US senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Todd Young (R-IN) have introduced a bill to help connect grandparents and relative caregivers with available resources and support to help raise relative children. The Informing Grandfamilies Act would require states to inform grandparents about potential options for the family to receive financial support on behalf of the child through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Medicaid.
National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Council have stated their latest policy recommendations on the needs of "special populations" of foster youth such as the homeless, expectant and parenting youth, and those who have been trafficked for sex or are in danger of experiencing it, youth of color, those who age out of care, unaccompanied minors from other countries and youth with non-traditional sexual or gender identities. The foster youth policy council identified six priorities for policy workers by leveraging the power of the Family First Prevention Services Act.
New Jersey nonprofit Youth Villages, a national leader in children's mental health behavioral health and CarePlus NJ, Inc. an integrated primary behavioral health services for adult and children is launching a LifeSet Program for At-Risk youth transitioning from foster care. This national model is designed to assist young people by providing independent living skills to support the changeover to adulthood.
The latest fromVoice for Adoption advocacy can be found here.
Update from theHuman Rights Campaign Foundation can be found here.
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