As the coronavirus epidemic continues to affect the country, parents and children involved in the child welfare system face unprecedented challenges. These challenges include restricted visitations, lack of access to social and behavioral health services, and added stress for children who will age out of the system during a time of nationwide isolation.
The CARES Act, a $2 trillion stimulus plan for the American economy passed by Congress, will provide modest additional support to programs at the Administration for Children and Families, a division within the Department of Health and Human Services. The Chronicle of Social Change reports this support includes:
- $45 million for Child Welfare Services, about a 15% increase to the 2020 allocation for this program.
- $45 million for the Family Violence Prevention and Services program to help shelters and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a 25% increase to the 2020 allocation.
- $25 million for immediate assistance to help programs in the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program.
While the additional funding will assist children and families so that their basic food and housing needs are met, child welfare advocates are requesting far more funding than what has already been allocated according to a separate report in The Chronicle of Social Change. Specifically, the Child Welfare and Mental Health Coalition is asking for more than $3 billion in the next stimulus. Their request includes:
- $1 billion for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, to support maltreatment prevention efforts including abuse and neglect hotlines, home visiting programs, and family resource centers.
- $1 billion is being requested for Promoting Safe and Stable Families, a part of the Title IV-B program that supports family preservation, reunification and supports for adoptive and guardianship parents.
- $500 million for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to mitigate disruptions in the system that will likely occur as social distancing measures continue to exist.
- $500 million increase the Chafee Independent Living Program to offer rapid transitional housing for current and former foster youth.
- Additional funding to raise the reimbursement in foster care prevention in the Family First Prevention Services Act from 50 percent to the state-by-state Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate, which may remain at 50% or increase to above 70% for states with the lowest per-capita incomes.
Stay up to date with changes in child welfare funding throughout the COVID-19 outbreak on The Chronicle of Social Change website.