Keeping children out of foster care, and home with their family

Keeping children out of foster care, and home with their family | Sharon Osborne - seattlepi.com:

Back in April I posted about the US Senate Finance Committee hearing on Title IV-E waivers. I was thrilled to hear that on Monday, the Senate approved SB1542, the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act of 2011. If the President signs the bill – Washington State will be able to apply for a “flexible funding waiver” (also called a Title IV-E waiver) that allows the State to use money from the Federal government more flexibly. So what exactly does this mean?

If our state receives the waiver, we will not be restricted with how we use federal funding for foster care. The existing system reimburses the state for the number of children that enter foster care, so when the state is effective at preventing children from entering the system, it loses money. With the new system – more dollars will be used for in-home crisis, intervention, and prevention services.

Channeling more funds into the front end of services is critical. This way, we can keep more children in the home with their families, and prevent a crisis from happening that would require them to enter the foster care system. Why not give the families the tools they need to keep children with their parents? This will benefit the child, the family, and ultimately the taxpayer. We need to do what’s best for our most vulnerable children, and this bill – if passed – is an incredible opportunity for our state and most importantly, increases the chance for children’s success.

I encourage you to watch the video of Senator Maria Cantwell discussing the legislation on the Senate floor to lend additional perspective on what its passage means for children and the child welfare system.