H.R. 5456

Floor Speech

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Mr. BUCHANAN. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following extraneous materials on H.R. 5456, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016: Generations United, Washington, DC, June 13, 2016. Generations United's Statement Supporting the Family First Prevention Services Act

Generations United commends House and Senate leaders on the proposed bipartisan, bicameral Family First Prevention Services Act. This groundbreaking legislation takes the bold step to redirect federal funding to support evidence-based, upfront prevention services, making them available to the approximately 2.5 million children whose grandparents or other relatives step in to care for them, keeping them out of foster care and with family.

Children raised by relatives experience increased stability, and greater safety and permanency and better behavioral and mental health outcomes than children living with non-relatives. Yet, grandparents or other relatives often take on the care of children with little or no warning. These relatives face unique challenges finding information about resources, policies and services to help them navigate their new role providing full time care for children.

Supports offered through the Family First Prevention Services Act such as individual and family therapy, home visiting and kinship navigator programs can offer relatives the support they need to keep children out of foster care and help them thrive.

The proposed legislation will benefit children in grandfamilies by:

Providing a partial federal match to states offering evidence-based Kinship Navigator programs.

Allowing states to use federal funds to support 12 months of prevention services to keep children from needing to enter foster care, including families where a relative is caring for a child.

Addressing barriers to licensure for relatives through the promotion of model family foster care licensing standards with a focus on ensuring states promote placements with family members.

Reducing the amount of time foster children wait to be adopted or placed with relatives across state lines by encouraging states to replace their outdated child placement systems with a more efficient electronic system.

Ensuring more foster children are placed with families by ending federal reimbursement when states inappropriately place children in non-family settings.

Promoting permanency for children by extending adoption and legal guardianship incentive payments.

The proposed bill also reauthorizes the Regional Partnership Grant Program, which provides funding to state and local evidence-based services aimed at preventing child abuse and child neglect due to parental substance abuse, and it extends existing child welfare services for five years through the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.

This trailblazing child welfare legislation stops short of providing important short-term financial assistance to relatives, as included in previous proposals. Relative caregivers are often retired, living on fixed incomes and unprepared to take on the expense of children who come into their care with no chance to plan in advance. Research shows that caregivers in grandfamilies are experienced and savvy financial managers who forgo their own financial needs and dreams to care for children. They often simply lack the needed resources. Generations United looks forward to working with Members of Congress who are championing federal and state solutions to address these ongoing financial challenges. ____ State of Utah, Office of the Governor, Salt Lake City, UT, June 13, 2016. Hon. Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senator, Washington, DC.

Dear Senator Hatch: I write to express my support for the Family First Prevention Service Act of 2016. It is encouraging when Congress recognizes and reinforces the value of safe, strong, and thriving families. This state-federal partnership for children at risk of abuse or neglect requires our most concerted efforts at delivering real solutions.

The act reinforces the positive outcomes of Utah's experience with evidence-based prevention. Since receiving a federal demonstration waiver in 2014, we have been able to put into practice the very elements of in-home family support services, featured in the Family First Prevention Service Act.

You know of my strong belief that states are the laboratories of democracy, and Utah's child welfare work reflects this. Today, we have the experience to know that when children are brought to our child welfare system, their complex circumstances often involve mental health needs, unaddressed substance use disorders, and a lack of positive parenting role models for the parents themselves.

As Utah has responded with services that address these challenges, we see the positive outcomes of keeping children safe with their families. Every child wants a loving home, and the Family First Prevention Service Act will strengthen states' ability to fulfill that expectation.

Thank you for your commitment to our families and for your service to our country. Sincerely, Gary R. Herbert, Governor. ____ Department of Children & Family Services, Baton Rouge, LA, June 14, 2016. Re Family First Prevention Service Act 2016 Hon. Charles W. Boustany, Jr. MD, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman Boustany: As Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), I would like to express my support for the Family First Prevention Service Act of 2016. This legislation is critical for the families of Louisiana and our most vulnerable population of children at risk of abuse or neglect. Your support for this bill will assist DCFS in safely strengthening families by keeping children out of foster care and reduce the costs of ineffective group home settings. The Family First Prevention Service Act reinforces positive outcomes with evidence-based prevention.

DCFS believes every child wants a loving home and the Family First Prevention Service Act will assist DCFS' ability to fulfill that expectation. Thank you for your commitment to Louisiana's families and your service to our country. Sincerely, Marketa Garner Walters, Secretary. ____ National Association for Children's Behavioral Health, June 17, 2016. Hon. Kevin Brady, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC. Hon. Sandy Levin, Ranking Member, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Levin: On behalf of the National Association for Children's Behavioral Health (NACBH), we would like to take this opportunity to offer our support for the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016. We would like to thank you for your leadership in bringing about much needed reform to the very complex and dysfunctional system of care for some of our nation's most vulnerable children and families. As an organization representing mental health and child welfare providers across the country, we understand the challenges faced by our child welfare systems.

Specifically, we applaud the Act for enabling federal IV-E and IV-B funds to be used, for the first time, to offer prevention-based services in hopes that fewer at-risk children will be removed from their families and instead offered supportive services in their homes and communities. The Act's focus on providing increased access to mental health services is a tremendous step forward in addressing the underlying issues that often lead families to enter the child welfare system.

Upon passage of this bill, we look forward to the opportunity to work with Congress and the Administration to address some of the additional complexities of the bill. The ambiguity regarding the payment structures involved in ensuring the necessary treatment services specified in the bill require needed clarity. Our concerns specifically relate to the payment for the required assessments and ensuing mental health and health care services determined to be needed for children and adolescents in qualified residential treatment programs (QRTP).

We appreciate the time and attention to the issues addressed in this bill. We look forward to working with you for continued improvement and system development. Sincerely, Patricia Johnston, Executive Director.

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