Renewing Authority For State Child Welfare Demonstration Programs

Floor Speech

* Mr. Speaker, I wish to offer my strong support for H.R. 6156, the Renewing Authority for State Child Welfare Demonstration Programs. This bill would permit the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow up to 10 demonstration projects a year to test innovative approaches to improving the child welfare system.

* I am an ardent supporter of the waiver program. My home State of Illinois has been a leader in developing and demonstrating the effectiveness of pioneering child welfare reforms using these waivers. Most notably, Illinois's subsidized guardian waiver was critical to documenting the success of this permanency option in preserving families, improving child well-being, and reducing the number of children in care. I am proud that the Illinois waiver helped lay the ground work for the statutory change in 2008 via The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act that allowed states to use Federal funds to support family caregivers raising relatives who were in the foster care system.

* More recently, Illinois has received a waiver to provide innovative services for caregivers with substance use disorders. Illinois's demonstration project showed positive outcomes children and families as well as substantial cost savings--approximately $6.6 million over the lifetime of the waiver. Further, the research related to the program reveals important information for improving these programs, especially related to the complexity of problems faced by families experiencing substance abuse and the types of interventions needed to improve reunification and reduce out-of-home placements.

* Although waivers are helpful in strengthening our child welfare policy, policymakers must work to implement comprehensive changes to the child welfare system--especially with regard to financing and emphasizing prevention. I am glad that this legislation includes some improvements to the waiver program, including increased reporting on the nature of funding used for a demonstration project and prioritizing early intervention and crisis intervention to safely reduce the number of children removed from their homes. I promise to continue to work actively with my colleagues to push for comprehensive reform for the child welfare system so that we can improve the well-being of children and families.

Source