family first prevention services act of 2016[2]

7/26/2019 Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016[2]

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[DISCUSSION DRAFT]

114TH CONGRESS2D SESSION H. R.

ll

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.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Ml.llllll introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee onllllllllllllll

A BILL

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-1

tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,2

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.3

This Act may be cited as the Family First Preven-4

tion Services Act of 2016.5

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SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.1

The table of contents for this Act is as follows:2

Sec. 1. Short title.

Sec. 2. Table of contents.

TITLE IINVESTING IN PREVENTION AND FAMILY SERVICES

Sec. 101. Purpose.

Subtitle APrevention Activities Under Title IVE

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. IVE payments for evidence-based kinship navigator programs.

Subtitle BEnhanced Support Under Title IVB

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 CMiscellaneous

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 IVE.

Sec. 134. Effective dates.

TITLE IIENSURING 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 IIICONTINUING 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.


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TITLE IVCONTINUING INCENTIVES TO STATES TO PROMOTE

ADOPTION AND LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP

Sec. 401. Reauthorizing adoption and legal guardianship incentive programs.

TITLE VTECHNICAL CORRECTIONS

Sec. 501. Technical corrections to data exchange standards to improve programcoordination.

Sec. 502. Technical corrections to State requirement to address the develop-

mental needs of young children.

TITLE VIENSURING 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 IINVESTING IN PREVEN-1

TION AND FAMILY SERVICES2

SEC. 101. PURPOSE.3

The purpose of this title is to enable States to use4

Federal funds available under parts B and E of title IV5

of the Social Security Act to provide enhanced support to6

children and families and prevent foster care placements7

through the provision of mental health and substance8

abuse prevention and treatment services, in-home parent9

skill-based programs, and kinship navigator services.10

Subtitle APrevention Activities11

Under Title IVE12

SEC. 111. FOSTER CARE PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO-13

GRAMS.14

(a) STATE OPTION.Section 471 of the Social Secu-15

rity Act (42 U.S.C. 671) is amended16


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(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking and and1

all that follows through the semicolon and inserting2

, adoption assistance in accordance with section3

473, and, at the option of the State, services or pro-4

grams specified in subsection (e)(1) of this section5

for children who are candidates for foster care or6

who are pregnant or parenting foster youth and the7

parents or kin caregivers of the children, in accord-8

ance with the requirements of that subsection;; and9

(2) by adding at the end the following:10

(e) PREVENTION AND FAMILY SERVICES AND PRO-11

GRAMS.12

(1) IN GENERAL.Subject to the succeeding13

provisions of this subsection, the Secretary may14

make a payment to a State for providing the fol-15

lowing services or programs for a child described in16

paragraph (2) and the parents or kin caregivers of17

the child when the need of the child, such a parent,18

or such a caregiver for the services or programs are19

directly related to the safety, permanence, or well-20

being of the child or to preventing the child from en-21

tering foster care:22

(A) MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE23

ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT SERV-24

ICES.Mental health and substance abuse pre-25


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vention and treatment services provided by a1

qualified clinician for not more than a 12-2

month period that begins on any date described3

in paragraph (3) with respect to the child.4

(B) IN-HOME PARENT SKILL-BASED PRO-5

GRAMS.In-home parent skill-based programs6

for not more than a 12-month period that be-7

gins on any date described in paragraph (3)8

with respect to the child and that include par-9

enting skills training, parent education, and in-10

dividual and family counseling.11

(2) CHILD DESCRIBED.For purposes of12

paragraph (1), a child described in this paragraph is13

the following:14

(A) A child who is a candidate for foster15

care (as defined in section 475(13)) but can re-16

main safely at home or in a kinship placement17

with receipt of services or programs specified in18

paragraph (1).19

(B) A child in foster care who is a preg-20

nant or parenting foster youth.21

(3) DATE DESCRIBED.For purposes of para-22

graph (1), the dates described in this paragraph are23

the following:24


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(A) The date on which a child is identi-1

fied in a prevention plan maintained under2

paragraph (4) as a child who is a candidate for3

foster care (as defined in section 475(13)).4

(B) The date on which a child is identi-5

fied in a prevention plan maintained under6

paragraph (4) as a pregnant or parenting foster7

youth in need of services or programs specified8

in paragraph (1).9

(4) REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO PROVIDING10

SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.Services and programs11

specified in paragraph (1) may be provided under12

this subsection only if specified in advance in the fol-13

lowing prevention plan for the child and the fol-14

lowing requirements are met:15

(A) PREVENTION PLAN.The State16

maintains a written prevention plan for the17

child that meets the following requirements (as18

applicable):19

(i) CANDIDATES.In the case of a20

child who is a candidate for foster care de-21

scribed in paragraph (2)(A), the prevention22

plan shall identify the foster care preven-23

tion strategy for the child so that the child24

may remain safely at home, live tempo-25


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rarily with a kin caregiver until reunifica-1

tion can be safely achieved, or live perma-2

nently with a kin caregiver, list the services3

or programs to be provided to or on behalf4

of the child to ensure the success of that5

prevention strategy, and comply with such6

other requirements as the Secretary shall7

establish.8

(ii) PREGNANT OR PARENTING FOS-9

TER YOUTH.In the case of a child who is10

a pregnant or parenting foster youth de-11

scribed in paragraph (2)(B), the preven-12

tion plan shall be included in the childs13

case plan required under section 475(1),14

list the services or programs to be provided15

to or on behalf of the youth to ensure that16

the youth is prepared (in the case of a17

pregnant foster youth) or able (in the case18

of a parenting foster youth) to be a parent,19

describe the foster care prevention strategy20

for any child born to the youth, and com-21

ply with such other requirements as the22

Secretary shall establish.23

(B) TRAUMA-INFORMED.The services or24

programs to be provided to or on behalf of a25


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child are provided under an organizational1

structure and treatment framework that in-2

volves understanding, recognizing, and respond-3

ing to the effects of all types of trauma and in4

accordance with recognized principles of a trau-5

ma-informed approach and trauma-specific6

interventions to address traumas consequences7

and facilitate healing.8

(C) ONLY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS PRO-9

VIDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROMISING, SUP-10

PORTED, OR WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES PER-11

MITTED.12

(i) IN GENERAL.Only State ex-13

penditures for services or programs speci-14

fied in subparagraph (A) or (B) of para-15

graph (1) that are provided in accordance16

with practices that meet the requirements17

specified in clause (ii) of this subparagraph18

and that meet the requirements specified19

in clause (iii), (iv), or (v), respectively, for20

being a promising, supported, or well-sup-21

ported practice, shall be eligible for a Fed-22

eral matching payment under section23

474(a)(6)(A).24


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(ii) GENERAL PRACTICE REQUIRE-1

