U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, joined colleagues in the House of Representatives and the Senate on May 14 in introducing the Family First Transition and Support Act of 2019, which will provide resources and flexibility for state child welfare systems using government funds for child welfare services.

Across the nation, child welfare agencies are in crisis due to a lack of resources and high numbers of children entering the foster care system, many of whom are in need of behavioral and mental health services largely attributable to traumatic childhood experiences, Bass said. For decades, most federal child welfare funding became available to states only after children were removed from their families.

Family First changes that approach by funding services that keep children safe while in the care of their families, preventing them from entering foster care. Services include substance-use disorder treatment, mental health care and in-home parenting skills instruction.

“Far too often, Congress passes landmark legislation without supplemental funding to ensure effective implementation,” Bass said. “Without this piece of legislation, the benefits expected from the bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act will either not be fully realized or not realized in a timely way. There are too many families and children who are relying on us to get this right.”

The Family First Transition and Support Act will eliminate the outdated Federal Title IV-E foster eligibility requirements for foster family homes tied to the 1996 Aid to Families with Dependent Children law, commonly referred to as the “look back,” which limits federal foster care and family support to only those children removed from very low-income families. It will also expand funding for kinship support services, including childcare, transportation and legal services.

Additionally, the law will provide states with more time to develop a research base for prevention programs they want to use, enhance funding for caseworker training and development, and provide additional funds for state-directed research to develop interventions for youth victims of trafficking.

To read the full bill, visit bass.house.gov.