Summary of the Child Protection/Alcohol and Drug Partnership Act S.484/H.R.1909

An estimated 40-80% of the children in the child welfare system have families with alcohol and drug (AOD) problems. In order to ensure safety and permanence for these children and appropriate alcohol and drug treatment for their families, increased treatment and other services must be directed to their special needs. This will require increased resources and new partnerships between child welfare and AOD agencies, other service providers, courts, community leaders, and family members. The Child Protection/Alcohol and Drug Partnership Act (S.484/H.R.1909) would provide grants to state child welfare and alcohol and drug agencies to address the impact of alcohol and drug abuse on children and families who come to the attention of the child welfare system.

S.484 was introduced on March 7, 2001, with bipartisan support and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. . H.R. 1909 was introduced on May 17, 2001, and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. It builds on the foundation of the bipartisan Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) which recognizes that the health and safety of children are paramount and accelerates time lines for states to move children in foster care to permanent homes. In order for appropriate and timely decisions to be made about safety and permanence for children, increased services for families with alcohol and drug problems must be provided immediately when children enter foster care. S.484/H.R.1909 would provide grants to state child welfare and alcohol and drug agencies to enable them together to address the treatment needs of these families.

The Child Protection/Alcohol and Drug Partnership Act will promote safety and permanence for children and recovery for their parents. S.484/H.R.1909 will:

Provide $1.9 Billion Over 5 Years for a Range of Activities to Improve Treatment

State child welfare and AOD agencies that apply together will be eligible to receive 5-year grants under a new part of Title IV-B of the Social Security Act to expand treatment for families with alcohol and drug problems who come to the attention of the child welfare system. Indian tribes also may apply.

Funds will be distributed to states based on the number of children under the age of 18 who reside in that state, with a minimum grant for small states to ensure that each state gets sufficient funding to develop useful activities. 3-5 % of the funds will be set aside for grants to Indian tribes and 2% for grants to the Territories.

To encourage state investments, a state match of 15% is required for the first two years, 20% for the next two, and 25% for the fifth year; the match may be modified in special circumstances.

Promote Child Protection/AOD Agency Partnerships to Increase Treatment and Services

State child welfare and alcohol and drug agencies will have flexibility to decide how best to use these funds to enhance treatment. They may use them to:

Develop and/or expand comprehensive individualized alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment services that include:

Preventive and early intervention services for children that address their mental, emotional, and developmental needs;

Prevention and early intervention services for parents at risk for alcohol and drug abuse problems;

Comprehensive home-based, outpatient, and residential treatment options;

After-care support (both formal or informal) for families in recovery that promotes child safety and family stability; and

Services and supports that promote parent-child interaction and focus on children and other family members;

Improve screening and assessment tools;

Implement effective strategies to engage and retain parents in treatment;

Provide joint training of child welfare and AOD staff, judges and court staff; and

Improve data systems to monitor the progress of families and evaluate service and treatment outcomes to determine effective approaches to treatment.

Input in planning and implementation is encouraged from a variety of stakeholders, including staff of alcohol and drug treatment and prevention agencies and child welfare agencies, advocates for children and families, consumers, judges and court staff, and representatives of other agencies and providers offering health, mental health, domestic violence, housing, education, employment and/or TANF services or assistance.

Ensure State Accountability for Outcomes for Children and Families

The Secretary of HHS (together with the Administration for Children and Families, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, state and local government officials, court staff, advocates and consumers) must establish, within the first year after passage of the Act, indicators that will be used to assess the performance of states in using the grant funds.

In evaluating performance, state child welfare and AOD agencies and Indian tribes will be measured against themselves on their joint activities, assessing progress over time against an established baseline.

Each state must submit to the Secretary of HHS annual progress reports and a final report on its evaluation and progress made at the end of each five-year funding cycle of the grant. States that fail to report on the indicators will be denied grant funds for the next fiscal year.

The Secretary of HHS must submit an annual report to Congress on the joint activities, indicators, and progress made, and a report at the end of each five-year funding cycle containing the results of the evaluations and recommendations for future legislative actions.

For more information, call 202/639-4924.

For a complete copy of the bill on the Internet, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:S.484: