114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5456 
AN ACT 
To amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act to invest in funding prevention and family services 
to help keep children safe and supported at home, to 
ensure that children in foster care are placed in the 
least restrictive, most family-like, and appropriate set-
tings, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family First Preven-
tion Services Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
TITLE I—INVESTING IN PREVENTION AND FAMILY SERVICES 
Sec. 101. Purpose. 
Subtitle A—Prevention Activities Under Title IV–E 
Sec. 111. Foster care prevention services and programs. 
Sec. 112. Foster care maintenance payments for children with parents in a li-
censed residential family-based treatment facility for substance 
abuse. 
Sec. 113. Title IV–E payments for evidence-based kinship navigator programs. 
Subtitle B—Enhanced Support Under Title IV–B 
Sec. 121. Elimination of time limit for family reunification services while in fos-
ter care and permitting time-limited family reunification serv-
ices when a child returns home from foster care. 
Sec. 122. Reducing bureaucracy and unnecessary delays when placing children 
in homes across State lines. 
Sec. 123. Enhancements to grants to improve well-being of families affected by 
substance abuse. 
Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 
Sec. 131. Reviewing and improving licensing standards for placement in a rel-
ative foster family home. 
Sec. 132. Development of a statewide plan to prevent child abuse and neglect 
fatalities. 
Sec. 133. Modernizing the title and purpose of title IV–E. 
Sec. 134. Effective dates. 
TITLE II—ENSURING THE NECESSITY OF A PLACEMENT THAT IS 
NOT IN A FOSTER FAMILY HOME 
Sec. 201. Limitation on Federal financial participation for placements that are 
not in foster family homes. 
Sec. 202. Assessment and documentation of the need for placement in a quali-
fied residential treatment program. 
Sec. 203. Protocols to prevent inappropriate diagnoses. 
Sec. 204. Additional data and reports regarding children placed in a setting 
that is not a foster family home. 
Sec. 205. Effective dates; application to waivers.
TITLE III—CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR CHILD AND FAMILY 
SERVICES 
Sec. 301. Supporting and retaining foster families for children. 
Sec. 302. Extension of child and family services programs. 
Sec. 303. Improvements to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Pro-
gram and related provisions. 
TITLE IV—CONTINUING INCENTIVES TO STATES TO PROMOTE 
ADOPTION AND LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP 
Sec. 401. Reauthorizing adoption and legal guardianship incentive programs. 
TITLE V—TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS 
Sec. 501. Technical corrections to data exchange standards to improve program 
coordination. 
Sec. 502. Technical corrections to State requirement to address the develop-
mental needs of young children. 
TITLE VI—ENSURING STATES REINVEST SAVINGS RESULTING 
FROM INCREASE IN ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 
Sec. 601. Delay of adoption assistance phase-in. 
Sec. 602. GAO study and report on State reinvestment of savings resulting 
from increase in adoption assistance. 
TITLE I—INVESTING IN PREVEN-
TION AND FAMILY SERVICES 
SEC. 101. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to enable States to use 
Federal funds available under parts B and E of title IV 
of the Social Security Act to provide enhanced support to 
children and families and prevent foster care placements 
through the provision of mental health and substance 
abuse prevention and treatment services, in-home parent 
skill-based programs, and kinship navigator services.
Subtitle A—Prevention Activities 
Under Title IV–E 
SEC. 111. FOSTER CARE PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO-
GRAMS. 
(a) STATE OPTION.—Section 471 of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 671) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘and’’ and 
all that follows through the semicolon and inserting 
‘‘, adoption assistance in accordance with section 
473, and, at the option of the State, services or pro-
grams specified in subsection (e)(1) of this section 
for children who are candidates for foster care or 
who are pregnant or parenting foster youth and the 
parents or kin caregivers of the children, in accord-
ance with the requirements of that subsection;’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) PREVENTION AND FAMILY SERVICES AND PRO-
GRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the succeeding 
provisions of this subsection, the Secretary may 
make a payment to a State for providing the fol-
lowing services or programs for a child described in 
paragraph (2) and the parents or kin caregivers of 
the child when the need of the child, such a parent, 
or such a caregiver for the services or programs are
directly related to the safety, permanence, or well- 
being of the child or to preventing the child from en-
tering foster care: 
‘‘(A) MENTAL
HEALTH
AND
SUBSTANCE 
ABUSE
PREVENTION
AND
TREATMENT
SERV-
ICES.—Mental health and substance abuse pre-
vention and treatment services provided by a 
qualified clinician for not more than a 12- 
month period that begins on any date described 
in paragraph (3) with respect to the child. 
‘‘(B) IN-HOME PARENT SKILL-BASED PRO-
GRAMS.—In-home parent skill-based programs 
for not more than a 12-month period that be-
gins on any date described in paragraph (3) 
with respect to the child and that include par-
enting skills training, parent education, and in-
dividual and family counseling. 
‘‘(2) CHILD
DESCRIBED.—For purposes of 
paragraph (1), a child described in this paragraph is 
the following: 
‘‘(A) A child who is a candidate for foster 
care (as defined in section 475(13)) but can re-
main safely at home or in a kinship placement 
with receipt of services or programs specified in 
paragraph (1).
‘‘(B) A child in foster care who is a preg-
nant or parenting foster youth. 
‘‘(3) DATE DESCRIBED.—For purposes of para-
graph (1), the dates described in this paragraph are 
the following: 
‘‘(A) The date on which a child is identi-
fied in a prevention plan maintained under 
paragraph (4) as a child who is a candidate for 
foster care (as defined in section 475(13)). 
‘‘(B) The date on which a child is identi-
fied in a prevention plan maintained under 
paragraph (4) as a pregnant or parenting foster 
youth in need of services or programs specified 
in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(4) REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO PROVIDING 
SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.—Services and programs 
specified in paragraph (1) may be provided under 
this subsection only if specified in advance in the 
child’s prevention plan described in subparagraph 
(A) and the requirements in subparagraphs (B) 
through (E) are met: 
‘‘(A) 
PREVENTION
PLAN.—The 
State 
maintains a written prevention plan for the 
child that meets the following requirements (as 
applicable):
‘‘(i) CANDIDATES.—In the case of a 
child who is a candidate for foster care de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(A), the prevention 
plan shall— 
‘‘(I) identify the foster care pre-
vention strategy for the child so that 
the child may remain safely at home, 
live temporarily with a kin caregiver 
until 
reunification 
can 
be 
safely 
achieved, or live permanently with a 
kin caregiver; 
‘‘(II) list the services or pro-
grams to be provided to or on behalf 
of the child to ensure the success of 
that prevention strategy; and 
‘‘(III) comply with such other re-
quirements as the Secretary shall es-
tablish. 
‘‘(ii) PREGNANT OR PARENTING FOS-
TER YOUTH.—In the case of a child who is 
a pregnant or parenting foster youth de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(B), the preven-
tion plan shall—
‘‘(I) be included in the child’s 
case plan required under section 
475(1); 
‘‘(II) list the services or pro-
grams to be provided to or on behalf 
of the youth to ensure that the youth 
is prepared (in the case of a pregnant 
foster youth) or able (in the case of a 
parenting foster youth) to be a par-
ent; 
‘‘(III) describe the foster care 
prevention strategy for any child born 
to the youth; and 
‘‘(IV) comply with such other re-
quirements as the Secretary shall es-
tablish. 
‘‘(B) TRAUMA-INFORMED.—The services or 
programs to be provided to or on behalf of a 
child are provided under an organizational 
structure and treatment framework that in-
volves understanding, recognizing, and respond-
ing to the effects of all types of trauma and in 
accordance with recognized principles of a trau-
ma-informed 
approach 
and 
trauma-specific
interventions to address trauma’s consequences 
and facilitate healing. 
‘‘(C) ONLY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS PRO-
VIDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROMISING, SUP-
PORTED, OR WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES PER-
MITTED.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Only State ex-
penditures for services or programs speci-
fied in subparagraph (A) or (B) of para-
graph (1) that are provided in accordance 
with practices that meet the requirements 
specified in clause (ii) of this subparagraph 
and that meet the requirements specified 
in clause (iii), (iv), or (v), respectively, for 
being a promising, supported, or well-sup-
ported practice, shall be eligible for a Fed-
eral matching payment under section 
474(a)(6)(A). 
‘‘(ii) GENERAL
PRACTICE
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—The general practice require-
ments specified in this clause are the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(I) The practice has a book, 
manual, or other available writings 
that specify the components of the
practice protocol and describe how to 
administer the practice. 
‘‘(II) There is no empirical basis 
suggesting that, compared to its likely 
benefits, the practice constitutes a 
risk of harm to those receiving it. 
‘‘(III) If multiple outcome studies 
have been conducted, the overall 
weight of evidence supports the bene-
fits of the practice. 
‘‘(IV) Outcome measures are reli-
able and valid, and are administrated 
consistently and accurately across all 
those receiving the practice. 
‘‘(V) There is no case data sug-
gesting a risk of harm that was prob-
ably caused by the treatment and that 
was severe or frequent. 
‘‘(iii) PROMISING PRACTICE.—A prac-
tice shall be considered to be a ‘promising 
practice’ if the practice is superior to an 
appropriate comparison practice using con-
ventional standards of statistical signifi-
cance (in terms of demonstrated meaning-
ful improvements in validated measures of
important child and parent outcomes, such 
as mental health, substance abuse, and 
child safety and well-being), as established 
by the results or outcomes of at least one 
study that— 
‘‘(I) was rated by an independent 
systematic review for the quality of 
the study design and execution and 
determined to be well-designed and 
well-executed; and 
‘‘(II) utilized some form of con-
trol (such as an untreated group, a 
placebo group, or a wait list study). 
‘‘(iv) SUPPORTED PRACTICE.—A prac-
tice shall be considered to be a ‘supported 
practice’ if— 
‘‘(I) the practice is superior to an 
appropriate comparison practice using 
conventional standards of statistical 
significance (in terms of demonstrated 
meaningful improvements in validated 
measures of important child and par-
ent outcomes, such as mental health, 
substance abuse, and child safety and 
well-being), as established by the re-
‘‘(I) the practice is superior to an 
appropriate comparison practice using 
conventional standards of statistical 
significance (in terms of demonstrated 
meaningful improvements in validated 
measures of important child and par-
ent outcomes, such as mental health, 
substance abuse, and child safety and 
well-being), as established by the re-
sults or outcomes of at least two stud-
ies that— 
‘‘(aa) were rated by an inde-
pendent systematic review for the 
quality of the study design and 
execution and determined to be 
well-designed and well-executed; 
‘‘(bb) were rigorous random- 
controlled trials (or, if not avail-
able, studies using a rigorous 
quasi-experimental research de-
sign); and 
‘‘(cc) were carried out in a 
usual care or practice setting; 
and
‘‘(II) at least one of the studies 
described in subclause (I) established 
that the practice has a sustained ef-
fect (when compared to a control 
group) for at least 1 year beyond the 
end of treatment. 
