Feenstra, Kildee Introduce Legislation to Support Programs that Keep Children out of Foster Care and Families Together
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) introduced the Strengthening Evidence-Based Prevention Services Act. This legislation would help keep vulnerable children out of the foster care system by funding comprehensive evaluations of prevention services so that these programs can be certified and deployed in our communities.
“Families that welcome foster children into their homes are special people. These kids are among the most vulnerable in our communities and deserve a safe, loving place to call home. While we work to strengthen our foster care system, we also need to commit to keeping children out of foster care and with their families,” said Rep. Feenstra. “Unfortunately, right now, programs that offer prevention services – like substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and parental coaching – lack the full funding that they need to provide these vital services because we haven’t pledged enough resources to studying and certifying the effectiveness of these prevention services, and that evidence is a prerequisite to receive funding. My bill will ensure that we can quickly and efficiently evaluate prevention services, verify their effectiveness, and connect families and children with tools to enhance their lives and wellbeing. By investing in our families and keeping vulnerable children out of the foster care system, we can improve child welfare and strengthen our families and communities.”
“State child welfare agencies require assistance in meeting the rigorous research and evaluation standards set forth by the 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act. There is a significant opportunity for states to invest in evidence-based prevention programs that support children at home before they enter the child welfare system. However, states need support to develop and expand the evidence base required for the Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse,” said Rep. Jason Smith, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. “I commend Congressman Feenstra for championing legislation that will establish competitive grants for the Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse. This initiative aims to broaden the array of evidence-based prevention programs available, ensuring effective support for vulnerable children and families at risk of entering the child welfare system.”
“As a former social worker, one of my top priorities in Congress is providing our children and their families with the care and support they need. To do that, we must invest in finding the programs and services that work for our communities,” said Rep. Kildee. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will get us one step closer to ensuring every mid-Michigan child grows up in a safe, loving home.”
“The Coalition for Family & Children's Services in Iowa is an alliance of member agencies who are dedicated to ensuring the well-being of children and families across all 99 counties through comprehensive child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health services. The Strengthening Evidence-based Prevention Services Act of 2024 is a crucial step toward enhancing the effectiveness of Iowa’s interventions by providing essential funding for the evaluation of evidence-based programs. This legislation will empower the state and our member agencies to implement and expand proven preventive measures, ultimately fostering safer, healthier, and more stable family environments. We commend Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) for their leadership in addressing the financial barriers to program evaluation, ensuring that innovative and effective services are available to those who need them most,” said Kristie Oliver, Executive Director of the Coalition for Family & Children's Services in Iowa.
“This legislation will spur new innovations that will keep families intact – including adoptive families – and keep children out of the foster care system,” said Patrick Lester, Executive Director of Voice for Adoption. “It will ultimately produce both better outcomes for children and long-term savings to the taxpayer.”
“At Children's Home Society of America, we believe in the power of evidence-based programs to transform lives and create brighter futures for our children, their parents and their kin caregivers. The Strengthening Evidence-Based Prevention Services Act of 2024 highlights competitive grants' critical role in empowering non-profits on the frontlines who are partnering with children, families and communities to disrupt the conditions and situations that can limit potential. These grants enhance our ability to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act and the rigor it requires, by generating greater access to evidence-based programs approved for the IV-E Clearinghouse. This in turn benefits children and families in ways that help them thrive,” said Marlo Nash, Managing Director of Children’s Home Society of America (CHSA).
“The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is pleased to endorse the Strengthening Evidence-based Prevention Services Act of 2024,” said Linda Spears, President and CEO of CWLA. “It is imperative that we advance our knowledge of programs and strategies that effectively and safely keep children and their families together. We have long advocated for quality research funding that expands the range of programs that can be funded through the Family First Preventions Services Act and better meet the needs of children, families, and communities. CWLA applauds Representatives Feenstra and Kildee for making this important step in the direction of fully realizing the potential of Family First.”
“Congress and federal agencies spend billions of dollars every day on big problems, but they often fail to invest in the infrastructure needed to evaluate the efficacy of those efforts. Results for America supports this legislation to direct more funding to building evidence for what works to improve outcomes for children and families by reducing unnecessary foster care placements and improving child health and safety,” said Michele Jolin, Co-founder and CEO of Results for America.
“Triple P America commends introduction of the Strengthening Evidence-based Prevention Services Act by Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) to provide investments and policy leadership to ensure FFPSA can better serve communities and families while upholding a commitment to evidence-based practice and policy, and consideration of the flexibility needed to support a broad array of effective programming across the United States,” said Bradley Thomas, CEO of Triple P America.
“Youth Villages has extensive expertise in development and implementation of evidence-based program models, with a results-and-outcome focus. This includes Intercept, our intensive in-home services model, that is rated Well-Supported on the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse (Family First Clearinghouse). The Intercept program is provided through our direct services and partnerships with public agencies and community-based organizations in 26 states and the District of Columbia. We recognize that states and counties across the country are navigating multiple complexities, including how to align their current service array and family and community needs with approved services on the Family First Clearinghouse. Youth Villages support the Strengthening Evidence-based Prevention Services Act of 2024. We would like to commend Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) for addressing one of the unintended financial consequences of the Family First Clearinghouse requiring states to conduct an evaluation on programs that do not meet the Well-Supported evidence rating,” said Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages.
“To realize the full potential of evidence-based strategies to strengthen our child welfare system, we need to invest in ongoing innovation and rigorous evidence-building on the front end,” said Chase Sackett, Policy Director with America Forward. “America Forward is proud to support the Strengthening Evidence-based Prevention Services Act of 2024 as a critical addition to the Family First Act.”
"Congress must thoroughly reconsider the research standards for FFPSA as soon as possible through legislative action. However, until that happens, states desperately need fiscal support for evaluating the evidence-building programs as currently required by statute,” said Timothy J. Wood, CEO of the Family Centered Treatment Foundation. “In the interim, the Family-Centered Treatment Foundation is grateful to the offices of Congressmen Feenstra and Kildee for their leadership and adds our support for the $5M per year competitive grant proposal to help states develop needed EBP programs.”
Prevention services are programs that aim to prevent children from entering foster care. In 2018, Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), federal legislation that aids states in implementing evidence-based programs that help keep families intact and reduce the number of children entering foster care system. One major barrier to the law’s success, however, is the lack of available research funding to support the development of qualifying evidence-based services. Because of this “research gap”, many prevention services don’t receive the federal assistance that was intended in the FFPSA.
More specifically, this bill would authorize a grant program through the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services to fund evaluations of prevention services, enabling them to have the supporting evidence that could establish a rating of “promising,” “supported,” or “well-supported” and receive federal funding. In other words, this program is designed to bridge the “evidence gap” that is currently preventing foster care prevention services from receiving funding. This funding is intended to be supplemental to existing funding for child welfare.
Full legislative text can be found HERE.
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