Homelessness in the United States-Foster Children Included

Homelessness in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Homelessness in the United States has continued to remain a focus area of concern of social service providers, government officials, and policy professionals since its resurgence in the 1980s, taking on many forms and affecting many different types of individuals and families.[1] The number of homeless people further grew in the 1980s, as housing and social service cuts increased and the economy deteriorated. The United States government determined that somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 Americans were then homeless

McDermott Bill: “Bipartisan Child Welfare Bill Passes House”

McDermott Bill: “Bipartisan Child Welfare Bill Passes House”


McDermott Bill: “Bipartisan Child Welfare Bill Passes House”
For Immediate Release: June 1, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the House passed with bipartisan support legislation to improve the child welfare system, authored by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). The legislation would allow the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to grant waivers for state demonstration projects to test innovations in child welfare programs.

“At-risk children and families often fall through the cracks and don’t get the services they need from our child welfare system,” said Congressman McDermott. “Some states are ready to develop the next generation of reforms to give this vulnerable population the attention and opportunity they deserve.”

The legislation is titled, “To Renew the Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services to Approve Demonstration Projects Designed to Test Innovative Strategies in State Child Welfare Programs” (H.R. 1194; see “Background” below for more details). The bill would allow states to build on the historic “Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act,” which McDermott also authored and was signed into law in 2008. Under the legislation, interested states could, with federal approval and oversight, develop and test innovative strategies to improve services for at-risk children and families. States could focus on priorities such as early intervention, domestic violence, and kinship guardianship.

“These waivers would build upon the Fostering Connections Act – we knew then that different approaches would work for different states and this legislation will give states the ability to test innovative programs,” said McDermott. “I am particularly excited to see Washington State’s innovations to help vulnerable children. Additional resources and improvements will be needed to serve all children and families at risk.”

The legislation that passed the House yesterday evening will now be referred to the Senate, where Senators Baucus (D-MT), Hatch (R-UT), Enzi (R-WY) and Rockefeller (D-WV) recently introduced similar bipartisan child welfare waiver legislation.

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Background Information on the Child Welfare Legislation

●The legislation (H.R. 1194) was co-sponsored by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY), introduced to the House on March 17, 2011, and referred to the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and Committee on Budget. Waiver legislation was the subject of a Ways and Means’ Human Resources Subcommittee hearing on July 29, 2010.

●The legislation would extend child welfare waiver authority for six years beginning Fiscal Year 2011.

●The authority for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to approve new child welfare waivers expired in 2006, but there are currently waivers in seven states (CA, FL, IL, IN, OH, OR, and WI) that began demonstrations before then. Congressional action is necessary to give HHS the authority to approve new waivers.

●Since the enactment of the child welfare waiver authority in 1997, twenty-three states have implemented demonstrations involving a variety of service strategies, including subsidized guardianship, flexible funding, services for parents with addictions, adoption and post-permanency services, and intensive preventive services.

●The Congressional Budget Office confirmed in the last Congress that this legislation has no cost, as waivers can only be approved if states demonstrate to HHS that their proposed changes will be cost-neutral.

●The legislation would ensure state accountability for use of child welfare funds, and rigorous evaluation of state innovations by independent experts.

●Senators Baucus, Hatch, Enzi and Rockefeller introduced their own child welfare waiver legislation, the “State Child Welfare Innovation Act” (S. 1013), on May 17, 2011, following a U.S. Senate Committee on Finance hearing in March.

Kids For Sale? Earned Income Credit For Foster Stranger's

http://eitcoutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Foster-Parent-Fact-Sheet-2011.pdf