‘‘(D) GUIDANCE ON PRACTICES CRITERIA 
AND
PRE-APPROVED
SERVICES
AND
PRO-
GRAMS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Oc-
tober 1, 2018, the Secretary shall issue 
guidance to States regarding the practices 
criteria required for services or programs 
to satisfy the requirements of subpara-
graph (C). The guidance shall include a 
pre-approved list of services and programs 
that satisfy the requirements. 
‘‘(ii) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall 
issue updates to the guidance required by 
clause (i) as often as the Secretary deter-
mines necessary. 
‘‘(E) OUTCOME ASSESSMENT AND REPORT-
ING.—The State shall collect and report to the 
Secretary the following information with respect 
to each child for whom, or on whose behalf
‘‘(B) PREVENTION
SERVICES
AND
PRO-
GRAMS PLAN COMPONENT.—In order to meet 
the requirements of this subparagraph, a pre-
vention services and programs plan component, 
with respect to each 5-year period for which the 
plan component is in operation in the State, 
shall include the following: 
‘‘(i) How providing services and pro-
grams specified in paragraph (1) is ex-
pected to improve specific outcomes for 
children and families. 
‘‘(ii) How the State will monitor and 
oversee the safety of children who receive 
services and programs specified in para-
graph (1), including through periodic risk 
assessments throughout the period in 
which the services and programs are pro-
vided on behalf of a child and reexamina-
tion of the prevention plan maintained for 
the child under paragraph (4) for the pro-
vision of the services or programs if the 
State determines the risk of the child en-
tering foster care remains high despite the 
provision of the services or programs.
‘‘(iii) With respect to the services and 
programs specified in subparagraphs (A) 
and (B) of paragraph (1), information on 
the specific promising, supported, or well- 
supported practices the State plans to use 
to provide the services or programs, includ-
ing a description of— 
‘‘(I) the services or programs and 
whether the practices used are prom-
ising, supported, or well-supported; 
‘‘(II) how the State plans to im-
plement the services or programs, in-
cluding how implementation of the 
services or programs will be continu-
ously monitored to ensure fidelity to 
the practice model and to determine 
outcomes achieved and how informa-
tion learned from the monitoring will 
be used to refine and improve prac-
tices; 
‘‘(III) how the State selected the 
services or programs; 
‘‘(IV) the target population for 
the services or programs; and
‘‘(V) how each service or pro-
gram provided will be evaluated 
through a well-designed and rigorous 
process, which may consist of an on-
going, cross-site evaluation approved 
by the Secretary. 
‘‘(iv) A description of the consultation 
that the State agencies responsible for ad-
ministering the State plans under this part 
and part B engage in with other State 
agencies 
responsible 
for 
administering 
health programs, including mental health 
and substance abuse prevention and treat-
ment services, and with other public and 
private agencies with experience in admin-
istering child and family services, including 
community-based organizations, in order to 
foster a continuum of care for children de-
scribed in paragraph (2) and their parents 
or kin caregivers. 
‘‘(v) A description of how the State 
shall assess children and their parents or 
kin caregivers to determine eligibility for 
services or programs specified in para-
graph (1).
‘‘(vi) A description of how the services 
or programs specified in paragraph (1) 
that are provided for or on behalf of a 
child and the parents or kin caregivers of 
the child will be coordinated with other 
child and family services provided to the 
child and the parents or kin caregivers of 
the child under the State plan under part 
B. 
‘‘(vii) Descriptions of steps the State 
is taking to support and enhance a com-
petent, skilled, and professional child wel-
fare workforce to deliver trauma-informed 
and evidence-based services, including— 
‘‘(I) ensuring that staff is quali-
fied to provide services or programs 
that are consistent with the prom-
ising, supported, or well-supported 
practice models selected; and 
‘‘(II) developing appropriate pre-
vention plans, and conducting the risk 
assessments required under clause 
(iii). 
‘‘(viii) A description of how the State 
will provide training and support for case-
workers in assessing what children and 
their families need, connecting to the fami-
lies served, knowing how to access and de-
liver the needed trauma-informed and evi-
dence-based services, and overseeing and 
evaluating the continuing appropriateness 
of the services. 
‘‘(ix) A description of how caseload 
size and type for prevention caseworkers 
will be determined, managed, and overseen. 
‘‘(x) An assurance that the State will 
report to the Secretary such information 
and data as the Secretary may require 
with respect to the provision of services 
and programs specified in paragraph (1), 
including information and data necessary 
to determine the performance measures for 
the State under paragraph (6) and compli-
ance with paragraph (7). 
‘‘(C) 
REIMBURSEMENT
FOR
SERVICES 
UNDER THE PREVENTION PLAN COMPONENT.— 
‘‘(i) LIMITATION.—Except as provided 
in subclause (ii), a State may not receive 
a Federal payment under this part for a 
given promising, supported, or well-sup-
ported practice unless (in accordance with 
subparagraph (B)(iii)(V)) the plan includes 
a well-designed and rigorous evaluation 
strategy for that practice. 
‘‘(ii) WAIVER
OF
LIMITATION.—The 
Secretary may waive the requirement for a 
well-designed and rigorous evaluation of 
any well-supported practice if the Sec-
retary deems the evidence of the effective-
ness of the practice to be compelling and 
the State meets the continuous quality im-
provement requirements included in sub-
paragraph (B)(iii)(II) with regard to the 
practice. 
‘‘(6) PREVENTION SERVICES MEASURES.— 
‘‘(A) 
ESTABLISHMENT; 
ANNUAL
UP-
DATES.—Beginning with fiscal year 2021, and 
annually thereafter, the Secretary shall estab-
lish the following prevention services measures 
based on information and data reported by 
States that elect to provide services and pro-
grams specified in paragraph (1): 
‘‘(i) PERCENTAGE
OF
CANDIDATES 
FOR FOSTER CARE WHO DO NOT ENTER 
FOSTER
CARE.—The percentage of can-
didates for foster care for whom, or on 
whose behalf, the services or programs are 
provided who do not enter foster care, in-
cluding those placed with a kin caregiver 
outside of foster care, during the 12-month 
period in which the services or programs 
are provided and through the end of the 
succeeding 12-month-period. 
‘‘(ii) 
PER-CHILD
SPENDING.—The 
total amount of expenditures made for 
mental health and substance abuse preven-
tion and treatment services or in-home 
parent skill-based programs, respectively, 
for, or on behalf of, each child described in 
paragraph (2). 
‘‘(B) DATA.—The Secretary shall establish 
and annually update the prevention services 
measures— 
‘‘(i) based on the median State values 
of the information reported under each 
clause of subparagraph (A) for the 3 then 
most recent years; and 
‘‘(ii) taking into account State dif-
ferences in the price levels of consumption 
goods and services using the most recent
regional price parities published by the Bu-
reau of Economic Analysis of the Depart-
ment of Commerce or such other data as 
the Secretary determines appropriate. 
‘‘(C) PUBLICATION OF STATE PREVENTION 
SERVICES MEASURES.—The Secretary shall an-
nually make available to the public the preven-
tion services measures of each State. 
‘‘(7) MAINTENANCE
OF
EFFORT
FOR
STATE 
FOSTER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a State elects to 
provide services and programs specified in para-
graph (1) for a fiscal year, the State foster care 
prevention expenditures for the fiscal year shall 
not be less than the amount of the expenditures 
for fiscal year 2014. 
‘‘(B) STATE
FOSTER
CARE
PREVENTION 
EXPENDITURES.—The term ‘State foster care 
prevention expenditures’ means the following: 
‘‘(i) TANF; IV–B; SSBG.—State ex-
penditures for foster care prevention serv-
ices and activities under the State program 
funded under part A (including from 
amounts made available by the Federal 
Government), under the State plan devel-
oped under part B (including any such 
amounts), or under the Social Services 
Block Grant Programs under subtitle A of 
title XX (including any such amounts). 
‘‘(ii) OTHER
STATE
PROGRAMS.— 
State expenditures for foster care preven-
tion services and activities under any State 
program that is not described in clause (i) 
(other than any State expenditures for fos-
ter care prevention services and activities 
under the State program under this part 
(including under a waiver of the pro-
gram)). 
‘‘(C) STATE
EXPENDITURES.—The term 
‘State expenditures’ means all State or local 
funds that are expended by the State or a local 
agency including State or local funds that are 
matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern-
ment and State or local funds that are not 
matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern-
ment. 
‘‘(D) DETERMINATION
OF
PREVENTION 
SERVICES
AND
ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 
shall require each State that elects to provide 
services and programs specified in paragraph
(1) to report the expenditures specified in sub-
paragraph (B) for fiscal year 2014 and for such 
fiscal years thereafter as are necessary to deter-
mine whether the State is complying with the 
maintenance of effort requirement in subpara-
graph (A). The Secretary shall specify the spe-
cific services and activities under each program 
referred to in subparagraph (B) that are ‘pre-
vention services and activities’ for purposes of 
the reports. 
‘‘(8) PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF STATE FOS-
TER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES AND FED-
ERAL IV–E PREVENTION FUNDS FOR MATCHING OR 
EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENT.—A State that elects 
to provide services and programs specified in para-
graph (1) shall not use any State foster care preven-
tion expenditures for a fiscal year for the State 
share of expenditures under section 474(a)(6) for a 
fiscal year. 
‘‘(9) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS.—Expenditures 
described in section 474(a)(6)(B)— 
‘‘(A) shall not be eligible for payment 
under subparagraph (A), (B), or (E) of section 
474(a)(3); and
‘‘(B) shall be eligible for payment under 
section 474(a)(6)(B) without regard to whether 
the expenditures are incurred on behalf of a 
child who is, or is potentially, eligible for foster 
care maintenance payments under this part. 
‘‘(10) APPLICATION.—The provision of services 
or programs under this subsection to or on behalf of 
a child described in paragraph (2) shall not be con-
sidered to be receipt of aid or assistance under the 
State plan under this part for purposes of eligibility 
for any other program established under this Act.’’. 
(b) DEFINITION.—Section 475 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 675) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(13) The term ‘child who is a candidate for 
foster care’ means, a child who is identified in a pre-
vention plan under section 471(e)(4)(A) as being at 
imminent risk of entering foster care (without re-
gard to whether the child would be eligible for foster 
care maintenance payments under section 472 or is 
or would be eligible for adoption assistance or kin-
ship guardianship assistance payments under section 
473) but who can remain safely in the child’s home 
or in a kinship placement as long as services or pro-
grams specified in section 471(e)(1) that are nec-
essary to prevent the entry of the child into foster 
care are provided. The term includes a child whose 
adoption or guardianship arrangement is at risk of 
a disruption or dissolution that would result in a 
foster care placement.’’. 
(c) PAYMENTS UNDER TITLE IV–E.—Section 474(a) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; plus’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) subject to section 471(e)— 
‘‘(A) for each quarter— 
‘‘(i) subject to clause (ii)— 
‘‘(I) beginning after September 
30, 2019, and before October 1, 2025, 
an amount equal to 50 percent of the 
total amount expended during the 
quarter for the provision of services or 
programs specified in subparagraph 
(A) or (B) of section 471(e)(1) that 
are provided in accordance with prom-
ising, supported, or well-supported 
practices that meet the applicable cri-
teria specified for the practices in sec-
tion 471(e)(4)(C); and
‘‘(II) beginning after September 
30, 2025, an amount equal to the 
Federal medical assistance percentage 
(which shall be as defined in section 
1905(b), in the case of a State other 
than the District of Columbia, or 70 
percent, in the case of the District of 
Columbia) of the total amount ex-
pended during the quarter for the pro-
vision of services or programs speci-
fied in subparagraph (A) or (B) of 
section 471(e)(1) that are provided in 
accordance with promising, supported, 
or well-supported practices that meet 
the applicable criteria specified for the 
practices in section 471(e)(4)(C) (or, 
with respect to the payments made 
during the quarter under a coopera-
tive agreement or contract entered 
into by the State and an Indian tribe, 
tribal organization, or tribal consor-
tium for the administration or pay-
ment of funds under this part, an 
amount equal to the Federal medical 
assistance 
percentage 
that 
would
apply under section 479B(d) (in this 
paragraph referred to as the ‘tribal 
FMAP’) if the Indian tribe, tribal or-
ganization, or tribal consortium made 
the payments under a program oper-
ated under that section, unless the 
tribal FMAP is less than the Federal 
medical assistance percentage that ap-
plies to the State); except that 
‘‘(ii) not less than 50 percent of the 
total amount payable to a State under 
clause (i) for a fiscal year shall be for the 
provision of services or programs specified 
in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 
471(e)(1) that are provided in accordance 
with well-supported practices; plus 
‘‘(B) for each quarter specified in subpara-
graph (A), an amount equal to the sum of the 
following proportions of the total amount ex-
pended during the quarter: 
‘‘(i) 50 percent of so much of the ex-
penditures as are found necessary by the 
Secretary for the proper and efficient ad-
ministration of the State plan for the pro-
vision of services or programs specified in
section 471(e)(1), including expenditures 
for activities approved by the Secretary 
that promote the development of necessary 
processes and procedures to establish and 
implement the provision of the services and 
programs for individuals who are eligible 
for the services and programs and expendi-
tures attributable to data collection and re-
porting; and 
‘‘(ii) 50 percent of so much of the ex-
penditures with respect to the provision of 
services and programs specified in section 
471(e)(1) as are for training of personnel 
employed or preparing for employment by 
the State agency or by the local agency ad-
ministering the plan in the political sub-
division and of the members of the staff of 
State-licensed or State-approved child wel-
fare agencies providing services to children 
described in section 471(e)(2) and their 
parents or kin caregivers, including on how 
to determine who are individuals eligible 
for the services or programs, how to iden-
tify and provide appropriate services and 
programs, and how to oversee and evaluate
the ongoing appropriateness of the services 
and programs.’’. 
(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES, 
CLEARINGHOUSE, AND DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUA-
TIONS.—Section 476 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES, 
CLEARINGHOUSE, DATA COLLECTION, AND EVALUATIONS 
RELATING TO PREVENTION SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRAC-
TICES.—The Secretary shall provide to States and, 
as applicable, to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 
and tribal consortia, technical assistance regarding 
the provision of services and programs described in 
section 471(e)(1) and shall disseminate best prac-
tices with respect to the provision of the services and 
programs, including how to plan and implement a 
well-designed and rigorous evaluation of a prom-
ising, supported, or well-supported practice. 
‘‘(2) CLEARINGHOUSE
OF
PROMISING, SUP-
PORTED, AND
WELL-SUPPORTED
PRACTICES.—The 
Secretary shall, directly or through grants, con-
tracts, or interagency agreements, evaluate research 
on the practices specified in clauses (iii), (iv), and 
(v), respectively, of section 471(e)(4)(C), and pro-
grams that meet the requirements described in sec-
tion 427(a)(1), including culturally specific, or 
location- or population-based adaptations of the 
practices, to identify and establish a public clearing-
house of the practices that satisfy each category de-
scribed by such clauses. In addition, the clearing-
house shall include information on the specific out-
comes associated with each practice, including 
whether the practice has been shown to prevent child 
abuse and neglect and reduce the likelihood of foster 
care placement by supporting birth families and kin-
ship families and improving targeted supports for 
pregnant and parenting youth and their children. 
‘‘(3) DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATIONS.— 
The Secretary, directly or through grants, contracts, 
or interagency agreements, may collect data and 
conduct evaluations with respect to the provision of 
services and programs described in section 471(e)(1) 
for purposes of assessing the extent to which the 
provision of the services and programs— 
‘‘(A) reduces the likelihood of foster care 
placement; 
‘‘(B) increases use of kinship care arrange-
ments; or 
‘‘(C) improves child well-being.
‘‘(4) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Finance of the 
Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means 
of the House of Representatives periodic reports 
based on the provision of services and programs 
described in section 471(e)(1) and the activities 
carried out under this subsection. 
‘‘(B) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The Sec-
retary shall make the reports to Congress sub-
mitted under this paragraph publicly available. 
‘‘(5) APPROPRIATION.—Out of any money in 
the Treasury of the United States not otherwise ap-
propriated, there is appropriated to the Secretary 
$1,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 and each fiscal year 
thereafter to carry out this subsection.’’. 
(e) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY IN-
DIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 479B of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 679c) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (c)(1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (C)(i)— 
(I) in subclause (II), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon;
(II) in subclause (III), by strik-
ing the period at the end and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’; and 
(III) by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(IV) at the option of the tribe, 
organization, or consortium, services 
and programs specified in section 
471(e)(1) to children described in sec-
tion 471(e)(2) and their parents or 
kin caregivers, in accordance with sec-
tion 471(e) and subparagraph (E).’’; 
and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(E) PREVENTION
SERVICES
AND
PRO-
GRAMS
FOR
CHILDREN
AND
THEIR
PARENTS 
AND KIN CAREGIVERS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a 
tribe, organization, or consortium that 
elects to provide services and programs 
specified in section 471(e)(1) to children 
described in section 471(e)(2) and their 
parents or kin caregivers under the plan, 
the Secretary shall specify the require-
ments applicable to the provision of the 
services and programs. The requirements 
shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be 
consistent with the requirements applicable 
to States under section 471(e) and shall 
permit the provision of the services and 
programs in the form of services and pro-
grams that are adapted to the culture and 
context of the tribal communities served. 
‘‘(ii) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—The 
Secretary shall establish specific perform-
ance measures for each tribe, organization, 
or consortium that elects to provide serv-
ices and programs specified in section 
471(e)(1). 
The 
performance 
measures 
shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be 
consistent with the prevention services 
measures required for States under section 
471(e)(6) but shall allow for consideration 
of factors unique to the provision of the 
services by tribes, organizations, or con-
sortia.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘and 
(5)’’ and inserting ‘‘(5), and (6)(A)’’.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 
for subsection (d) of section 479B of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 679c) is amended by striking ‘‘FOR FOSTER 
CARE MAINTENANCE AND ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 
PAYMENTS’’. 
SEC. 112. FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE PAYMENTS FOR 
CHILDREN WITH PARENTS IN A LICENSED 
RESIDENTIAL 
FAMILY-BASED 
TREATMENT 
FACILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 472 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 672) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by striking ‘‘or’’ 
and inserting ‘‘, with a parent residing in a licensed 
residential family-based treatment facility, but only 
to the extent permitted under subsection (j), or in 
a’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) CHILDREN PLACED WITH A PARENT RESIDING 
IN
A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREAT-
MENT FACILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the pre-
ceding provisions of this section, a child who is eligi-
ble for foster care maintenance payments under this 
section, or who would be eligible for the payments if 
the eligibility were determined without regard to
paragraphs (1)(B) and (3) of subsection (a), shall be 
eligible for the payments for a period of not more 
than 12 months during which the child is placed 
with a parent who is in a licensed residential family- 
based treatment facility for substance abuse, but 
only if— 
‘‘(A) the recommendation for the place-
ment is specified in the child’s case plan before 
the placement; 
‘‘(B) the treatment facility provides, as 
part of the treatment for substance abuse, par-
enting skills training, parent education, and in-
dividual and family counseling; and 
‘‘(C) the substance abuse treatment, par-
enting skills training, parent education, and in-
dividual and family counseling is provided 
under an organizational structure and treat-
ment framework that involves understanding, 
recognizing, and responding to the effects of all 
types of trauma and in accordance with recog-
nized principles of a trauma-informed approach 
and trauma-specific interventions to address the 
consequences of trauma and facilitate healing. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—With respect to children 
for whom foster care maintenance payments are
made under paragraph (1), only the children who 
satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (1)(B) and 
(3) of subsection (a) shall be considered to be chil-
dren with respect to whom foster care maintenance 
payments are made under this section for purposes 
of subsection (h) or section 473(b)(3)(B).’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 474(a)(1) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(1)) is amended by inserting 
‘‘subject to section 472(j),’’ before ‘‘an amount equal to 
the Federal’’ the first place it appears. 
SEC. 113. TITLE IV–E PAYMENTS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED 
KINSHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS. 
Section 474(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
674(a)), as amended by section 111(c), is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; plus’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) an amount equal to 50 percent of the 
amounts expended by the State during the quarter 
as the Secretary determines are for kinship navi-
gator programs that meet the requirements de-
scribed in section 427(a)(1) and that the Secretary 
determines are operated in accordance with prom-
ising, supported, or well-supported practices that 
meet the applicable criteria specified for the prac-
tices in section 471(e)(4)(C), without regard to 
whether the expenditures are incurred on behalf of 
children who are, or are potentially, eligible for fos-
ter care maintenance payments under this part.’’. 
Subtitle B—Enhanced Support 
Under Title IV–B 
SEC. 121. ELIMINATION OF TIME LIMIT FOR FAMILY REUNI-
FICATION SERVICES WHILE IN FOSTER CARE 
AND PERMITTING TIME-LIMITED FAMILY RE-
UNIFICATION SERVICES WHEN A CHILD RE-
TURNS HOME FROM FOSTER CARE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 431(a)(7) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(7)) is amended— 
(1) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
‘‘TIME-LIMITED FAMILY’’ and inserting ‘‘FAMILY’’; 
and 
(2) in subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘time-limited family’’ and 
inserting ‘‘family’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘or a child who has been 
returned home’’ after ‘‘child care institution’’; 
and 
(C) by striking ‘‘, but only during the 15- 
month period that begins on the date that the 
child, pursuant to section 475(5)(F), is consid-
ered to have entered foster care’’ and inserting 
‘‘and to ensure the strength and stability of the 
reunification. In the case of a child who has 
been returned home, the services and activities 
shall only be provided during the 15-month pe-
riod that begins on the date that the child re-
turns home’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) Section 430 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629) is 
amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘time-limited’’. 
(2) Subsections (a)(4), (a)(5)(A), and (b)(1) of 
section 432 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629b) are 
amended by striking ‘‘time-limited’’ each place it ap-
pears. 
SEC. 122. REDUCING BUREAUCRACY AND UNNECESSARY 
DELAYS 
WHEN 
PLACING 
CHILDREN 
IN 
HOMES ACROSS STATE LINES. 
(a) 
STATE
PLAN
REQUIREMENT.—Section 
471(a)(25) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
671(a)(25)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘provide’’ and insert ‘‘provides’’; 
and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘, which, not later than Octo-
ber 1, 2026, shall include the use of an electronic
interstate case-processing system’’ before the first 
semicolon. 
(b) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC-
TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EX-
PEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN 
FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.— 
Section 437 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC-
TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EX-
PEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN 
FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.— 
‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection 
is to facilitate the development of an electronic inter-
state case-processing system for the exchange of 
data and documents to expedite the placements of 
children in foster, guardianship, or adoptive homes 
across State lines. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION
REQUIREMENTS.—A State 
that desires a grant under this subsection shall sub-
mit to the Secretary an application containing the 
following: 
‘‘(A) A description of the goals and out-
comes to be achieved during the period for
which grant funds are sought, which goals and 
outcomes must result in— 
‘‘(i) reducing the time it takes for a 
child to be provided with a safe and appro-
priate 
permanent 
living 
arrangement 
across State lines; 
‘‘(ii) improving administrative proc-
esses and reducing costs in the foster care 
system; and 
‘‘(iii) the secure exchange of relevant 
case files and other necessary materials in 
real time, and timely communications and 
placement decisions regarding interstate 
placements of children. 
‘‘(B) A description of the activities to be 
funded in whole or in part with the grant 
funds, including the sequencing of the activities. 
‘‘(C) A description of the strategies for in-
tegrating programs and services for children 
who are placed across State lines. 
‘‘(D) Such other information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(3) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 
make a grant to a State that complies with para-
graph (2).
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—A State to which a grant 
is made under this subsection shall use the grant to 
support the State in connecting with the electronic 
interstate case-processing system described in para-
graph (1). 
‘‘(5) EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the final year in which grants are awarded 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Congress, and make available to the general 
public by posting on a website, a report that con-
tains the following information: 
‘‘(A) How using the electronic interstate 
case-processing system developed pursuant to 
paragraph (4) has changed the time it takes for 
children to be placed across State lines. 
‘‘(B) The number of cases subject to the 
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Chil-
dren that were processed through the electronic 
interstate case-processing system, and the num-
ber of interstate child placement cases that 
were processed outside the electronic interstate 
case-processing system, by each State in each 
year.
‘‘(C) The progress made by States in im-
plementing the electronic interstate case-proc-
essing system. 
‘‘(D) How using the electronic interstate 
case-processing system has affected various 
metrics related to child safety and well-being, 
including the time it takes for children to be 
placed across State lines. 
‘‘(E) How using the electronic interstate 
case-processing system has affected administra-
tive costs and caseworker time spent on placing 
children across State lines. 
‘‘(6) DATA
INTEGRATION.—The Secretary, in 
consultation with the Secretariat for the Interstate 
Compact on the Placement of Children and the 
States, shall assess how the electronic interstate 
case-processing system developed pursuant to para-
graph (4) could be used to better serve and protect 
children that come to the attention of the child wel-
fare system, by— 
‘‘(A) connecting the system with other 
data systems (such as systems operated by 
State law enforcement and judicial agencies, 
systems operated by the Federal Bureau of In-
vestigation for the purposes of the Innocence 
Lost National Initiative, and other systems); 
‘‘(B) simplifying and improving reporting 
related to paragraphs (34) and (35) of section 
471(a) regarding children or youth who have 
been identified as being a sex trafficking victim 
or children missing from foster care; and 
‘‘(C) improving the ability of States to 
quickly comply with background check require-
ments of section 471(a)(20), including checks of 
child abuse and neglect registries as required by 
section 471(a)(20)(B).’’. 
(c) RESERVATION
OF FUNDS TO IMPROVE
THE 
INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN.—Section 437(b) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(b)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) IMPROVING THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT 
OF
CHILDREN.—The 
Secretary 
shall 
reserve 
$5,000,000 of the amount made available for fiscal 
year 2017 for grants under subsection (g), and the 
amount so reserved shall remain available through 
fiscal year 2021.’’.
SEC. 123. ENHANCEMENTS TO GRANTS TO IMPROVE WELL- 
BEING OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY SUB-
STANCE ABUSE. 
Section 437(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
629g(f)) is amended— 
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘IN-
CREASE THE WELL-BEING OF, AND TO IMPROVE 
THE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES FOR, CHILDREN AF-
FECTED BY’’ and inserting ‘‘IMPLEMENT IV–E PRE-
VENTION
SERVICES, AND
IMPROVE
THE
WELL- 
BEING OF, AND IMPROVE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES 
FOR, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY HER-
OIN, OPIOIDS, AND OTHER’’; 
(2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(2) REGIONAL
PARTNERSHIP
DEFINED.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘regional partnership’ 
means a collaborative agreement (which may be es-
tablished on an interstate, State, or intrastate basis) 
entered into by the following: 
‘‘(A) MANDATORY
PARTNERS
FOR
ALL 
PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.— 
‘‘(i) The State child welfare agency 
that is responsible for the administration 
of the State plan under this part and part 
E.
‘‘(ii) The State agency responsible for 
administering the substance abuse preven-
tion and treatment block grant provided 
under subpart II of part B of title XIX of 
the Public Health Service Act. 
‘‘(B) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR PART-
NERSHIP GRANTS PROPOSING TO SERVE CHIL-
DREN IN OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS.—If the 
partnership proposes to serve children in out-of- 
home placements, the Juvenile Court or Admin-
istrative Office of the Court that is most appro-
priate to oversee the administration of court 
programs in the region to address the popu-
lation of families who come to the attention of 
the court due to child abuse or neglect. 
‘‘(C) OPTIONAL PARTNERS.—At the option 
of the partnership, any of the following: 
‘‘(i) An Indian tribe or tribal consor-
tium. 
‘‘(ii) Nonprofit child welfare service 
providers. 
‘‘(iii) For-profit child welfare service 
providers.
‘‘(iv) Community health service pro-
viders, including substance abuse treat-
ment providers. 
‘‘(v) Community mental health pro-
viders. 
‘‘(vi) Local law enforcement agencies. 
‘‘(vii) School personnel. 
‘‘(viii) Tribal child welfare agencies 
(or a consortia of the agencies). 
‘‘(ix) Any other providers, agencies, 
personnel, officials, or entities that are re-
lated to the provision of child and family 
services under a State plan approved under 
this subpart. 
‘‘(D) EXCEPTION
FOR
REGIONAL
PART-
NERSHIPS WHERE THE LEAD APPLICANT IS AN 
INDIAN TRIBE OR TRIBAL CONSORTIA.—If an 
Indian tribe or tribal consortium enters into a 
regional partnership for purposes of this sub-
section, the Indian tribe or tribal consortium— 
‘‘(i) may (but is not required to) in-
clude the State child welfare agency as a 
partner in the collaborative agreement; 
‘‘(ii) may not enter into a collabo-
rative agreement only with tribal child wel-
fare agencies (or a consortium of the agen-
cies); and 
‘‘(iii) if the condition described in 
paragraph (2)(B) applies, may include 
tribal court organizations in lieu of other 
judicial partners.’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘$500,000 and not 
more than $1,000,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$250,000 
and 
not 
more 
than 
$1,000,000’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in the subparagraph heading, by 
inserting ‘‘; PLANNING’’ after ‘‘APPROVAL’’; 
(ii) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘clause 
(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘clauses (ii) and (iii)’’; 
and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) 
SUFFICIENT
PLANNING.—A 
grant awarded under this subsection shall 
be disbursed in two phases: a planning
phase (not to exceed 2 years); and an im-
plementation phase. The total disburse-
ment to a grantee for the planning phase 
may not exceed $250,000, and may not ex-
ceed the total anticipated funding for the 
implementation phase.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) LIMITATION ON PAYMENT FOR A FIS-
CAL YEAR.—No payment shall be made under 
subparagraph (A) or (C) for a fiscal year until 
the Secretary determines that the eligible part-
nership has made sufficient progress in meeting 
the goals of the grant and that the members of 
the eligible partnership are coordinating to a 
reasonable degree with the other members of 
the eligible partnership.’’; 
(4) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, par-
ents, and families’’ after ‘‘children’’; 
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘safety 
and permanence for such children; and’’ 
and inserting ‘‘safe, permanent caregiving 
relationships for the children;’’;
(iii) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘or’’ 
and inserting ‘‘increase reunification rates 
for children who have been placed in out of 
home care, or decrease’’; and 
(iv) by redesignating clause (iii) as 
clause (v) and inserting after clause (ii) 
the following: 
‘‘(iii) improve the substance abuse 
treatment outcomes for parents including 
retention in treatment and successful com-
pletion of treatment; 
‘‘(iv) facilitate the implementation, de-
livery, and effectiveness of prevention serv-
ices and programs under section 471(e); 
and’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘where appropriate,’’; and 
(C) by striking subparagraphs (E) and (F) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(E) A description of a plan for sustaining 
the services provided by or activities funded 
under the grant after the conclusion of the 
grant period, including through the use of pre-
vention services and programs under section 
471(e) and other funds provided to the State
for child welfare and substance abuse preven-
tion and treatment services. 