MENTS.The general practice require-2

ments specified in this clause are the fol-3

lowing:4

(I) The practice has a book,5

manual, or other available writings6

that specify the components of the7

practice protocol and describe how to8

administer the practice.9

(II) There is no empirical basis10

suggesting that, compared to its likely11

benefits, the practice constitutes a12

risk of harm to those receiving it.13

(III) If multiple outcome studies14

have been conducted, the overall15

weight of evidence supports the bene-16

fits of the practice.17

(IV) Outcome measures are reli-18

able and valid, and are administrated19

consistently and accurately across all20

those receiving the practice.21

(V) There is no case data sug-22

gesting a risk of harm that was prob-23

ably caused by the treatment and that24

was severe or frequent.25


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(iii) PROMISING PRACTICE.A prac-1

tice shall be considered to be a promising2

practice if the practice is superior to an3

appropriate comparison practice using con-4

ventional standards of statistical signifi-5

cance (in terms of demonstrated meaning-6

ful improvements in validated measures of7

important child and parent outcomes, such8

as mental health, substance abuse, and9

child safety and well-being), as established10

by the results or outcomes of at least 111

study that12

(I) was rated by an independent13

systematic review for the quality of14

the study design and execution and15

determined to be well-designed and16

well-executed; and17

(II) utilized some form of con-18

trol (such as an untreated group, a19

placebo group, or a wait list study).20

(iv) SUPPORTED PRACTICE.A prac-21

tice shall be considered to be a supported22

practice if23

(I) the practice is superior to an24

appropriate comparison practice using25


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conventional standards of statistical1

significance (in terms of demonstrated2

meaningful improvements in validated3

measures of important child and par-4

ent outcomes, such as mental health,5

substance abuse, and child safety and6

well-being), as established by the re-7

sults or outcomes of at least 1 study8

that9

(aa) was rated by an inde-10

pendent systematic review for the11

quality of the study design and12

execution and determined to be13

well-designed and well-executed;14

(bb) was a rigorous ran-15

dom-controlled trial (or, if not16

available, a study using a rig-17

orous quasi-experimental re-18

search design); and19

(cc) was carried out in a20

usual care or practice setting;21

and22

(II) the study described in sub-23

clause (I) established that the practice24

has a sustained effect (when com-25


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pared to a control group) for at least1

6 months beyond the end of the treat-2

ment.3

(v) WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICE.A4

practice shall be considered to be a well-5

supported practice if6

(I) the practice is superior to an7

appropriate comparison practice using8

conventional standards of statistical9

significance (in terms of demonstrated10

meaningful improvements in validated11

measures of important child and par-12

ent outcomes, such as mental health,13

substance abuse, and child safety and14

well-being), as established by the re-15

sults or outcomes of at least 2 studies16

that17

(aa) were rated by an inde-18

pendent systematic review for the19

quality of the study design and20

execution and determined to be21

well-designed and well-executed;22

(bb) were rigorous random-23

controlled trials (or, if not avail-24

able, studies using a rigorous25


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quasi-experimental research de-1

sign); and2

(cc) were carried out in a3

usual care or practice setting;4

and5

(II) at least 1 of the studies de-6

scribed in subclause (I) established7

that the practice has a sustained ef-8

fect (when compared to a control9

group) for at least 1 year beyond the10

end of treatment.11

(D) GUIDANCE ON PRACTICES CRITERIA12

AND PRE-APPROVED SERVICES AND PRO-13

GRAMS.14

(i) IN GENERAL.Not later than Oc-15

tober 1, 2018, the Secretary shall issue16

guidance to States regarding the practices17

criteria required for services or programs18

to satisfy the requirements of subpara-19

graph (C). The guidance shall include a20

pre-approved list of services and programs21

that satisfy the requirements.22

(ii) UPDATES.The Secretary shall23

issue updates to the guidance required by24


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clause (i) as often as the Secretary deter-1

mines necessary.2

(E) OUTCOME ASSESSMENT AND REPORT-3

ING.The State shall collect and report to the4

Secretary the following information with respect5

to each child for whom, or on whose behalf6

mental health and substance abuse prevention7

and treatment services or in-home parent skill-8

based programs are provided during a 12-9

month period beginning on the date the child is10

determined by the State to be a child described11

in paragraph (2):12

(i) The specific services or programs13

provided and the total expenditures for14

each of the services or programs.15

(ii) The duration of the services or16

programs provided.17

(iii) In the case of a child described18

in paragraph (2)(A), the childs placement19

status at the beginning, and at the end, of20

the 1-year period, respectively, and wheth-21

er the child entered foster care within 222

years after being determined a candidate23

for foster care.24

(5) STATE PLAN COMPONENT.25


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(A) IN GENERAL.A State electing to1

provide services or programs specified in para-2

graph (1) shall submit as part of the State plan3

required by subsection (a) a prevention services4

and programs plan component that meets the5

requirements of subparagraph (B).6

(B) PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO-7

GRAMS PLAN COMPONENT.In order to meet8

the requirements of this subparagraph, a pre-9

vention services and programs plan component,10

with respect to each 5-year period for which the11

plan component is in operation in the State,12

shall include the following:13

(i) How providing services and pro-14

grams specified in paragraph (1) is ex-15

pected to improve specific outcomes for16

children and families.17

(ii) How the State will monitor and18

oversee the safety of children who receive19

services and programs specified in para-20

graph (1), including through periodic risk21

assessments throughout the period in22

which the services and programs are pro-23

vided on behalf of a child and reexamina-24

tion of the prevention plan maintained for25


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the child under paragraph (4) for the pro-1

vision of the services or programs if the2

State determines the risk of the child en-3

tering foster care remains high despite the4

provision of the services or programs.5

(iii) With respect to the services and6

programs specified in subparagraphs (A)7

and (B) of paragraph (1), information on8

the specific promising, supported, or well-9

supported practices the State plans to use10

to provide the services or programs, includ-11

ing a description of12

(I) the services or programs and13

whether the practices used are prom-14

ising, supported, or well-supported;15

(II) how the State plans to im-16

plement the services or programs, in-17

cluding how implementation of the18

services or programs will be continu-19

ously monitored to ensure fidelity to20

the practice model and to determine21

outcomes achieved and how informa-22

tion learned from the monitoring will23

be used to refine and improve prac-24

tices;25


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(III) how the State selected the1