The Earned Income Credit (EIC) and Child Tax
Credit (CTC) Can Help Workers Who Are
Foster Parents
What do we know about foster parents and foster children in the U.S.?
Approximately 700,000 children were in the foster care system at some point during 2009. Almost a
quarter of foster children (24%) were in relative homes (also known as kinship care), nearly half (48%)
were in non-relative foster family homes, and the remaining 28% received care in other settings, such
as group homes, pre-adoptive homes and supervised independent living.
Claiming these tax credits could be especially beneficial for eligible foster parents:
Households with foster children are more likely than other households with children to receive
cash public assistance (i.e., TANF and SSI), and about equally likely to receive food stamps.
80% of households with foster children include at least one person who worked either full time
(56%) or part time (24%).
A larger share (27%) of households with foster children earn less than $30,000 compared to
other households with children (24%).
About 15% of households with foster children include a householder or spouse with a disability
compared to 7% of all households with children.
*Data from the U.S. Children’s Bureau FY 2009Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS),
2009 American Community Survey (ACS), and the March 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS).
What is foster care?
Foster care is defined as “24 hour substitute care for children outside their own homes.” Relative and
nonrelative foster parents are usually licensed by the county or state, indicating that their homes have
been assessed for basic health and safety standards, and that the caregivers have participated in at least
minimal training to provide care and supervision for a child. Non-relative foster parents as well as
relatives must go through a foster care agency to legally become a foster family and to receive foster
care payment reimbursements. Although foster families are increasingly comprised of extended family
members, relatives have no legal obligation to become a child’s caregiver.
What do foster parents need to know about the rules for claiming the EIC and CTC?
To claim the EITC and CTC, the foster child must live with the foster parent for more than half the
year. The foster parent must have earned income during the year. A foster child must be placed with a
foster family by an authorized government or private placement agency, such as a licensed foster care
agency, state agency or court. In addition, a foster child must meet the same age requirements that
apply to other qualifying children. The foster child does not have to be in the foster parent’s home at
the end of the year to be claimed.
Can foster parents claim foster youth who transition out of the foster care system?
In 2009, almost 30,000 young people transitioned out of foster care at the age of 18. Unless the child is
otherwise related to the foster parent (i.e., grandchild, niece, nephew, or sibling), the child can no
longer be claimed for the EIC or CTC. If the transitioning youth qualifies for a state’s “foster to 21”
program, he or she could still be claimed for the EIC.THE CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
820 First Street, NE, Suite 510 • Washington, DC 20002 • 202.408.1080 • Fax 202.408.1056 • center@cbpp.org • www.cbpp.org
Must a foster parent have legal guardianship to claim a foster child for these tax credits?
No! Legal guardianship of a foster child is not a requirement to claim the EIC or CTC. As long as a
foster parent is within the income guidelines for the EIC or CTC, he or she can claim these tax credits.
For additional information please refer to the National Foster Parent Association’s publication, Federal
Tax Benefits Tax Year 2009 at www.nfpainc.org.
Do foster payments count as income when determining eligibility for the tax benefits?
Foster care payments generally do not count as income when determining eligibility for the EIC or the
CTC. Instead, foster care payments are considered “reimbursement” to a foster parent for volunteering
to care for a foster child. For the CTC, the child’s foster care payments or other income cannot
provide more than half of the child’s support.
What is the difference between an adopted child and a foster child for the EIC and the
CTC?
Adopted child. The term “adopted child” includes a child who is lawfully placed with a guardian for
legal adoption. An adopted child, or a child in the process of being adopted living with the worker, is
eligible to be claimed for these tax credits if the child satisfies all of the eligibility requirements of a
qualifying child. (For the EIC, such a child must have a Social Security number; a child with a
temporary Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number – ATIN – can’t be claimed for the EIC.) An
adopted child is treated the same as a son or daughter for purposes of tax credit eligibility.
Foster Child. A foster child is a child who is placed with a foster parent by an authorized government
or private placement agency, or court. A foster child is eligible to be claimed for these tax credits if he
or she satisfies all of the eligibility requirements of a qualifying child.
Are there other tax credits that adoptive or foster parents can claim?
In 2009, 54 percent of adopted children were adopted by their foster parents. The Adoption Tax
Credit is a refundable tax credit intended to offset some of the costs incurred during the adoption
process. In 2010, the credit was worth a maximum of $13,170. Allowable costs that count for the credit
include adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, medical expenses and travel expenses. The child must
be under age 18 or any age if the child has a mental or physical disability. Adopting a child with
special needs allows an adoptive parent to claim the full credit amount even if the parent did not spend
that amount. For more information on the Adoption Tax Credit, see IRS Form 8839.
The Child and Dependent Care Credit helps families pay for child care for children under age 13 so
they can work or look for work. Dependents who have a disability and are incapable of self-care can
be any age. The child care credit can reduce the amount of federal income tax a family pays, but can’t
be claimed by those who earned too little to owe income tax. This non-refundable credit is worth a
percentage of expenses paid up to $3,000 for one child or up to $6,000 for two or more children. The
EIC and CTC do not affect a family’s eligibility for the child care credit and all three credits can be
claimed together by some families. For more information on the child care credit, see IRS Publication

AFCARS User’s Guide Foster Care File Annual Supplement, FY2009

AFCARS User’s Guide Foster Care File Annual Supplement, FY 2009


AFCARS User’s Guide Foster Care File Annual Supplement, FY 2009

Foster Care: Safety Net or Trap Door?

