Title VIII of the Act to Leave No Child Behind (S.448/H.R.936) provides additional federal funding for preventive, crisis, permanency, and post-permanency services for children and parents or other caregivers when they first come to the attention of the child welfare system; when children enter foster care; and when children leave care to be united with their families, adopted, or placed permanently with grandparents or other relatives. Title VIII would also expand eligibility for foster care, adoption assistance, and other services, as well as add funding for children in kinship guardianship arrangements.

Title VIII of the Act to Leave No Child Behind:

* expands the scope of federal financing to support the full range of services necessary to assist families in the child welfare system provide safe, nurturing care for their children, or, when necessary, develop and implement an alternative permanency option for their children;

* establishes the opportunity for states to receive federal reimbursement for preventive, crisis, permanency, and post-permanency services deemed necessary for a specific family, as specified in an agency case plan;

* recognizes the importance and value of kinship guardianship, establishing ongoing monthly support for the guardian, and providing services as needed for the child and relative guardian;

* extends federal support for training reimbursement for private agency staff, courts, and attorneys who have key relationships with children and families involved in the child welfare system;

* eliminates current financial eligibility requirements tied to Aid to Families with Dependent Children standards, thereby making all children eligible to receive federal foster care and adoption assistance reimbursement;

* provides optional Title IV-E federal funding to tribal entities;

* standardizes the Title IV-E federal reimbursement for room and board, administrative costs, training, and services to match the state's federal medical assistance percentage reimbursement, the rate used by the Medicaid program; and

* sets new accountability measures for states, including a provision to report to the federal government and state stakeholders every two years.

For more information, contact Liz Meitner, CWLA Vice President of Government Affairs, at 202/942-0257 or emeitner@cwla.org.