services or programs;2

(IV) the target population for3

the services or programs; and4

(V) how each service or pro-5

gram provided will be evaluated6

through a well-designed and rigorous7

process, which may consist of an on-8

going, cross-site evaluation approved9

by the Secretary.10

(iv) A description of the consultation11

that the State agencies responsible for ad-12

ministering the State plans under this part13

and part B engage in with other State14

agencies responsible for administering15

health programs, including mental health16

and substance abuse prevention and treat-17

ment services, and with other public and18

private agencies with experience in admin-19

istering child and family services, including20

community-based organizations, in order to21

foster a continuum of care for children de-22

scribed in paragraph (2) and their parents23

or kin caregivers.24


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(v) A description of how the State1

shall assess children and their parents or2

kin caregivers to determine eligibility for3

services or programs specified in para-4

graph (1).5

(vi) A description of how the services6

or programs specified in paragraph (1)7

that are provided for or on behalf of a8

child and the parents or kin caregivers of9

the child will be coordinated with other10

child and family services provided to the11

child and the parents or kin caregivers of12

the child under the State plan under part13

B.14

(vii) Descriptions of steps the State15

is taking to support and enhance a com-16

petent, skilled, and professional child wel-17

fare workforce to deliver trauma-informed18

and evidence-based services, including19

(I) ensuring that staff is quali-20

fied to provide services or programs21

that are consistent with the prom-22

ising, supported, or well-supported23

practice models selected; and24


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(II) develop appropriate preven-1

tion plans and conduct the risk as-2

sessments required under clause (iii).3

(viii) A description of how the State4

will provide training and support for case-5

workers in assessing what children and6

their families need, connecting to the fami-7

lies served, knowing how to access and de-8

liver the needed trauma-informed and evi-9

dence-based services, and overseeing and10

evaluating the continuing appropriateness11

of the services.12

(ix) A description of how caseload13

size and type for prevention caseworkers14

will be determined, managed, and overseen.15

(x) An assurance that the State will16

report to the Secretary such information17

and data as the Secretary may require18

with respect to the provision of services19

and programs specified in paragraph (1),20

including information and data necessary21

to determine the performance measures for22

the State under paragraph (6) and compli-23

ance with paragraph (7).24


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(C) REIMBURSEMENT FOR SERVICES1

UNDER THE PREVENTION PLAN COMPONENT.2

(i) LIMITATION.Except as provided3

in subclause (ii), a State may not receive4

a Federal payment under this part for a5

given promising, supported, or well-sup-6

ported practice unless (in accordance with7

subparagraph (B)(iii)(V)) the plan includes8

a well-designed and rigorous evaluation9

strategy for that practice.10

(ii) WAIVER OF LIMITATION.The11

Secretary may waive the requirement for a12

well-designed and rigorous evaluation of13

any well-supported practice if the Sec-14

retary deems the evidence of the effective-15

ness of the practice to be compelling and16

the State meets the continuous quality im-17

provement requirements included in sub-18

paragraph (B)(iii)(II) with regard to the19

practice.20

(6) PREVENTION SERVICES MEASURES.21

(A) ESTABLISHMENT; ANNUAL UP-22

DATES.Beginning with fiscal year 2021, and23

annually thereafter, the Secretary shall estab-24

lish the following prevention services measures25


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based on information and data reported by1

States that elect to provide services and pro-2

grams specified in paragraph (1):3

(i) PERCENTAGE OF CANDIDATES4

FOR FOSTER CARE WHO DO NOT ENTER5

FOSTER CARE.The percentage of can-6

didates for foster care for whom, or on7

whose behalf, the services or programs are8

provided who do not enter foster care, in-9

cluding those placed with a kin caregiver10

outside of foster care, during the 12-month11

period in which the services or programs12

are provided and through the end of the13

succeeding 12-month-period.14

(ii) PER-CHILD SPENDING.The15

total amount of expenditures made for16

mental health and substance abuse preven-17

tion and treatment services, in-home par-18

ent skill-based programs, or kinship place-19

ment assistance, respectively, for, or on be-20

half of, each child described in paragraph21

(2).22

(B) DATA.The Secretary shall establish23

and annually update the prevention services24

measures25


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(i) based on the median State values1

of the information reported under each2

clause of subparagraph (A) for the then 33

most recent years; and4

(ii) taking into account State dif-5

ferences in the price levels of consumption6

goods and services using the most recent7

regional price parities published by the Bu-8

reau of Economic Analysis of the Depart-9

ment of Commerce or such other data as10

the Secretary determines appropriate.11

(C) PUBLICATION OF STATE PREVENTION12

SERVICES MEASURES.The Secretary shall an-13

nually make available to the public the preven-14

tion services measures of each State.15

(7) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT FOR STATE16

FOSTER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES.17

(A) IN GENERAL.If a State elects to18

provide services and programs specified in para-19

graph (1) for a fiscal year, the State foster care20

prevention expenditures for the fiscal year shall21

not be less than the amount of the expenditures22

for fiscal year 2014.23


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(B) STATE FOSTER CARE PREVENTION1

EXPENDITURES.The term State foster care2

prevention expenditures means the following:3

(i) TANF; IVB; SSBG.State ex-4

penditures for foster care prevention serv-5

ices and activities under the State program6

funded under part A (including from7

amounts made available by the Federal8

Government), under the State plan devel-9

oped under part B (including any such10

amounts), or under the Social Services11

Block Grant Programs under subtitle A of12

title XX (including any such amounts).13

(ii) OTHER STATE PROGRAMS.14

State expenditures for foster care preven-15

tion services and activities under any State16

program that is not described in clause (i),17

(ii), or (iii) (other than any State expendi-18

tures for foster care prevention services19

and activities under the State program20

under this part (including under a waiver21

of the program)).22

(C) STATE EXPENDITURES.The term23

State expenditures means all State or local24

funds that are expended by the State or a local25


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agency including State or local funds that are1

matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern-2

ment and State or local funds that are not3

matched or reimbursed by the Federal Govern-4

ment.5

(D) DETERMINATION OF PREVENTION6

SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES.The Secretary7

shall require each State that elects to provide8

services and programs specified in paragraph9

(1) to report the expenditures specified in sub-10

paragraph (B) for fiscal year 2014 and for such11

fiscal years thereafter as are necessary to deter-12

mine whether the State is complying with the13

maintenance of effort requirement in subpara-14

graph (A). The Secretary shall specify the spe-15

cific services and activities under each program16

referred to in subparagraph (B) that are pre-17

vention services and activities for purposes of18

the reports.19

(8) PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF STATE FOS-20

TER CARE PREVENTION EXPENDITURES AND FED-21

ERAL IV-E PREVENTION FUNDS FOR MATCHING OR22

EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENT.A State that elects23

to provide services and programs specified in para-24

graph (1) shall not use any State foster care preven-25


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25

tion expenditures for a fiscal year for the State1

share of expenditures under section 474(a)(6) for a2

fiscal year.3

(9) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.Expenditures4

described in section 474(a)(6)(B)5

(A) shall not be eligible for payment6

under subparagraph (A), (B), or (E) of section7

474(a)(3); and8

(B) shall be eligible for payment under9

section 474(a)(6)(B) without regard to whether10

the expenditures are incurred on behalf of a11

child who is, or is potentially, eligible for foster12

care maintenance payments under this part.13

(10) APPLICATION.The provision of services14

or programs under this subsection to or on behalf of15

a child described in paragraph (2) shall not be con-16

sidered to be receipt of aid or assistance under the17

State plan under this part for purposes of eligibility18

for any other program established under this Act..19

(b) DEFINITION.Section 475 of such Act (4220

U.S.C. 675) is amended by adding at the end the fol-21

lowing:22

(13) The term child who is a candidate for foster23

care means, a child who is identified in a prevention plan24

under section 471(e)(4)(A) as being at imminent risk of25


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26

entering foster care (without regard to whether the child1

would be eligible for foster care maintenance payments2

under section 472 or is or would be eligible for adoption3

assistance or kinship guardianship assistance payments4

under section 473) but who can remain safely in the5

childs home or in a kinship placement as long as services6

or programs specified in section 471(e)(1) that are nec-7

essary to prevent the entry of the child into foster care8

are provided. The term includes a child whose adoption9

or guardianship arrangement is at risk of a disruption or10

dissolution that would result in a foster care placement..11

(c) PAYMENTS UNDER TITLE IVE.Section 474(a)12

of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)) is amended13

(1) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at14

the end and inserting ; plus; and15


(6) subject to section 471(e)17

(A) for each quarter18

(i) subject to clause (ii)19

(I) beginning after September20

30, 2019, and before October 1, 2025,21

an amount equal to 50 percent of the22

total amount expended during the23

quarter for the provision of services or24

programs specified in subparagraph25


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(A) or (B) of section 471(e)(1) that1

are provided in accordance with prom-2

ising, supported, or well-supported3

practices that meet the applicable cri-4

teria specified for the practices in sec-5

tion 471(e)(4)(C); and6

(II) beginning after September7

30, 2025, an amount equal to the8

Federal medical assistance percentage9

(which shall be as defined in section10

1905(b), in the case of a State other11

than the District of Columbia, or 7012

percent, in the case of the District of13

Columbia) of the total amount ex-14

pended during the quarter for the pro-15

vision of services or programs speci-16

fied in subparagraph (A) or (B) of17

section 471(e)(1) that are provided in18

accordance with promising, supported,19

or well-supported practices that meet20

the applicable criteria specified for the21

practices in section 471(e)(4)(C) (or,22

with respect to the payments made23

during the quarter under a coopera-24

tive agreement or contract entered25


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28

into by the State and an Indian tribe,1

tribal organization, or tribal consor-2

tium for the administration or pay-3

ment of funds under this part, an4

amount equal to the Federal medical5

assistance percentage that would6

apply under section 479B(d) (in this7

paragraph referred to as the tribal8

FMAP) if the Indian tribe, tribal or-9

ganization, or tribal consortium made10

the payments under a program oper-11

ated under that section, unless the12

tribal FMAP is less than the Federal13

medical assistance percentage that ap-14

plies to the State); except that15

(ii) not less than 50 percent of the16

total amount payable to a State under17

clause (i) for a fiscal year shall be for the18

provision of services or programs specified19

in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section20

471(e)(1) that are provided in accordance21

with well-supported practices; plus22

(B) for each quarter specified in subpara-23

graph (A), an amount equal to the sum of the24


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29

following proportions of the total amount ex-1

pended during the quarter:2

(i) 50 percent of so much of the ex-3

penditures as are found necessary by the4

Secretary for the proper and efficient ad-5

ministration of the State plan for the pro-6

vision of services or programs specified in7

section 471(e)(1), including expenditures8

for activities approved by the Secretary9

that promote the development of necessary10

processes and procedures to establish and11

implement the provision of the services and12

programs for individuals who are eligible13

for the services and programs and expendi-14

tures attributable to data collection and re-15

porting; and16

(ii) 50 percent of so much of the ex-17

penditures with respect to the provision of18

services and programs specified in section19

471(e)(1) as are for training of personnel20

employed or preparing for employment by21

the State agency or by the local agency ad-22

ministering the plan in the political sub-23

division and of the members of the staff of24

State-licensed or State-approved child wel-25


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30

fare agencies providing services to children1

described in section 471(e)(2) and their2

parents or kin caregivers, including on how3

to determine who are individuals eligible4

for the services or programs, how to iden-5

tify and provide appropriate services and6

programs, and how to oversee and evaluate7

the ongoing appropriateness of the services8

and programs..9

(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES,10

CLEARINGHOUSE, AND DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUA-11

TIONS.Section 476 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is12

amended by adding at the end the following:13

(d) TECHNICALASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES,14

CLEARINGHOUSE, DATA COLLECTION, AND EVALUATIONS15

RELATING TO PREVENTION SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.16

(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRAC-17

TICES.The Secretary shall provide to States and,18

as applicable, to Indian tribes, tribal organizations,19

and tribal consortia, technical assistance regarding20

the provision of services and programs described in21

section 471(e)(1) and shall disseminate best prac-22

tices with respect to the provision of the services and23

programs, including how to plan and implement a24


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well-designed and rigorous evaluation of a prom-1