http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2011/pdf/bg2535.pdf

No. 2535 The Backgrounder March 25, 2011
Foster Care Entries, Exits, Number Served, and In Care at Year End
Rate equals the number of children in a given category per 1,000 children in the population.
IN CARE ON LAST DAY
ENTERED CARE TOTAL SERVICE LEFT CARE OF FISCAL YEAR
Fiscal Year Number Rate Number Rate Number Number Rate
1982 161,000 2.6 434,000 6.9 172,000 262,000 4.2
1983 184,000 2.9 447,000 7.1 178,000 269,000 4.3
1984 184,000 2.9 456,000 7.3 180,000 276,000 4.4
1985 190,000 3.0 460,000 7.3 184,000 276,000 4.4
1986 183,000 2.9 456,000 7.3 176,000 280,000 4.5
1987 222,000 3.5 502,000 8.0 202,000 300,000 4.8
1988 199,000 3.1 511,000 8.1 171,000 340,000 5.4
1989 222,000 3.5 569,000 9.0 182,000 387,000 6.1
1990 238,000 3.7 617,000 9.6 217,000 400,000 6.2
1991 224,000 3.4 624,000 9.6 210,000 414,000 6.4
1992 238,000 3.6 652,000 9.9 225,000 427,000 6.5
1993 230,000 3.4 657,000 9.8 212,000 445,000 6.6
1994 254,000 3.7 698,000 10.3 230,000 468,000 6.9
1995 255,000 3.7 710,000 10.4 227,000 483,000 7.0
1996 237,000 3.4 725,000 10.5 218,000 507,000 7.3
1997 251,000 3.6 758,000 10.9 231,000 537,000 7.7
1998 299,000 4.3 817,000 11.7 257,000 559,000 8.0
1999 293,000 4.2 812,000 11.6 250,000 567,000 8.1
2000 293,000 4.0 811,000 11.0 272,000 552,000 7.5
2001 296,000 4.0 813,000 11.0 269,000 545,000 7.4
2002 295,000 4.0 800,000 10.8 278,000 523,000 7.1
2003 289,000 3.9 787,000 10.6 278,000 510,000 6.9
2004 298,000 4.0 786,000 10.6 280,000 507,000 6.8
2005 308,000 4.1 798,000 10.7 287,000 511,000 6.9
2006 303,000 4.1 799,000 10.7 290,000 510,000 6.8
2007 293,000 3.9 783,000 10.5 287,000 494,000 6.6
2008 274,000 n/a 748,000 n/a 288,000 460,000 n/a
2009 255,000 n/a 700,000 n/a 276,000 424,000 n/a

DATA SNAPSHOT ON FOSTER CARE P L A C E M E N T

DATA SNAPSHOT ON FOSTER CARE P L A C E M E N T
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: MORE KIDS IN FAMILIES
May 2011

http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/D/DataSnapshotFosterCarePlcmnt/DataSnapshot_FinalWeb.pdf

Trends in Foster Care and Adoption—FY 2002-FY 2009

Trends in Foster Care and Adoption—FY 2002-FY 2009

Discussion of Trends Chart

This chart includes data submitted to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) by States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico by July 29, 2010. Please note that, for all of the years shown, some of the data may differ from that shown in earlier versions of this chart. This is due to the fact that some States have resubmitted their AFCARS data after addressing data quality issues.

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year (October 1 through September 30)

Sub-population Definitions

In Care 9/30: This is an estimated count of all the children in foster care on the last day of the FFY. An individual child is included in the count for each year for which he or she is in foster care on the last day.
Entries: This is an estimated count of all children who entered foster care during the FFY. An individual child is counted only once for each year, even if the child entered, exited and reentered care during the year. The most recent date of removal from home is used to determine whether the child entered foster care during the period. If an individual child entered in one year and then exits and re-enters in a subsequent year, he or she is included in the count of entries for both years.
Exits: This is an estimated count of all children who exited foster care during the FFY at the end of their most recent foster care episode. An individual child is counted only once for each year, even if the child exited, re-entered and exited again during the year. The most recent date of discharge (from foster care) is the one counted. If an individual child exited care in one year and then re-enters and exits again in a subsequent year, he or she is included in the count of exits for both years.
TPR (Termination of Parental Rights): This is an estimated count of all children in care on the last day of the FFY whose parental rights have been terminated and who are waiting for adoption. An individual child who has these characteristics on the last day of the year is counted only once for that year.
Waiting: This is an estimated count of all children who are waiting to be adopted on the last day of the FFY. An individual child is included in the count for each year in which he or she is waiting to be adopted on the last day. There is no Federal definition for children waiting to be adopted. For the purposes of this analysis, children waiting to be adopted include children with a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. The "waiting" population excludes children whose parents' rights have been terminated, who are 16 years old and older, and who have a goal of emancipation. An individual child is included in the count for each year that he or she has these characteristics on the last day of the year.
Adopted: This is an estimated count of all children adopted with public child welfare agency involvement during the FFY. An individual child is counted only once for each year, even if (in rare cases) the child was adopted multiple times during the year. In cases when an individual child is adopted in one year and then adopted again in a subsequent year, he or she is included in the count of adoptions for both years.
Served: This is an estimated count of all children who were in the public foster care system during the FFY. This number is the sum of two mutually exclusive groups of children: the children who are already in care on the first day of the fiscal year (as of October 1) and the children who enter foster care during the year. An individual child is counted only once for each year.
Technical Discussion

