Legislation introduced on Monday by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) would help eliminate inappropriate foster care placements through the promotion of evidence-based support services for parents that strengthen families. Companion legislation will be offered in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
The Family First Prevention Services Act, H.R. 5456, would provide flexibility for states to use federal foster care dollars on upfront, evidence-based prevention services like parent training and individual or family therapy to help curb inappropriate foster care placements.
“We know that strong families make for strong communities,” Buchanan, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, said. “That’s why the Family First Prevention Services Act is so important given the current opioid and heroin crisis. This bill is a departure from an outdated system that focuses on caring for children only after they enter into foster care, and instead invests in proven prevention services, including substance abuse treatment, that will keep families together. This legislation offers the types of support that parents need to provide the safe and stable home every child deserves.”
The bill would end federal reimbursements to states that inappropriately place children in non-family settings, and it would reauthorize the Regional Partnership Grant program to extend funding to state and local services that prevent child abuse and neglect due to parental substance abuse.
The bill would also provide additional resources to family members who unexpectedly become responsible for a child.
“By focusing on the root of the problem and directing resources to preventive services, the Family First Prevention Services Act provides bipartisan solutions for families and children affected by the opioid addiction crisis,” Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said. “The bill also aims to reduce the reliance on group homes for children by providing services that will keep families together. Strong bipartisan, bicameral leadership makes bills like this possible, and I am pleased we were able to build off the long history of foster care work in both committees to produce this important piece of legislation.”
Additionally, the bill would take steps to encourage states to replace outdated child placement systems with electronic systems to help reduce the amount of time foster children wait for adoption or placement.
Buchanan and Hatch were joined by U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI), that panel’s ranking member, and Senate Finance Committee ranking member U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), in leading this bicameral effort. Original co-sponsors of the bill in the House include U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany (R-LA), Diane Black (R-TN), Tom Reed (R-NY), Mike Kelly (R-PA), and Bob Dold (R-IL).
“The Family First Prevention Services Act will help more children grow up in a safe home, surrounded by a stable family,” U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said.
“I applaud Chairman Buchanan and Sens. Hatch and Wyden for introducing this important legislation,” Brady said. “I look forward to advancing this legislation so we can strengthen America’s families and deliver positive outcomes for children.”