ising, supported, or well-supported practice.2

(2) CLEARINGHOUSE OF PROMISING, SUP-3

PORTED, AND WELL-SUPPORTED PRACTICES.The4

Secretary shall, directly or through grants, con-5

tracts, or interagency agreements, evaluate research6

on the practices specified in clauses (iii), (iv), and7

(v), respectively, of section 471(e)(4)(C), including8

culturally specific, or location- or population-based9

adaptations of the practices, to identify and estab-10

lish a public clearinghouse of the practices that sat-11

isfy each category described by such clauses. In ad-12

dition, the clearinghouse shall include information on13

the specific outcomes associated with each practice,14

including whether the practice has been shown to15

prevent child abuse and neglect and reduce the like-16

lihood of foster care placement by supporting birth17

families and kinship families and improving targeted18

supports for pregnant and parenting youth and their19

children.20

(3) DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATIONS.21

The Secretary, directly or through grants, contracts,22

or interagency agreements, may collect data and23

conduct evaluations with respect to the provision of24

services and programs described in section 471(e)(1)25


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for purposes of assessing the extent to which the1

provision of the services and programs2

(A) reduces the likelihood of foster care3

placement;4

(B) increases use of kinship care arrange-5

ments; or6

(C) improves child well-being.7

(4) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.8

(A) IN GENERAL.The Secretary shall9

submit to the Committee on Finance of the10

Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means11

of the House of Representatives periodic reports12

based on the provision of services and programs13

described in section 471(e)(1) and the activities14

carried out under this subsection.15

(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.The Sec-16

retary shall make the reports to Congress sub-17

mitted under this paragraph publicly available.18

(5) APPROPRIATION.Out of any money in19

the Treasury of the United States not otherwise ap-20

propriated, there is appropriated to the Secretary21

$1,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 and each fiscal year22

thereafter to carry out this subsection..23

(e) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY IN-24

DIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.25


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(1) IN GENERAL.Section 479B of such Act1

(42 U.S.C. 679c) is amended2

(A) in subsection (c)(1)3

(i) in subparagraph (C)(i)4

(I) in subclause (II), by striking5

and after the semicolon;6

(II) in subclause (III), by strik-7

ing the period at the end and insert-8

ing ; and; and9

(III) by adding at the end the10

following:11

(IV) at the option of the tribe,12

organization, or consortium, services13

and programs specified in section14

471(e)(1) to children described in sec-15

tion 471(e)(2) and their parents or16

kin caregivers, in accordance with sec-17

tion 471(e) and subparagraph (E).;18

and19

(ii) by adding at the end the fol-20

lowing:21

(E) PREVENTION SERVICES AND PRO-22

GRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS23

AND KIN CAREGIVERS.24


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34

(i) IN GENERAL.In the case of a1

tribe, organization, or consortium that2

elects to provide services and programs3

specified in section 471(e)(1) to children4

described in section 471(e)(2) and their5

parents or kin caregivers under the plan,6

the Secretary shall specify the require-7

ments applicable to the provision of the8

services and programs. The requirements9

shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be10

consistent with the requirements applicable11

to States under section 471(e) and shall12

permit the provision of the services and13

programs in the form of services and pro-14

grams that are adapted to the culture and15

context of the tribal communities served.16

(ii) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.The17

Secretary shall establish specific perform-18

ance measures for each tribe, organization,19

or consortium that elects to provide serv-20

ices and programs specified in section21

471(e)(1). The performance measures22

shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be23

consistent with the prevention services24

measures required for States under section25


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471(e)(6) but shall allow for consideration1

of factors unique to the provision of the2

services by tribes, organizations, or con-3

sortia.; and4

(B) in subsection (d)(1), by striking and5

(5) and inserting (5), and (6)(A).6

(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.The heading7

for subsection (d) of section 479B of such Act (428

U.S.C. 679c) is amended by striking FOR FOSTER9

CARE MAINTENANCE AND ADOPTION ASSISTANCE10

PAYMENTS.11

SEC. 112. FOSTER CARE MAINTENANCE PAYMENTS FOR12

CHILDREN WITH PARENTS IN A LICENSED13

RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREATMENT14

FACILITY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE.15

(a) IN GENERAL.Section 472 of the Social Security16

Act (42 U.S.C. 672) is amended17

(1) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by striking or18

and inserting , with a parent residing in a licensed19

residential family-based treatment facility, but only20

to the extent permitted under subsection (j), or in21

a; and22



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36

(j) CHILDREN PLACED WITH A PARENT RESIDING1

IN A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL FAMILY-BASED TREAT-2

MENT FACILITY FOR SUBSTANCEABUSE.3

(1) IN GENERAL.Notwithstanding the pre-4

ceding provisions of this section, a child who is eligi-5

ble for foster care maintenance payments under this6

section, or who would be eligible for the payments if7

the eligibility were determined without regard to8

paragraphs (1)(B) and (3) of subsection (a), shall be9

eligible for the payments for a period of not more10

than 12 months during which the child is placed11

with a parent who is in a licensed residential family-12

based treatment facility for substance abuse, but13

only if14

(A) the recommendation for the place-15

ment is specified in the childs case plan before16

the placement;17

(B) the treatment facility provides, as18

part of the treatment for substance abuse, par-19


dividual and family counseling; and21

(C) the substance abuse treatment, par-22


dividual and family counseling is provided24

under an organizational structure and treat-25


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37

ment framework that involves understanding,1

recognizing, and responding to the effects of all2

types of trauma and in accordance with recog-3

nized principles of a trauma-informed approach4

and trauma-specific interventions to address the5

consequences of trauma and facilitate healing.6

(2) APPLICATION.With respect to children7

for whom foster care maintenance payments are8

made under paragraph (1), only the children who9

satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (1)(B) and10

(3) of subsection (a) shall be considered to be chil-11

dren with respect to whom foster care maintenance12

payments are made under this section for purposes13

of subsection (h) or section 473(b)(3)(B)..14

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.Section 474(a)(1)15

of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(1)) is amend-16

ed by inserting subject to section 472(j), before an17

amount equal to the Federal.18

SEC. 113. IVE PAYMENTS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED KINSHIP19

NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS.20

Section 474(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.21

674(a)), as amended by section 111(c), is amended22

(1) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at23

the end and inserting ; plus; and24



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38

(7) an amount equal to 50 percent of the1

amounts expended by the State during the quarter2

as the Secretary determines are for kinship navi-3

gator programs that meet the requirements de-4

scribed in section 427(a)(1) and that the Secretary5

determines are operated in accordance with prom-6

ising, supported, or well-supported practices that7

meet the applicable criteria specified for the prac-8

tices in section 471(e)(4)(C), without regard to9

whether the expenditures are incurred on behalf of10

children who are, or are potentially, eligible for fos-11

ter care maintenance payments under this part..12

Subtitle BEnhanced Support13

Under Title IVB14

SEC. 121. ELIMINATION OF TIME LIMIT FOR FAMILY REUNI-15

FICATION SERVICES WHILE IN FOSTER CARE16

AND PERMITTING TIME-LIMITED FAMILY RE-17

UNIFICATION SERVICES WHEN A CHILD RE-18

TURNS HOME FROM FOSTER CARE.19

(a) IN GENERAL.Section 431(a)(7) of the Social20

Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(7)) is amended21

(1) in the paragraph heading, by striking22

TIME-LIMITED FAMILY and inserting FAMILY;23

and24

(2) in subparagraph (A)25


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(A) by striking time-limited family and1

inserting family;2

(B) by inserting or a child who has been3

returned home after child care institution;4

and5

(C) by striking , but only during the 15-6

month period that begins on the date that the7

child, pursuant to section 475(5)(F), is consid-8

ered to have entered foster care and inserting9

and to ensure the strength and stability of the10

reunification. In the case of a child who has11

been returned home, the services and activities12

shall only be provided during the 15-month pe-13

riod that begins on the date that the child re-14

turns home..15

(b) CONFORMINGAMENDMENTS.16

(1) Section 430 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629) is17

amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by18

striking time-limited.19

(2) Subsections (a)(4), (a)(5)(A), and (b)(1) of20

section 432 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629b) are21

amended by striking time-limited each place it ap-22

pears.23


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SEC. 122. REDUCING BUREAUCRACY AND UNNECESSARY1

DELAYS WHEN PLACING CHILDREN IN2

HOMES ACROSS STATE LINES.3

(a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.Section4

471(a)(25) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.5

671(a)(25)) is amended6

(1) by striking provide and insert provides;7

and8

(2) by inserting , which, not later than Octo-9

ber 1, 2026, shall include the use of an electronic10

interstate case-processing system before the 1st11

semicolon.12

(b) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC-13

TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EX-14

PEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN15

FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.16

Section 437 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 637) is amended by17

adding at the end the following:18

(g) GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELEC-19

TRONIC INTERSTATE CASE-PROCESSING SYSTEM TO EX-20

PEDITE THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN21

FOSTER CARE OR GUARDIANSHIP, OR FOR ADOPTION.22

(1) PURPOSE.The purpose of this subsection23

is to facilitate the development of an electronic inter-24

state case-processing system for the exchange of25

data and documents to expedite the placements of26


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children in foster, guardianship, or adoptive homes1

across State lines.2

(2) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.A State3

that desires a grant under this subsection shall sub-4

mit to the Secretary an application containing the5

following:6

(A) A description of the goals and out-7

comes to be achieved during the period for8

which grant funds are sought, which goals and9

outcomes must result in10

(i) reducing the time it takes for a11

child to be provided with a safe and appro-12

priate permanent living arrangement13

across State lines;14

(ii) improving administrative proc-15

esses and reducing costs in the foster care16

system; and17

(iii) the secure exchange of relevant18

case files and other necessary materials in19

real time, and timely communications and20

placement decisions regarding interstate21

placements of children.22

(B) A description of the activities to be23

funded in whole or in part with the grant24

funds, including the sequencing of the activities.25


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(C) A description of the strategies for in-1

tegrating programs and services for children2

who are placed across State lines.3

(D) Such other information as the Sec-4

retary may require.5

(3) GRANT AUTHORITY.The Secretary may6

make a grant to a State that complies with para-7

graph (2).8

(4) USE OF FUNDS.A State to which a grant9

is made under this subsection shall use the grant to10

support the State in connecting with the electronic11

interstate case-processing system described in para-12

graph (1).13

(5) EVALUATIONS.Not later than 1 year14

after the final year in which grants are awarded15

under this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to16

the Congress, and make available to the general17

public by posting on a website, a report that con-18

tains the following information:19

(A) How using the electronic interstate20

case-processing system developed pursuant to21

paragraph (4) has changed the time it takes for22

children to be placed across State lines.23

(B) The number of cases subject to the24

Interstate Compact on the Placement of Chil-25


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43

dren that were processed through the electronic1

interstate case-processing system, and the num-2

ber of interstate child placement cases that3

were processed outside the electronic interstate4

case-processing system, by each State in each5

year.6

(C) The progress made by States in im-7

plementing the electronic interstate case-proc-8

essing system.9

(D) How using the electronic interstate10

case-processing system has affected various11

metrics related to child safety and well-being,12

including the time it takes for children to be13

placed across State lines.14

(E) How using the electronic interstate15

case-processing system has affected administra-16

tive costs and caseworker time spent on placing17

children across State lines.18

(6) DATA INTEGRATION.The Secretary, in19

consultation with the Secretariat for the Interstate20

Compact on the Placement of Children and the21

States, shall assess how the electronic interstate22

case-processing system developed pursuant to para-23

graph (4) could be used to better serve and protect24


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children that come to the attention of the child wel-1

fare system, by2

(A) connecting the system with other3

data systems (such as systems operated by4

State law enforcement and judicial agencies,5

systems operated by the Federal Bureau of In-6

vestigation for the purposes of the Innocence7

Lost National Initiative, and other systems);8

(B) simplifying and improving reporting9

related to paragraphs (34) and (35) of section10

471(a) regarding children or youth who have11

been identified as being a sex trafficking victim12

or children missing from foster care; and13

(C) improving the ability of States to14

quickly comply with background check require-15

ments of section 471(a)(20), including checks of16

child abuse and neglect registries as required by17

section 471(a)(20)(B)..18

(c) RESERVATION OF FUNDS TO IMPROVE THE19

INTERSTATE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN.Section 437(b)20

of such Act (42 U.S.C. 637(b)) is amended by adding at21

the end the following:22

(4) IMPROVING THE INTERSTATE PLACEMENT23

OF CHILDREN.The Secretary shall reserve24

$5,000,000 of the amount made available for fiscal25


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year 2017 for grants under subsection (g), and the1

amount so reserved shall remain available through2

fiscal year 2021..3

SEC. 123. ENHANCEMENTS TO GRANTS TO IMPROVE WELL-4

BEING OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY SUB-5

STANCE ABUSE.6

Section 437(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.7

629g(f)) is amended8

(1) in the subsection heading, by striking IN-9

CREASE THE WELL-BEING OF, AND TO IMPROVE10

THE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES FOR, CHILDREN AF-11

FECTED BY and inserting IMPLEMENT IV-E PRE-12

VENTION SERVICES, AND IMPROVE THE WELL-13

BEING OF, AND IMPROVE PERMANENCY OUTCOMES14

FOR, CHILDREN AND FAMILIESAFFECTED BY HER-15

OIN, OPIOIDS, AND OTHER;16

(2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the17

following:18

(2) REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP DEFINED.In19

this subsection, the term regional partnership20

means a collaborative agreement (which may be es-21

tablished on an interstate, State, or intrastate basis)22

entered into by the following:23

(A) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR ALL24

PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.25


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(i) The State child welfare agency1

