• Placement of Foster Children

    Safe & Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006 (PL 109-239)

    Safe & Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006 (PL 109-239) is designed to improve the process by which foster children are placed across state lines.

    The Act provides the following:

    1. States shall receive incentive payments to complete home study requirements within 30 days ($1500 per timely interstate home study); and,

    2. Receiving states shall complete home studies requested by another state within 60 days of request. If the state cannot complete the home study due to circumstances beyond its control, such as the failure by a federal agency to return background check information or failure to receive required medical records, the receiving state may request an additional 15 days to complete the home study. However, the receiving state must document that it made the necessary records requests at least 45 days prior to the end of the initial 60 day period.

    Full text of item: http://www.ct.gov/ccpa/lib/ccpa/PA_Interstate.htm.

  • Housing Assistance for Foster Teens

    Public Law No. 106-377. Housing and Urban Development FY2001 Appropriations Bill

    Full text of item: Acrobat/PDF or Plain Text.

    The HUD appropriations bill, signed into law by the President on October 27, 2000, expands the family unification program, which allows parents in the child welfare system to receive Section 8 certificates if housing is the only issue preventing reunification.  The program has been expanded to include “eligible youths who have attained at least 18 years of age and not more than 21 years of age and who have left foster care at age 16 or older.”

  • Use of Restraints and Seclusion

    Public Law No. 106-310.  Children’s Health Act of 2000

    Full text of item: Acrobat/PDF or Plain Text.

    The Children’s Health Act of 2000, signed into law on October 17, 2000, establishes national standards that restrict the use of restraints and seclusion in all psychiatric facilities that receive federal funds and in “non-medical community-based facilities for children and youth.”   In those settings, the use of restraints and seclusion will now be restricted to emergency safety situations.  The sponsors of this bill included three Connecticut Congresspersons, Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).

  • S. 2272 -- Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 2000 (SANCA)

    Full text of item: Acrobat/PDF or Plain Text.

    This legislation, which was signed into law on October 17, 2000, is a follow-up to the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 that facilitates moving foster children into safe, permanent homes.  SANCA reforms court procedure to improve the administrative efficiency and effectiveness of abuse and neglect courts through the following:

    • Grants to courts to create computerized case tracking system

    • Implementation of innovative strategies to reduce caseloads and eliminate backlogs of children waiting to be adopted

    • Expansion of the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program to offer the necessary support to children and the courts