The newspaper Youth Today ran a story in its most recent issue suggesting that the combined slowness of administration appointments and the slow confirmation process in the Senate has slowed down the implementation of several recently enacted laws, including the Fostering Connections to Success and Increased Adoptions Act of 2008. States are asking for guidance, but the Children’s Bureau has been slow with answers.
According to Youth Today:
The law was hailed by advocates and state administrators as landmark legislation. But states have approached the new opportunities warily, for two main reasons: At a time of strained state budgets, the law requires state spending; and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) – the HHS agency that oversees child welfare programs – has not issued definitive rules for how the Fostering Connections programs will work.
Child Trends has begun to address at least some of the information gap by launching the Fostering Connections Resource Center. The Alliance is a collaborating organization in this effort.