that is responsible for the administration2

of the State plan under this part and part3

E.4

(ii) The State agency responsible for5

administering the substance abuse preven-6

tion and treatment block grant provided7

under subpart II of part B of title XIX of8

the Public Health Service Act.9

(B) MANDATORY PARTNERS FOR PART-10

NERSHIP GRANTS PROPOSING TO SERVE CHIL-11

DREN IN OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS.If the12

partnership proposes to serve children in out-of-13

home placements, the Juvenile Court or Admin-14

istrative Office of the Court that is most appro-15

priate to oversee the administration of court16

programs in the region to address the popu-17

lation of families who come to the attention of18

the court due to child abuse or neglect.19

(C) OPTIONAL PARTNERS.At the option20

of the partnership, any of the following:21

(i) An Indian tribe or tribal consor-22

tium.23

(ii) Nonprofit child welfare service24

providers.25


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(iii) For-profit child welfare service1

providers.2

(iv) Community health service pro-3

viders, including substance abuse treat-4

ment providers.5

(v) Community mental health pro-6

viders.7

(vi) Local law enforcement agencies.8

(vii) School personnel.9

(viii) Tribal child welfare agencies10

(or a consortia of the agencies).11

(ix) Any other providers, agencies,12

personnel, officials, or entities that are re-13

lated to the provision of child and family14

services under a State plan approved under15

this subpart.16

(D) EXCEPTION FOR REGIONAL PART-17

NERSHIPS WHERE THE LEAD APPLICANT IS AN18

INDIAN TRIBE OR TRIBAL CONSORTIA.If an19

Indian tribe or tribal consortium enters into a20

regional partnership for purposes of this sub-21

section, the Indian tribe or tribal consortium22

(i) may (but is not required to) in-23

clude the State child welfare agency as a24

partner in the collaborative agreement;25


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(ii) may not enter into a collabo-1

rative agreement only with tribal child wel-2

fare agencies (or a consortium of the agen-3

cies); and4

(iii) if the condition described in5

paragraph (2)(B) applies, may include6

tribal court organizations in lieu of other7

judicial partners.;8

(3) in paragraph (3)9

(A) in subparagraph (A)10

(i) by striking 2012 through 201611

and inserting 2017 through 2021; and12

(ii) by striking $500,000 and not13

more than $1,000,000 and inserting14

$250,000 and not more than $750,000;15

(B) in subparagraph (B)16

(i) in the subparagraph heading, by17

inserting ; PLANNING after APPROVAL;18

(ii) in clause (i), by striking clause19

(ii) and inserting clauses (ii) and (iii);20

and21

(iii) by adding at the end the fol-22

lowing:23

(iii) SUFFICIENT PLANNING.A24

grant awarded under this subsection shall25


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be disbursed in 2 phases: a planning phase1

(not to exceed 2 years); and an implemen-2

tation phase. The total disbursement to a3

grantee for the planning phase may not ex-4

ceed $250,000, and may not exceed the5

total anticipated funding for the implemen-6

tation phase.; and7

(C) by adding at the end the following:8

(D) LIMITATION ON PAYMENT FOR A FIS-9

CAL YEAR.No payment shall be made under10

subparagraph (A) or (C) for a fiscal year until11

the Secretary determines that the eligible part-12

nership has made sufficient progress in meeting13

the goals of the grant and that the members of14

the eligible partnership are coordinating to a15

reasonable degree with the other members of16

the eligible partnership.;17


(A) in subparagraph (B)19

(i) in clause (i), by inserting , par-20

ents, and families after children;21

(ii) in clause (ii), by striking safety22

and permanence for such children; and23

and inserting safe, permanent caregiving24

relationships for the children;;25


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(iii) in clause (iii), by striking or1

and inserting increase reunification rates2

for children who have been placed in out of3

home care, or decrease; and4

(iv) by redesignating clause (iii) as5

clause (v) and inserting after clause (ii)6

the following:7

(iii) improve the substance abuse8

treatment outcomes for parents including9

retention in treatment and successful com-10

pletion of treatment;11

(iv) facilitate the implementation, de-12

livery, and effectiveness of prevention serv-13

ices and programs under section 471(e);14

and;15

(B) in subparagraph (D), by striking16

where appropriate,; and17

(C) by striking subparagraphs (E) and (F)18

and inserting the following:19

(E) A description of a plan for sustaining20

the services provided by or activities funded21

under the grant after the conclusion of the22

grant period, including through the use of pre-23

vention services and programs under section24

471(e) and other funds provided to the State25


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for child welfare and substance abuse preven-1

tion and treatment services.2

(F) Additional information needed by the3

Secretary to determine that the proposed activi-4

ties and implementation will be consistent with5

research or evaluations showing which practices6

and approaches are most effective.;7

(5) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking abuse8

treatment and inserting use disorder treatment in-9

cluding medication assisted treatment and in-home10

substance abuse disorder treatment and recovery;11


(A) by striking and at the end of sub-13

paragraph (C); and14

(B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as15

subparagraph (E) and inserting after subpara-16

graph (C) the following:17

(D) demonstrate a track record of suc-18

cessful collaboration among child welfare, sub-19

stance abuse disorder treatment and mental20

health agencies; and;21


(A) in subparagraph (A)23


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(i) by striking establish indicators1

that will be and inserting review indica-2

tors that are; and3

(ii) by striking in using funds made4

available under such grants to achieve the5

purpose of this subsection and inserting6

and establish a set of core indicators re-7

lated to child safety, parental recovery,8

parenting capacity, and family well-being.9

In developing the core indicators, to the10

extent possible, indicators shall be made11

consistent with the outcome measures de-12

scribed in section 471(e)(6);13

(B) in subparagraph (B)14

(i) in the matter preceding clause (i),15

by inserting base the performance meas-16

ures on lessons learned from prior rounds17

of regional partnership grants under this18

subsection, and before consult; and19

(ii) by striking clauses (iii) and (iv)20


(iii) Other stakeholders or constitu-22

encies as determined by the Secretary.;23

(8) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking clause (i)24



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(i) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.Not1

