Child and Family Services Extension and Enhancement Act

Bill: 112-hr-2790
Sponsor: Rep. Davis, Geoff [R-KY-4]
Introduced: 2011-08-02 in the House
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Child care and development
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Drug therapy
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Mental health
Poverty and welfare assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2011-08-02
text: 
Child and Family Services Extension and Enhancement Act - Amends title IV part B (Child and Family Services) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise and extend the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program.
 
Requires each state plan for oversight and coordination of health care services for any child in a foster care placement to include an outline of: (1) the monitoring and treatment of emotional trauma associated with a child's maltreatment and removal from home, and (2) protocols for the appropriate use and monitoring of psychotropic medications.
 
Requires each state plan for child welfare services also to describe state activities to: (1) reduce the length of time children under age 5 are without a permanent family placement, and (2) address the developmental needs of such children who receive Program benefits or services.
 
Revises requirements for child visitations by caseworkers. Replaces the current requirement for certain action by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with one that requires each state to take necessary steps to ensure that the total number of monthly caseworker visits to children in foster care under state responsibility during a fiscal year is at least 90% of the total number of such visits that would occur if each such child were so visited once every month while in such care.
 
Revises and extends through FY2016 the program to promote safe and stable families.
 
Requires the annual compilation of state reports to include the individual state reports and tables that synthesize state information into national totals for each element required to be included in the reports, including planned and actual spending by service category for the program. Requires the Secretary to publish the compilation on the HHS website in a location easily accessible by the public. 
 
Revises requirements for grants to assist children affected by a parent's or caretaker's methamphetamine or other substance abuse to: (1) remove the specification of methamphetamine, and (2) apply the grant program generally to children affected by a parent's or caretaker's substance abuse.
 
 Repeals the Secretary's authority to enter a cooperative agreement to conduct a service delivery demonstration project relating to the mentoring of children of prisoners.
 
Directs the Secretary, in order to improve data matching, to designate nonproprietary and interoperable standard data elements for any category of information required to be reported.
 
Amends SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) to direct the Secretary to study the recruitment of and support for families caring for children served by any program funded under part E, including foster parents, adoptive parents, and kin guardians. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-08-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
action_date: 2011-08-05
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1504)
action_date: 2011-08-02
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2011-08-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-08-02
text: Introduced in House