The brilliant policy wonks behind the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) came from organizations like the Annie E. