renewal of Adoption Tax Credit

By JaeRan Kim|2016-12-01T19:33:14-06:00October 1st, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol, Stability, Permanency, and Adoption|Tags: adoption, permanency, policy|

One of the ways adoptive families are supported are through the adoption tax credit. The adoption tax credit, first enacted in 1997 as a means to help offset the costs incurred to adopt children from foster care, the tax credit has since become available for all types of adoptions. However, the tax credit is soon [...]

September 2012

Social impact bonds, impact investing, pay-for-success contracts…

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:14-06:00September 13th, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

In today's United States, where nobody asks how much we should add to the social services budget, where the word "tax" causes serious arguments, and where children only receive a minute portion of the overall federal budget, the possibility of alternative ways of financing the child welfare system is quite intriguing. In the last few [...]

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August 2012

Kids in California could be allowed to have more than two parents

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:14-06:00August 31st, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

A bill in California that would allow kids involved in custody proceedings (and child protection as well) to have more than two legal parents is on its way to the governor's desk to be signed or vetoed. The bill's author, Senator Mark Leno, stated, "This legislation gives courts the flexibility to protect the best interests [...]

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The power of word choice in child welfare policy: ‘Forced Adoption’ vs. ‘Involuntary TPR’

By Heidi Ombisa Skallet|2016-12-01T19:33:14-06:00August 30th, 2012|Categories: CASCW at the Capitol|

An article grabbed my attention a couple of days ago: Child Protection Inquiry told that forced adoption of at-risk children should become 'an option'. I had to read it—"forced" adoptions? Of "at-risk" kids? The article highlighted an increasingly-popular proposal affecting children and families in Queensland, Australia, "parendectomy of incompetent parents," whereby parents who are deemed [...]

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