Even though the number of children served is calculated by summing the children in care on the first day of the year plus the entries into foster during the year, another way of counting the number of children served is by adding the number of children in foster care on the last day of the year to the number of exits from foster care during the FFY. We compared the numbers derived from both approaches, and they are equal in FFY 2006, FFY 2008 and FFY 2009, but there is less than a one percent discrepancy in the other years. Most of these differences can be attributed to rounding.

Because the number of entries exceeds the number of exits from FFY 2002 to FFY 2006, we would expect that the number of children\youth in care as of September 30th would have increased during this period. This, however, did not occur, as the number of children in care actually declined. The primary contributing factor to this phenomenon is that, in the AFCARS database, each child is counted only once and the information included on the child in the database is from their most recent foster care episode. However, there are some children who were in foster care on the first day of the year but exited and re-entered during the year one or more times prior to entering their most recent foster care episode. In addition, they remained in foster care through the last day of the fiscal year (September 30) in their most recent foster care episode. In these circumstances, the exit associated with their "in care" status on the first day of the year is not counted, even though it occurred during the fiscal year. We estimate the number of these uncounted exits to be approximately 6,000 per year.

There is also a data quality issue that has had an impact on the number of exits. AFCARS data are submitted every six months and cover a six-month period. Sometimes a child who is reported during one six-month period does not appear in the next period, and there is no record that the child exited. Reviews of these cases have shown that the majority are situations in which the child actually exited, but the exit was not reported to AFCARS. However, because the actual number of these "dropped" exits cannot be calculated, they have not been accounted for in the exit count. As this issue has been brought to the attention of States, the quality of the data has improved dramatically and the number of dropped cases has decreased. For instance, the number of these dropped cases has declined from around 8,000 in FY 2006 to about 3,000 in FY 2007 and FY2008, and about 4,000 in FY 2009. Therefore, these dropped cases constitute less than 2 percent of the reported discharges in the three most recent years.

Data Discussion

Children in Foster Care on September 30th: The data show a decline in the number of children in foster care on the last day of each federal fiscal year (September 30) between FY 2002 and FY 2009, with a small exception in FY2005. A similar pattern is seen in the total number of children served during these years. The number of children served has declined by 100,000 children between FY 2002 and FY 2009 (from 800,000 to 700,000).

Entries into and Exits from Foster Care: In FY 2005, the number of entries into foster care reached its highest point to date with 307,000 entries reported that year. Since that time, however, the number of entries has declined to 255,000 in FY 2009, the lowest number since AFCARS data have been reported. The number of exits, which increased between FY 2002 (278,000) and FY 2007 (295,000), declined to 276,000 in FY 2009, excluding children who exited but re-entered during the same year and children whose discharge dates were missing from the file (see technical discussion above). Beginning in FY 2007 and continuing through FY 2009, the number of exits is greater than the number of entries into foster care.

Children Waiting to be Adopted: Since FY 2006, the number of children waiting to be adopted has been declining (from 135,000 in FY 2006 to 115,000 in FY 2009). The number of waiting children whose parental rights had been terminated as of the last day of the year increased from 74,000 in FY 2004 to 82,000 in FY 2007. The number then declined in FY 2008 to 79,000 and was down to 70,000 in FY 2009. However, as a percentage of the children waiting to be adopted, those children whose parental rights had been terminated has stayed relatively stable, constituting between 61 and 62 percent of the waiting children in FY 2007, FY 2008 and FY 2009, representing an increase over the earlier years (56% in FY 2002).

Children Adopted: Between FY 2002 and FY 2006, the number of adoptions remained relatively flat, ranging between 50,000 and 52,000. Beginning with the FY 2007 data, we see an increase from 53,000 in FY 2007 to 55,000 in FY 2008 to 57,000 in FY 2009.