‘‘(F) Additional information needed by the 
Secretary to determine that the proposed activi-
ties and implementation will be consistent with 
research or evaluations showing which practices 
and approaches are most effective.’’; 
(5) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ‘‘abuse 
treatment’’ and inserting ‘‘use disorder treatment in-
cluding medication assisted treatment and in-home 
substance abuse disorder treatment and recovery’’; 
(6) in paragraph (7)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (C); and 
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as 
subparagraph (E) and inserting after subpara-
graph (C) the following: 
‘‘(D) demonstrate a track record of suc-
cessful collaboration among child welfare, sub-
stance abuse disorder treatment and mental 
health agencies; and’’; 
(7) in paragraph (8)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)—
(i) by striking ‘‘establish indicators 
that will be’’ and inserting ‘‘review indica-
tors that are’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘in using funds made 
available under such grants to achieve the 
purpose of this subsection’’ and inserting 
‘‘and establish a set of core indicators re-
lated to child safety, parental recovery, 
parenting capacity, and family well-being. 
In developing the core indicators, to the 
extent possible, indicators shall be made 
consistent with the outcome measures de-
scribed in section 471(e)(6)’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 
by inserting ‘‘base the performance meas-
ures on lessons learned from prior rounds 
of regional partnership grants under this 
subsection, and’’ before ‘‘consult’’; and 
(ii) by striking clauses (iii) and (iv) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(iii) Other stakeholders or constitu-
encies as determined by the Secretary.’’; 
(8) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking clause (i) 
and inserting the following:
‘‘(i) 
SEMIANNUAL
REPORTS.—Not 
later than September 30 of each fiscal year 
in which a recipient of a grant under this 
subsection is paid funds under the grant, 
and every 6 months thereafter, the grant 
recipient shall submit to the Secretary a 
report on the services provided and activi-
ties carried out during the reporting pe-
riod, progress made in achieving the goals 
of the program, the number of children, 
adults, and families receiving services, and 
such additional information as the Sec-
retary determines is necessary. The report 
due not later than September 30 of the 
last such fiscal year shall include, at a 
minimum, data on each of the performance 
indicators included in the evaluation of the 
regional partnership.’’; and 
(9) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘2012 
through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’.
Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 
SEC. 131. REVIEWING AND IMPROVING LICENSING STAND-
ARDS FOR PLACEMENT IN A RELATIVE FOS-
TER FAMILY HOME. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION
OF REPUTABLE MODEL LI-
CENSING STANDARDS.—Not later than October 1, 2017, 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall identify 
reputable model licensing standards with respect to the li-
censing of foster family homes (as defined in section 
472(c)(1) of the Social Security Act). 
(b) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 471(a) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (34)(B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (35)(B), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(36) provides that, not later than April 1, 
2018, the State shall submit to the Secretary infor-
mation addressing— 
‘‘(A) whether the State licensing standards 
are in accord with model standards identified 
by the Secretary, and if not, the reason for the 
specific deviation and a description as to why 
having a standard that is reasonably in accord
with the corresponding national model stand-
ards is not appropriate for the State; 
‘‘(B) whether the State has elected to 
waive standards established in 471(a)(10)(A) 
for relative foster family homes (pursuant to 
waiver authority provided by 471(a)(10)(D)), a 
description of which standards the State most 
commonly waives, and if the State has not 
elected to waive the standards, the reason for 
not waiving these standards; 
‘‘(C) if the State has elected to waive 
standards specified in subparagraph (B), how 
caseworkers are trained to use the waiver au-
thority and whether the State has developed a 
process or provided tools to assist caseworkers 
in waiving nonsafety standards per the author-
ity provided in 471(a)(10)(D) to quickly place 
children with relatives; and 
‘‘(D) a description of the steps the State is 
taking to improve caseworker training or the 
process, if any; and’’.
SEC. 132. DEVELOPMENT OF A STATEWIDE PLAN TO PRE-
VENT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT FATALI-
TIES. 
Section 422(b)(19) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 622(b)(19)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(19) document steps taken to track and pre-
vent child maltreatment deaths by including— 
‘‘(A) a description of the steps the State is 
taking to compile complete and accurate infor-
mation on the deaths required by Federal law 
to be reported by the State agency referred to 
in paragraph (1), including gathering relevant 
information on the deaths from the relevant or-
ganizations in the State including entities such 
as State vital statistics department, child death 
review teams, law enforcement agencies, offices 
of medical examiners or coroners; and 
‘‘(B) a description of the steps the state is 
taking to develop and implement of a com-
prehensive, statewide plan to prevent the fatali-
ties that involves and engages relevant public 
and private agency partners, including those in 
public 
health, 
law 
enforcement, 
and 
the 
courts.’’.
SEC. 133. MODERNIZING THE TITLE AND PURPOSE OF 
TITLE IV–E. 
(a) PART HEADING.—The heading for part E of title 
IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘PART E—FEDERAL PAYMENTS FOR FOSTER 
CARE, PREVENTION, AND PERMANENCY’’. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The first sentence of section 470 of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 670) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘1995) and’’ and inserting 
‘‘1995),’’; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘kinship guardianship assist-
ance, and prevention services or programs specified 
in section 471(e)(1),’’ after ‘‘needs,’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘(commencing with the fiscal 
year which begins October 1, 1980)’’. 
SEC. 134. EFFECTIVE DATES. 
(a) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), subject to subsection (b), the amend-
ments made by this title shall take effect on October 
1, 2016. 
(2) EXCEPTIONS.—The amendments made by 
sections 131 and 133 shall take effect on the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(b) TRANSITION RULE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a State plan 
under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act which the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices determines requires State legislation (other than 
legislation appropriating funds) in order for the plan 
to meet the additional requirements imposed by the 
amendments made by this title, the State plan shall 
not be regarded as failing to comply with the re-
quirements of such part solely on the basis of the 
failure of the plan to meet such additional require-
ments before the first day of the first calendar quar-
ter beginning after the close of the first regular ses-
sion of the State legislature that begins after the 
date of enactment of this Act. For purposes of the 
previous sentence, in the case of a State that has a 
2-year legislative session, each year of the session 
shall be deemed to be a separate regular session of 
the State legislature. 
(2) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY 
INDIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of an 
Indian tribe, tribal organization, or tribal consortium 
which the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
determines requires time to take action necessary to 
comply with the additional requirements imposed by 
the amendments made by this title (whether the
tribe, organization, or tribal consortium has a plan 
under section 479B of the Social Security Act or a 
cooperative agreement or contract entered into with 
a State), the Secretary shall provide the tribe, orga-
nization, or tribal consortium with such additional 
time as the Secretary determines is necessary for the 
tribe, organization, or tribal consortium to take the 
action to comply with the additional requirements 
before being regarded as failing to comply with the 
requirements. 
TITLE II—ENSURING THE NE-
CESSITY OF A PLACEMENT 
THAT IS NOT IN A FOSTER 
FAMILY HOME 
SEC. 201. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA-
TION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN 
FOSTER FAMILY HOMES. 
(a) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA-
TION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 472 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 672), as amended by sec-
tion 112, is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by inserting ‘‘, 
but only to the extent permitted under sub-
section (k)’’ after ‘‘institution’’; and
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICI-
PATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the third 
week for which foster care maintenance payments 
are made under this section on behalf of a child 
placed in a child-care institution, no Federal pay-
ment shall be made to the State under section 
474(a)(1) for amounts expended for foster care 
maintenance payments on behalf of the child un-
less— 
‘‘(A) the child is placed in a child-care in-
stitution that is a setting specified in paragraph 
(2) (or is placed in a licensed residential family- 
based treatment facility consistent with sub-
section (j)); and 
‘‘(B) in the case of a child placed in a 
qualified residential treatment program (as de-
fined in paragraph (4)), the requirements speci-
fied in paragraph (3) and section 475A(c) are 
met. 
‘‘(2) SPECIFIED SETTINGS FOR PLACEMENT.— 
The settings for placement specified in this para-
graph are the following:
‘‘(A) A qualified residential treatment pro-
gram (as defined in paragraph (4)). 
‘‘(B) A setting specializing in providing 
prenatal, post-partum, or parenting supports 
for youth. 
‘‘(C) In the case of a child who has at-
tained 18 years of age, a supervised setting in 
which the child is living independently. 
‘‘(3) ASSESSMENT
TO
DETERMINE
APPRO-
PRIATENESS OF PLACEMENT IN A QUALIFIED RESI-
DENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) DEADLINE
FOR
ASSESSMENT.—In 
the case of a child who is placed in a qualified 
residential treatment program, if the assess-
ment required under section 475A(c)(1) is not 
completed within 30 days after the placement is 
made, no Federal payment shall be made to the 
State under section 474(a)(1) for any amounts 
expended for foster care maintenance payments 
on behalf of the child during the placement. 
‘‘(B) DEADLINE FOR TRANSITION OUT OF 
PLACEMENT.—If the assessment required under 
section 475A(c)(1) determines that the place-
ment of a child in a qualified residential treat-
ment program is not appropriate, a court dis-
approves such a placement under section 
475A(c)(2), or a child who has been in an ap-
proved placement in a qualified residential 
treatment program is going to return home or 
be placed with a fit and willing relative, a legal 
guardian, or an adoptive parent, or in a foster 
family home, Federal payments shall be made 
to the State under section 474(a)(1) for 
amounts expended for foster care maintenance 
payments on behalf of the child while the child 
remains in the qualified residential treatment 
program only during the period necessary for 
the child to transition home or to such a place-
ment. In no event shall a State receive Federal 
payments under section 474(a)(1) for amounts 
expended for foster care maintenance payments 
on behalf of a child who remains placed in a 
qualified residential treatment program after 
the end of the 30-day period that begins on the 
date a determination is made that the place-
ment is no longer the recommended or approved 
placement for the child. 
