Issue Position: Family First Implementation

Issue Position

In this workgroup we are focusing on the implementation of new legislation that came out of the federal government back in December. The Family First Act is an attempt to restructure where our federal funds can go when it comes to the Child Foster Care system. In essence, it frees up federal funds to be used for work to be done with families and the child PRIOR to a child being removed. This helps keep families together, and hopefully lessen the burden on a foster care system that we know has come under a lot of scrutiny over the last year.

Part of the work we are doing is providing suggestions to the federal government as to what they should be considering when drafting their rules at a national level. Everything from whether or not non-foster care children should be vaccinated, to whether firearms and ammunition must be stored separately to be considered "safe" for a foster home has been discussed. My goal has and will continue to be to keep families together, and to remove barriers of access for families who are wanting to become foster parents. There are many people in this state who would be better parents than a child living in a hotel room. We just have to make sure that we are drafting language that would exclude the!

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