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HHS Memo on Psychotropic Use by Foster Children: This week, HHS released an Information Memorandum on psychotropic medication use by children in foster care. It highlights available resources for States to consider when developing their Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR), and encourages increasing access to clinically appropriate screening, assessment, and evidence-based interventions for foster children with mental health and trauma-related needs.
Health Needs of Foster Kids: Requested by Congress, the Congressional Research Service has just released a paper on the Health Care Needs of Children in Foster Care.(56 pp.)
Working With Kinship Caregivers: HHS has published this guide to help child welfare professionals promote kinship care by providing information, referral, and support services to kinship caregivers. Topics include the types and benefits of kinship care, caseworker training, specific strategies to support caregivers, and examples of successful child welfare programs that provide services to kinship caregivers. (17 pp.)
Child Maltreatment Research, Policy and Practice: Earlier this year, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council's Board on Children, Youth, and Families held a workshop to review the accomplishments of the past two decades of research related to child maltreatment, identify remaining gaps, and consider potential research priorities. Click here to view the document which summarizes the workshop. (118 pp.)
Medicaid in Jails: The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) has prepared a Q&A brief on Medicaid coverage of individuals in the justice system. It analyzes the effect incarceration has on an individual's eligibility for Medicaid and ability to remain in the program. (11 pp.)
Social Impact Bonds: The Center for American Progress has released a brief focusing on Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) and how they could be used as a new model for funding social programs. Unlike traditional government funding structures that pay upfront for a certain set of social services, SIBs allow government to focus funds on approaches that work-agreeing to pay an outside organization if it accomplishes the desired outcome.
What Are Social Impact Bonds? An Innovative New Financing Tool for Social Programs suggests that SIBs could significantly improve the quality of government programs, save taxpayer money and offer new approaches to providing social services without government assuming all of the financial risk. (11 pp.)
New York Times Poverty Articles: This past week, the New York Times published a story on how TANF has evolved since its 1996 enactment and provides less income assistance and how SNAP has assisted families in keeping them from falling into poverty.
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