‘‘(4) QUALIFIED
RESIDENTIAL
TREATMENT 
PROGRAM.—For purposes of this part, the term
‘qualified residential treatment program’ means a 
program that— 
‘‘(A) has a trauma-informed treatment 
model that is designed to address the needs, in-
cluding clinical needs as appropriate, of chil-
dren with serious emotional or behavioral dis-
orders or disturbances and, with respect to a 
child, is able to implement the treatment identi-
fied for the child by the assessment of the child 
required under section 475A(c); 
‘‘(B) has registered or licensed nursing 
staff and other licensed clinical staff who— 
‘‘(i) provide care within the scope of 
their practice as defined by State law; 
‘‘(ii) are on-site during business 
hours; and 
‘‘(iii) are available 24 hours a day and 
7 days a week; 
‘‘(C) to extent appropriate, and in accord-
ance with the child’s best interests, facilitates 
participation of family members in the child’s 
treatment program; 
‘‘(D) facilitates outreach to the family 
members of the child, including siblings, docu-
ments how the outreach is made (including con-
tact information), and maintains contact infor-
mation for any known biological family and fic-
tive kin of the child; 
‘‘(E) documents how family members are 
integrated into the treatment process for the 
child, including post-discharge, and how sibling 
connections are maintained; 
‘‘(F) provides discharge planning and fam-
ily-based aftercare support for at least 6 
months post-discharge; and 
‘‘(G) is licensed in accordance with section 
471(a)(10) and is accredited by any of the fol-
lowing independent, not-for-profit organizations: 
‘‘(i) The Commission on Accreditation 
of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). 
‘‘(ii) The Joint Commission on Ac-
creditation of Healthcare Organizations 
(JCAHO). 
‘‘(iii) The Council on Accreditation 
(COA). 
‘‘(iv) Any other independent, not-for- 
profit accrediting organization approved by 
the Secretary.’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
474(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
674(a)(1)), as amended by section 112(b), is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘section 472(j)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
sections (j) and (k) of section 472’’. 
(b) DEFINITION OF FOSTER FAMILY HOME, CHILD- 
CARE INSTITUTION.—Section 472(c) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 672(c)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this part: 
‘‘(1) FOSTER FAMILY HOME.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘foster fam-
ily home’ means the home of an individual or 
family— 
‘‘(i) that is licensed or approved by 
the State in which it is situated as a foster 
family home that meets the standards es-
tablished for the licensing or approval; and 
‘‘(ii) in which a child in foster care 
has been placed in the care of an indi-
vidual, who resides with the child and who 
has been licensed or approved by the State 
to be a foster parent— 
‘‘(I) that the State deems capable 
of adhering to the reasonable and pru-
dent parent standard; 
‘‘(II) that provides 24-hour sub-
stitute care for children placed away
from their parents or other care-
takers; and 
‘‘(III) that provides the care for 
not more than six children in foster 
care. 
‘‘(B) STATE FLEXIBILITY.—The number of 
foster children that may be cared for in a home 
under subparagraph (A) may exceed the numer-
ical limitation in subparagraph (A)(ii)(III), at 
the option of the State, for any of the following 
reasons: 
‘‘(i) To allow a parenting youth in fos-
ter care to remain with the child of the 
parenting youth. 
‘‘(ii) To allow siblings to remain to-
gether. 
‘‘(iii) To allow a child with an estab-
lished meaningful relationship with the 
family to remain with the family. 
‘‘(iv) To allow a family with special 
training or skills to provide care to a child 
who has a severe disability. 
‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Subpara-
graph (A) shall not be construed as prohibiting 
a foster parent from renting the home in which
the parent cares for a foster child placed in the 
parent’s care. 
‘‘(2) CHILD-CARE INSTITUTION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘child-care 
institution’ means a private child-care institu-
tion, or a public child-care institution which ac-
commodates no more than 25 children, which is 
licensed by the State in which it is situated or 
has been approved by the agency of the State 
responsible for licensing or approval of institu-
tions of this type as meeting the standards es-
tablished for the licensing. 
‘‘(B) SUPERVISED SETTINGS.—In the case 
of a child who has attained 18 years of age, the 
term shall include a supervised setting in which 
the individual is living independently, in accord-
ance with such conditions as the Secretary shall 
establish in regulations. 
‘‘(C) EXCLUSIONS.—The term shall not in-
clude detention facilities, forestry camps, train-
ing schools, or any other facility operated pri-
marily for the detention of children who are de-
termined to be delinquent.’’. 
(c) TRAINING FOR STATE JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, AND 
OTHER
LEGAL
PERSONNEL
IN
CHILD
WELFARE
CASES.—Section 438(b)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
629h(b)(1)) is amended in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A) by inserting ‘‘shall provide for the training of 
judges, attorneys, and other legal personnel in child wel-
fare cases on Federal child welfare policies and payment 
limitations with respect to children in foster care who are 
placed in settings that are not a foster family home,’’ after 
‘‘with respect to the child,’’. 
(d) ASSURANCE OF NONIMPACT ON JUVENILE JUS-
TICE SYSTEM.— 
(1) 
STATE
PLAN
REQUIREMENT.—Section 
471(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)), as amended 
by section 131, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(37) includes a certification that, in response 
to the limitation imposed under section 472(k) with 
respect to foster care maintenance payments made 
on behalf of any child who is placed in a setting that 
is not a foster family home, the State will not enact 
or advance policies or practices that would result in 
a significant increase in the population of youth in 
the State’s juvenile justice system.’’. 
(2) GAO STUDY
AND
REPORT.—The Comp-
troller General of the United States shall evaluate 
the impact, if any, on State juvenile justice systems
of the limitation imposed under section 472(k) of 
the Social Security Act (as added by section 
201(a)(1)) on foster care maintenance payments 
made on behalf of any child who is placed in a set-
ting that is not a foster family home, in accordance 
with the amendments made by subsections (a) and 
(b) of this section. In particular, the Comptroller 
General shall evaluate the extent to which children 
in foster care who also are subject to the juvenile 
justice system of the State are placed in a facility 
under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system 
and whether the lack of available congregate care 
placements under the jurisdiction of the child wel-
fare systems is a contributing factor to that result. 
Not later than December 31, 2023, the Comptroller 
General shall submit to Congress a report on the re-
sults of the evaluation. 
SEC. 202. ASSESSMENT AND DOCUMENTATION OF THE 
NEED FOR PLACEMENT IN A QUALIFIED RES-
IDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM. 
Section 475A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
675a) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) ASSESSMENT, DOCUMENTATION, AND JUDICIAL 
DETERMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PLACEMENT IN A 
QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM.—In
the case of any child who is placed in a qualified residen-
tial treatment program (as defined in section 472(k)(4)), 
the following requirements shall apply for purposes of ap-
proving the case plan for the child and the case system 
review procedure for the child: 
‘‘(1)(A) Within 30 days of the start of each 
placement in such a setting, a qualified individual 
(as defined in subparagraph (D)) shall— 
‘‘(i) assess the strengths and needs of the 
child using an age-appropriate, evidence-based, 
validated, functional assessment tool approved 
by the Secretary; 
‘‘(ii) determine whether the needs of the 
child can be met with family members or 
through placement in a foster family home or, 
if not, which setting from among the settings 
specified in section 472(k)(2) would provide the 
most effective and appropriate level of care for 
the child in the least restrictive environment 
and be consistent with the short- and long-term 
goals for the child, as specified in the perma-
nency plan for the child; and 
‘‘(iii) develop a list of child-specific short- 
and long-term mental and behavioral health 
goals.
‘‘(B)(i) The State shall assemble a family and 
permanency team for the child in accordance with 
the requirements of clauses (ii) and (iii). The quali-
fied individual conducting the assessment required 
under subparagraph (A) shall work in conjunction 
with the family of, and permanency team for, the 
child while conducting and making the assessment. 
‘‘(ii) The family and permanency team shall 
consist of all appropriate biological family members, 
relative, and fictive kin of the child, as well as, as 
appropriate, professionals who are a resource to the 
family of the child, such as teachers, medical or 
mental health providers who have treated the child, 
or clergy. In the case of a child who has attained 
age 14, the family and permanency team shall in-
clude the members of the permanency planning team 
for the child that are selected by the child in accord-
ance with section 475(5)(C)(iv). 
‘‘(iii) The State shall document in the child’s 
case plan— 
‘‘(I) the reasonable and good faith effort of 
the State to identify and include all such indi-
viduals on the family of, and permanency team 
for, the child;
‘‘(II) all contact information for members 
of the family and permanency team, as well as 
contact information for other family members 
and fictive kin who are not part of the family 
and permanency team; 
‘‘(III) evidence that meetings of the family 
and permanency team, including meetings relat-
ing to the assessment required under subpara-
graph (A), are held at a time and place conven-
ient for family; 
‘‘(IV) if reunification is the goal, evidence 
demonstrating that the parent from whom the 
child was removed provided input on the mem-
bers of the family and permanency team; 
‘‘(V) evidence that the assessment required 
under subparagraph (A) is determined in con-
junction with the family and permanency team; 
and 
‘‘(VI) the placement preferences of the 
family and permanency team relative to the as-
sessment and, if the placement preferences of 
the family and permanency team and child are 
not the placement setting recommended by the 
qualified individual conducting the assessment 
under subparagraph (A), the reasons why the
preferences of the team and of the child were 
not recommended. 
‘‘(C) In the case of a child who the qualified in-
dividual conducting the assessment under subpara-
graph (A) determines should not be placed in a fos-
ter family home, the qualified individual shall specify 
in writing the reasons why the needs of the child 
cannot be met by the family of the child or in a fos-
ter family home. A shortage or lack of foster family 
homes shall not be an acceptable reason for deter-
mining that a needs of the child cannot be met in 
a foster family home. The qualified individual also 
shall specify in writing why the recommended place-
ment in a qualified residential treatment program is 
the setting that will provide the child with the most 
effective and appropriate level of care in the least re-
strictive environment and how that placement is con-
sistent with the short- and long-term goals for the 
child, as specified in the permanency plan for the 
child. 
‘‘(D)(i) Subject to clause (ii), in this subsection, 
the term ‘qualified individual’ means a trained pro-
fessional or licensed clinician who is not an employee 
of the State agency and who is not connected to, or
affiliated with, any placement setting in which chil-
dren are placed by the State. 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary may approve a request of a 
State to waive any requirement in clause (i) upon a 
submission by the State, in accordance with criteria 
established by the Secretary, that certifies that the 
trained professionals or licensed clinicians with re-
sponsibility for performing the assessments de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) shall maintain objec-
tivity with respect to determining the most effective 
and appropriate placement for a child. 
‘‘(2) Within 60 days of the start of each place-
ment in a qualified residential treatment program, a 
family or juvenile court or another court (including 
a tribal court) of competent jurisdiction, or an ad-
ministrative body appointed or approved by the 
court, independently, shall— 
‘‘(A) consider the assessment, determina-
tion, and documentation made by the qualified 
individual conducting the assessment under 
paragraph (1); 
‘‘(B) determine whether the needs of the 
child can be met through placement in a foster 
family home or, if not, whether placement of 
the child in a qualified residential treatment
program provides the most effective and appro-
priate level of care for the child in the least re-
strictive environment and whether that place-
ment is consistent with the short- and long- 
term goals for the child, as specified in the per-
manency plan for the child; and 
‘‘(C) approve or disapprove the placement. 
