Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth

Federal prosecutors today withdrew U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace's assault charge against a foster and trans youth advocate.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris rolled out a criminal justice reform plan Monday that focused heavily on youth justice and child welfare issues. Harris’s plans aligns with several fellow Democrats on proposing reforms to the juvenile justice system, but she is the first in the crowded Democratic primary field to talk about addressing some child welfare issues.

A group of legislative caucuses on vulnerable youth and on legal issues are jointly offering a congressional briefing tomorrow on a hot topic of late in child welfare: the legal rights of parents and children in dependency court proceedings.

Tiffany Boyd, a former foster youth from Long Beach, Calif., had been interning in the office of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) all summer. But save a “Hello” here and a “Good morning” there, she hadn’t yet had occasion to speak with her summer employer, who sits on several committees and keeps a hectic travel schedule.

By Stefano Montanari Democrats in both chambers of Congress have introduced legislation that seeks to curb the practice of “re-homing,” the transfer of adopted children from adoptive parents to another family without government intervention.

On September 29, around 50 foster youth advocates and mental health professionals crowded into a conference room in Alameda County California’s Behavioral Health Care Services (BHCS) building to discuss the steps the county can take to reduce the overmedication of children in foster care.

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) introduced a bill late last week that would implement a number of the major foster care financing reforms proposed by two influential foundations last year. Chief among them: making all foster youth eligible for federal funding under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, but limiting federal funds to three years of foster care for each youth.

There are no specifics yet, but over the past month, Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) has stepped up his emphasis on the need for reforming how foster care is financed. As the Chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over legislation related to foster care spending, Reichert will be a key player in the ensuing debate over the degree to which the foster care system should be responsible for preventing child maltreatment and abuse.

By: Justin Pye Last month, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth held its fifth Listening Tour in Seattle, WA. The visit, including Caucus co-founders Reps. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Jim McDermott (D-Wash.)