later than September 30 of each fiscal year2

in which a recipient of a grant under this3

subsection is paid funds under the grant,4

and every 6 months thereafter, the grant5

recipient shall submit to the Secretary a6

report on the services provided and activi-7

ties carried out during the reporting pe-8

riod, progress made in achieving the goals9

of the program, the number of children,10

adults, and families receiving services, and11

such additional information as the Sec-12

retary determines is necessary. The report13

due not later than September 30 of the14

last such fiscal year shall include, at a15

minimum, data on each of the performance16

indicators included in the evaluation of the17

regional partnership.; and18

(9) in paragraph (10), by striking 201219

through 2016 and inserting 2017 through 2021.20


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Subtitle CMiscellaneous1

SEC. 131. REVIEWING AND IMPROVING LICENSING STAND-2

ARDS FOR PLACEMENT IN A RELATIVE FOS-3

TER FAMILY HOME.4

(a) IDENTIFICATION OF REPUTABLE MODEL LI-5

CENSING STANDARDS.Not later than October 1, 2017,6

the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall identify7

reputable model licensing standards with respect to the li-8

censing of foster family homes (as defined in section9

472(c)(1) of the Social Security Act).10

(b) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.Section 471(a) of11

the Social Security Act is amended12

(1) in paragraph (34)(B), by striking and13

after the semicolon;14

(2) in paragraph (35)(B), by striking the period15

at the end and inserting a semicolon; and16


(36) provides that, not later than April 1,18

2018, the State shall submit to the Secretary infor-19

mation addressing20

(A) whether the State licensing standards21

are in accord with model standards identified22

by the Secretary, and if not, the reason for the23

specific deviation and a description as to why24

having a standard that is reasonably in accord25


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with the corresponding national model stand-1

ards is not appropriate for the State;2

(B) whether the State has elected to3

waive standards established in 471(a)(10)(A)4

for relative foster family homes (pursuant to5

waiver authority provided by 471(a)(10)(D)), a6

description of which standards the State most7

commonly waives, and if the State has not8

elected to waive the standards, the reason for9

not waiving these standards;10

(C) if the State has elected to waive11

standards specified in subparagraph (B), how12

caseworkers are trained to use the waiver au-13

thority and whether the State has developed a14

process or provided tools to assist caseworkers15

in waiving nonsafety standards per the author-16

ity provided in 471(a)(10)(D) to quickly place17

children with relatives; and18

(D) a description of the steps the State is19

taking to improve caseworker training or the20

process, if any; and.21


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SEC. 132. DEVELOPMENT OF A STATEWIDE PLAN TO PRE-1

VENT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT FATALI-2

TIES.3

Section 422(b)(19) of the Social Security Act (424

?U.S.C. 622(b)(19)) is amended to read as follows:5

(19) document steps taken to track and pre-6

vent child maltreatment deaths by including7

(A) a description of the steps the State is8

taking to compile complete and accurate infor-9

mation on the deaths required by Federal law10

to be reported by the State agency referred to11

in paragraph (1), including gathering relevant12

information on the deaths from the relevant or-13

ganizations in the State including entities such14

as State vital statistics department, child death15

review teams, law enforcement agencies, offices16

of medical examiners or coroners; and17

(B) a description of the steps the state is18

taking to develop and implement of a com-19

prehensive, statewide plan to prevent the fatali-20

ties that involves and engages relevant public21

and private agency partners, including those in22

public health, law enforcement and the courts..23


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SEC. 133. MODERNIZING THE TITLE AND PURPOSE OF1

TITLE IVE.2

(a) PART HEADING.The heading for part E of title3

IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) is4

amended to read as follows:5

Subtitle EFederal Payments for6

Foster Care, Prevention, and7

Permanency.8

(b) PURPOSE.The 1st sentence of section 470 of9

such Act (42 U.S.C. 670) is amended10

(1) by striking 1995) and and inserting11

1995),;12

(2) by inserting kinship guardianship assist-13

ance, and prevention services or programs specified14

in section 471(e)(1), after needs,; and15

(3) by striking (commencing with the fiscal16

year which begins October 1, 1980).17

SEC. 134. EFFECTIVE DATES.18

(a) EFFECTIVE DATES.19

(1) IN GENERAL.Except as provided in para-20

graph (2), subject to subsection (b), the amend-21

ments made by this title shall take effect on October22

1, 2016.23

(2) EXCEPTIONS.The amendments made by24

sections 131 and 133 shall take effect on the date25

of enactment of this Act.26


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(b) TRANSITION RULE.1

(1) IN GENERAL.In the case of a State plan2

under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security3

Act which the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-4

ices determines requires State legislation (other than5

legislation appropriating funds) in order for the plan6

to meet the additional requirements imposed by the7

amendments made by this title, the State plan shall8

not be regarded as failing to comply with the re-9

quirements of such part solely on the basis of the10

failure of the plan to meet such additional require-11

ments before the first day of the first calendar quar-12

ter beginning after the close of the first regular ses-13

sion of the State legislature that begins after the14

date of enactment of this Act. For purposes of the15

previous sentence, in the case of a State that has a16

2-year legislative session, each year of the session17

shall be deemed to be a separate regular session of18

the State legislature.19

(2) APPLICATION TO PROGRAMS OPERATED BY20

INDIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.In the case of an21

Indian tribe, tribal organization, or tribal consortium22

which the Secretary of Health and Human Services23

determines requires time to take action necessary to24

comply with the additional requirements imposed by25


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the amendments made by this title (whether the1

tribe, organization, or tribal consortium has a plan2

under section 479B of the Social Security Act or a3

cooperative agreement or contract entered into with4

a State), the Secretary shall provide the tribe, orga-5

nization, or tribal consortium with such additional6

time as the Secretary determines is necessary for the7

tribe, organization, or tribal consortium to take the8

action to comply with the additional requirements9

before being regarded as failing to comply with the10

requirements.11

TITLE IIENSURING THE NE-12

CESSITY OF A PLACEMENT13

THAT IS NOT IN A FOSTER14

FAMILY HOME15

SEC. 201. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA-16

TION FOR PLACEMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN17

FOSTER FAMILY HOMES.18

(a) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPA-19

TION.20

(1) IN GENERAL.Section 472 of the Social21

Security Act (42 U.S.C. 672), as amended by sec-22

tion 112, is amended23


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(A) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by inserting ,1

but only to the extent permitted under sub-2

section (k) after institution; and3

(B) by adding at the end the following:4

(k) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FINANCIA

family first prevention services act of 2016[2]

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