‘‘(3) The written documentation made under 
paragraph (1)(C) and documentation of the deter-
mination and approval or disapproval of the place-
ment in a qualified residential treatment program by 
a court or administrative body under paragraph (2) 
shall be included in and made part of the case plan 
for the child. 
‘‘(4) As long as a child remains placed in a 
qualified residential treatment program, the State 
agency shall submit evidence at each status review 
and each permanency hearing held with respect to 
the child— 
‘‘(A) demonstrating that ongoing assess-
ment of the strengths and needs of the child 
continues to support the determination that the 
needs of the child cannot be met through place-
ment in a foster family home, that the place-
ment in a qualified residential treatment pro-
gram provides the most effective and appro-
priate level of care for the child in the least re-
strictive environment, and that the placement is 
consistent with the short- and long-term goals 
for the child, as specified in the permanency 
plan for the child; 
‘‘(B) documenting the specific treatment or 
service needs that will be met for the child in 
the placement and the length of time the child 
is expected to need the treatment or services; 
and 
‘‘(C) documenting the efforts made by the 
State agency to prepare the child to return 
home or to be placed with a fit and willing rel-
ative, a legal guardian, or an adoptive parent, 
or in a foster family home. 
‘‘(5) In the case of any child who is placed in 
a qualified residential treatment program for more 
than 12 consecutive months or 18 nonconsecutive 
months (or, in the case of a child who has not at-
tained age 13, for more than 6 consecutive or non-
consecutive months), the State agency shall submit 
to the Secretary—
‘‘(A) the most recent versions of the evi-
dence and documentation specified in paragraph 
(4); and 
‘‘(B) the signed approval of the head of 
the State agency for the continued placement of 
the child in that setting.’’. 
SEC. 203. PROTOCOLS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE DIAG-
NOSES. 
(a) 
STATE
PLAN
REQUIREMENT.—Section 
422(b)(15)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
622(b)(15)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause (viii); 
and 
(3) by inserting after clause (vi) the following: 
‘‘(vii) the procedures and protocols 
the State has established to ensure that 
children in foster care placements are not 
inappropriately diagnosed with mental ill-
ness, other emotional or behavioral dis-
orders, medically fragile conditions, or de-
velopmental disabilities, and placed in set-
tings that are not foster family homes as
a result of the inappropriate diagnoses; 
and’’. 
(b) EVALUATION.—Section 476 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 676), as amended by section 111(d), is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) EVALUATION OF STATE PROCEDURES AND PRO-
TOCOLS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE DIAGNOSES
OF 
MENTAL ILLNESS OR OTHER CONDITIONS.—The Sec-
retary shall conduct an evaluation of the procedures and 
protocols established by States in accordance with the re-
quirements of section 422(b)(15)(A)(vii). The evaluation 
shall analyze the extent to which States comply with and 
enforce the procedures and protocols and the effectiveness 
of various State procedures and protocols and shall iden-
tify best practices. Not later than January 1, 2019, the 
Secretary shall submit a report on the results of the eval-
uation to Congress.’’. 
SEC. 204. ADDITIONAL DATA AND REPORTS REGARDING 
CHILDREN PLACED IN A SETTING THAT IS 
NOT A FOSTER FAMILY HOME. 
Section 479A(a)(7)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 679b(a)(7)(A)) is amended by striking clauses (i) 
through (vi) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) with respect to each such place-
ment—
‘‘(I) the type of the placement 
setting, including whether the place-
ment is shelter care, a group home 
and if so, the range of the child popu-
lation in the home, a residential treat-
ment facility, a hospital or institution 
providing medical, rehabilitative, or 
psychiatric care, a setting specializing 
in providing prenatal, post-partum or 
parenting supports, or some other 
kind of child-care institution and if so, 
what kind; 
‘‘(II) the number of children in 
the placement setting and the age, 
race, ethnicity, and gender of each of 
the children; 
‘‘(III) for each child in the place-
ment setting, the length of the place-
ment of the child in the setting, 
whether the placement of the child in 
the setting is the first placement of 
the child and if not, the number and 
type of previous placements of the 
child, and whether the child has spe-
cial needs or another diagnosed men-
tal or physical illness or condition; 
and 
‘‘(IV) the extent of any special-
ized education, treatment, counseling, 
or other services provided in the set-
ting; and 
‘‘(ii) separately, the number and ages 
of children in the placements who have a 
permanency plan of another planned per-
manent living arrangement; and’’. 
SEC. 205. EFFECTIVE DATES; APPLICATION TO WAIVERS. 
(a) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) 
and subsections (b) and (c), the amendments made 
by this title shall take effect on October 1, 2016. 
(2) TRANSITION RULE.—In the case of a State 
plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Se-
curity Act which the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services determines requires State legisla-
tion (other than legislation appropriating funds) in 
order for the plan to meet the additional require-
ments imposed by the amendments made by this 
title, the State plan shall not be regarded as failing 
to comply with the requirements of such part solely 
on the basis of the failure of the plan to meet the
additional requirements before the first day of the 
first calendar quarter beginning after the close of 
the first regular session of the State legislature that 
begins after the date of enactment of this Act. For 
purposes of the previous sentence, in the case of a 
State that has a 2-year legislative session, each year 
of the session shall be deemed to be a separate reg-
ular session of the State legislature. 
(b) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICI-
PATION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN FOSTER 
FAMILY
HOMES
AND
RELATED
PROVISIONS.—The 
amendments made by sections 201(a), 201(b), 201(d), 
and 202 shall take effect on October 1, 2019. 
(c) APPLICATION TO STATES WITH WAIVERS.—In 
the case of a State that, on the date of enactment of this 
Act, has in effect a waiver approved under section 1130 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–9), the 
amendments made by this title shall not apply with respect 
to the State before the expiration (determined without re-
gard to any extensions) of the waiver to the extent the 
amendments are inconsistent with the terms of the waiver.
TITLE 
III—CONTINUING 
SUP-
PORT FOR CHILD AND FAM-
ILY SERVICES 
SEC. 301. SUPPORTING AND RETAINING FOSTER FAMILIES 
FOR CHILDREN. 
(a) SUPPORTING AND RETAINING FOSTER PARENTS 
AS A FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICE.—Section 431(a)(2)(B) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 631(a)(2)(B)) is 
amended by redesignating clauses (iii) through (vi) as 
clauses (iv) through (vii), respectively, and inserting after 
clause (ii) the following: 
‘‘(iii) To support and retain foster 
families so they can provide quality family- 
based settings for children in foster care.’’. 
(b) SUPPORT FOR FOSTER FAMILY HOMES.—Section 
436 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629f) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) SUPPORT FOR FOSTER FAMILY HOMES.—Out 
of any money in the Treasury of the United States not 
otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Sec-
retary for fiscal year 2018, $8,000,000 for the Secretary 
to make competitive grants to States, Indian tribes, or 
tribal consortia to support the recruitment and retention 
of high-quality foster families to increase their capacity 
to place more children in family settings, focused on
States, Indian tribes, or tribal consortia with the highest 
percentage of children in non-family settings. The amount 
appropriated under this subparagraph shall remain avail-
able through fiscal year 2022.’’. 
SEC. 302. EXTENSION OF CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES 
PROGRAMS. 
(a) EXTENSION OF STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES CHILD 
WELFARE SERVICES PROGRAM.—Section 425 of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 625) is amended by striking 
‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 
2021’’. 
(b) EXTENSION OF PROMOTING SAFE AND STABLE 
FAMILIES PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 436(a) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 629f(a)) is amended by striking all that 
follows ‘‘$345,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of 
fiscal years 2017 through 2021.’’. 
(2) DISCRETIONARY GRANTS.—Section 437(a) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(a)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 
through 2021’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF FUNDING RESERVATIONS FOR 
MONTHLY CASEWORKER VISITS AND REGIONAL PART-
NERSHIP GRANTS.—Section 436(b) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 629f(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘2012 
through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’; 
and 
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘2012 
through 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 
(d) REAUTHORIZATION
OF FUNDING
FOR STATE 
COURTS.— 
(1) 
EXTENSION
OF
PROGRAM.—Section 
438(c)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(c)(1)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 
(2) EXTENSION OF FEDERAL SHARE.—Section 
438(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(d)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2012 through 2016’’ and inserting 
‘‘2017 through 2021’’. 
(e) REPEAL
OF
EXPIRED
PROVISIONS.—Section 
438(e) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629h(e)) is repealed. 
SEC. 303. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JOHN H. CHAFEE FOS-
TER CARE INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM AND 
RELATED PROVISIONS. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO SERVE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH 
UP TO AGE 23.—Section 477 of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 677) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(5), by inserting ‘‘(or 23 
years of age, in the case of a State with a certifi-
cation under subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) to provide as-
sistance and services to youths who have aged out 
of foster care and have not attained such age, in ac-
cordance with such subsection)’’ after ‘‘21 years of 
age’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(3)(A)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(i)’’ before ‘‘A certifi-
cation’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘children who have left fos-
ter care’’ and all that follows through the pe-
riod and inserting ‘‘youths who have aged out 
of foster care and have not attained 21 years of 
age.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) If the State has elected under section 
475(8)(B) to extend eligibility for foster care to 
all children who have not attained 21 years of 
age, or if the Secretary determines that the 
State agency responsible for administering the 
State plans under this part and part B uses 
State funds or any other funds not provided 
under this part to provide services and assist-
ance for youths who have aged out of foster 
care that are comparable to the services and as-
sistance the youths would receive if the State
had made such an election, the certification re-
quired under clause (i) may provide that the 
State will provide assistance and services to 
youths who have aged out of foster care and 
have not attained 23 years of age.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘chil-
dren who have left foster care’’ and all that follows 
through the period and inserting ‘‘youths who have 
aged out of foster care and have not attained 21 
years of age (or 23 years of age, in the case of a 
State with a certification under subparagraph (A)(i) 
to provide assistance and services to youths who 
have aged out of foster care and have not attained 
such 
age, 
in 
accordance 
with 
subparagraph 
(A)(ii)).’’. 
(b) 
AUTHORITY
TO
REDISTRIBUTE
UNSPENT 
FUNDS.—Section 477(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(d)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘or does not 
expend allocated funds within the time period speci-
fied under section 477(d)(3)’’ after ‘‘provided by the 
Secretary’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) 
REDISTRIBUTION
OF
UNEXPENDED 
AMOUNTS.—
‘‘(A) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—To the 
extent that amounts paid to States under this 
section in a fiscal year remain unexpended by 
the States at the end of the succeeding fiscal 
year, the Secretary may make the amounts 
available for redistribution in the second suc-
ceeding fiscal year among the States that apply 
for additional funds under this section for that 
second succeeding fiscal year. 
‘‘(B) REDISTRIBUTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
shall redistribute the amounts made avail-
able under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal 
year among eligible applicant States. In 
this subparagraph, the term ‘eligible appli-
cant State’ means a State that has applied 
for additional funds for the fiscal year 
under subparagraph (A) if the Secretary 
determines that the State will use the 
funds for the purpose for which originally 
allotted under this section. 
‘‘(ii) AMOUNT
TO
BE
REDISTRIB-
UTED.—The amount to be redistributed to 
each eligible applicant State shall be the 
amount so made available multiplied by the
State foster care ratio, (as defined in sub-
section (c)(4), except that, in such sub-
section, ‘all eligible applicant States (as de-
fined in subsection (d)(5)(B)(i))’ shall be 
substituted for ‘all States’). 
‘‘(iii) TREATMENT OF REDISTRIBUTED 
AMOUNT.—Any amount made available to 
a State under this paragraph shall be re-
garded as part of the allotment of the 
State under this section for the fiscal year 
in which the redistribution is made. 
‘‘(C) TRIBES.—For purposes of this para-
graph, the term ‘State’ includes an Indian tribe, 
tribal organization, or tribal consortium that re-
ceives an allotment under this section.’’. 
(c) EXPANDING AND CLARIFYING THE USE OF EDU-
CATION AND TRAINING VOUCHERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 477(i)(3) of such 
Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(3)) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘on the date’’ and all that 
follows through ‘‘23’’ and inserting ‘‘to remain 
eligible until they attain 26’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, but in no event may a 
youth participate in the program for more than
5 years (whether or not consecutive)’’ before 
the period. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
477(i)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(1)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘who have attained 14 years 
of age’’ before the period. 
(d) OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.—Section 477 of such 
Act (42 U.S.C. 677), as amended by subsections (a), (b), 
and (c), is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘INDE-
PENDENCE PROGRAM’’ and inserting ‘‘PROGRAM 
FOR
SUCCESSFUL
TRANSITION
TO
ADULT-
HOOD’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘identify children who 
are likely to remain in foster care until 18 
years of age and to help these children 
make the transition to self-sufficiency by 
providing services’’ and inserting ‘‘support 
all youth who have experienced foster care 
at age 14 or older in their transition to 
adulthood through transitional services’’;
(ii) by inserting ‘‘and post-secondary 
education’’ after ‘‘high school diploma’’; 
and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘training in daily liv-
ing skills, training in budgeting and finan-
cial management skills’’ and inserting 
‘‘training and opportunities to practice 
daily living skills (such as financial literacy 
training and driving instruction)’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘who are 
likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 
age receive the education, training, and services 
necessary to obtain employment’’ and inserting 
‘‘who have experienced foster care at age 14 or 
older achieve meaningful, permanent connec-
tions with a caring adult’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘who are 
likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of 
age prepare for and enter postsecondary train-
ing and education institutions’’ and inserting 
‘‘who have experienced foster care at age 14 or 
older engage in age or developmentally appro-
priate activities, positive youth development, 
and experiential learning that reflects what 
their peers in intact families experience’’; and
(D) by striking paragraph (4) and redesig-
nating paragraphs (5) through (8) as para-
graphs (4) through (7); 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ‘‘ado-
lescents’’ and inserting ‘‘youth’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (D)— 
(I) by inserting ‘‘including train-
ing on youth development’’ after ‘‘to 
provide training’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘adolescents pre-
paring for independent living’’ and all 
that follows through the period and 
inserting ‘‘youth preparing for a suc-
cessful transition to adulthood and 
making a permanent connection with 
a caring adult.’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (H), by striking 
‘‘adolescents’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘youth’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraph (K)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘an adolescent’’ 
and inserting ‘‘a youth’’; and
(II) by striking ‘‘the adolescent’’ 
each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘the youth’’; and 
(4) in subsection (f), by striking paragraph (2) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
October 1, 2017, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Finance of 
the Senate a report on the National Youth in Tran-
sition Database and any other databases in which 
States report outcome measures relating to children 
in foster care and children who have aged out of fos-
ter care or left foster care for kinship guardianship 
or adoption. The report shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) A description of the reasons for entry 
into foster care and of the foster care experi-
ences, such as length of stay, number of place-
ment settings, case goal, and discharge reason 
of 17-year-olds who are surveyed by the Na-
tional Youth in Transition Database and an 
analysis of the comparison of that description 
with the reasons for entry and foster care expe-
riences of children of other ages who exit from 
foster care before attaining age 17.
‘‘(B) A description of the characteristics of 
the individuals who report poor outcomes at 
ages 19 and 21 to the National Youth in Tran-
sition Database. 
‘‘(C) Benchmarks for determining what 
constitutes a poor outcome for youth who re-
main in or have exited from foster care and 
plans the Executive branch will take to incor-
porate these benchmarks in efforts to evaluate 
child welfare agency performance in providing 
services to children transitioning from foster 
care. 
‘‘(D) An analysis of the association be-
tween types of placement, number of overall 
placements, time spent in foster care, and other 
factors, and outcomes at ages 19 and 21. 
‘‘(E) An analysis of the differences in out-
comes for children in and formerly in foster 
care at age 19 and 21 among States.’’. 
(e) CLARIFYING DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED
TO 
FOSTER
YOUTH
LEAVING
FOSTER
CARE.—Section 
475(5)(I) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 675(5)(I)) is amended 
by inserting after ‘‘REAL ID Act of 2005’’ the following: 
‘‘, and any official documentation necessary to prove that 
the child was previously in foster care’’.
the Office of Management and Budget and considering 
State government perspectives, by rule, designate data ex-
change standards to govern, under this part— 
‘‘(1) necessary categories of information that 
State agencies operating programs under State 
plans approved under this part are required under 
applicable Federal law to electronically exchange 
with another State agency; and 
‘‘(2) Federal reporting and data exchange re-
quired under applicable Federal law. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The data exchange standards 
required by paragraph (1) shall, to the extent prac-
ticable— 
‘‘(1) incorporate a widely accepted, non-propri-
etary, searchable, computer-readable format, such as 
the eXtensible Markup Language; 
‘‘(2) contain interoperable standards developed 
and maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, 
such as the National Information Exchange Model; 
‘‘(3) incorporate interoperable standards devel-
oped and maintained by Federal entities with au-
thority over contracting and financial assistance; 
‘‘(4) be consistent with and implement applica-
ble accounting principles;
‘‘(5) be implemented in a manner that is cost- 
effective and improves program efficiency and effec-
tiveness; and 
‘‘(6) be capable of being continually upgraded 
as necessary. 
‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed to require a change to existing 
data exchange standards found to be effective and effi-
cient.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Not later than the date that 
is 24 months after the date of the enactment of this sec-
tion, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
issue a proposed rule that— 
(1) identifies federally required data exchanges, 
include specification and timing of exchanges to be 
standardized, and address the factors used in deter-
mining whether and when to standardize data ex-
changes; and 
(2) specifies State implementation options and 
describes future milestones. 
SEC. 502. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO STATE REQUIRE-
MENT TO ADDRESS THE DEVELOPMENTAL 
NEEDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 
Section 422(b)(18) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 622(b)(18)) is amended by striking ‘‘such chil-
dren’’ and inserting ‘‘all vulnerable children under 5 years 
of age’’. 
TITLE 
VI—ENSURING 
STATES 
REINVEST SAVINGS RESULT-
ING 
FROM 
INCREASE 
IN 
ADOPTION ASSISTANCE 
SEC. 601. DELAY OF ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PHASE-IN. 
Section 473(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 673(e)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘fiscal 
year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘period’’; 
and 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in the matter preceding the table, by 
striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘period’’; 
and 
(B) in the table— 
(i) by striking ‘‘of fiscal year:’’ and in-
serting ‘‘of:’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘2010’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2010’’; 
(iii) by striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2011’’; 
(iv) by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2012’’;
(v) by striking ‘‘2013’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2013’’; 
(vi) by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2014’’; 
(vii) by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting 
‘‘Fiscal year 2015’’; 
(viii) by striking ‘‘2016’’ and inserting 
‘‘October 1, 2015, through March 31, 
2019’’; 
(ix) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 
‘‘April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020’’; 
and 
(x) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘April 1, 2020,’’. 
SEC. 602. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE REINVEST-
MENT OF SAVINGS RESULTING FROM IN-
CREASE IN ADOPTION ASSISTANCE. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall study the extent to which States are com-
plying with the requirements of section 473(a)(8) of the 
Social Security Act relating to the effects of phasing out 
the AFDC income eligibility requirements for adoption as-
sistance payments under section 473 of the Social Security 
Act, as enacted by section 402 of the Fostering Connec-
tions to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
100 
(Public Law 110–351; 122 Stat. 3975) and amended by 
section 206 of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and 
Strengthening Families Act (Public Law 113–183; 128 
Stat. 1919). In particular, the Comptroller General shall 
analyze the extent to which States are complying with the 
following requirements under section 473(a)(8)(D) of the 
Social Security Act: 
(1) The requirement to spend an amount equal 
to the amount of the savings (if any) in State ex-
penditures under part E of title IV of the Social Se-
curity resulting from phasing out the AFDC income 
eligibility requirements for adoption assistance pay-
ments under section 473 of such Act to provide to 
children of families any service that may be provided 
under part B or E of title IV of such Act. 
(2) The requirement that a State shall spend 
not less than 30 percent of the amount of any sav-
ings described in subparagraph (A) on post-adoption 
services, post-guardianship services, and services to 
support and sustain positive permanent outcomes for 
children who otherwise might enter into foster care 
under the responsibility of the State, with at least 2⁄3 
of the spending by the State to comply with the 30 
percent requirement being spent on post-adoption 
and post-guardianship services.
101 
(b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to the Committee on Finance 
of the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the 
House of Representatives, and the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services a report that contains the results of 
the study required by subsection (a), including rec-
ommendations to ensure compliance with laws referred to 
in subsection (a). 
Passed the House of Representatives June 21, 2016. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5456 
AN ACT 
To amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social 
Security Act to invest in funding prevention and 
family services to help keep children safe and 
supported at home, to ensure that children in 
foster care are placed in the least restrictive, 
most family-like, and appropriate settings, and 
for other purposes.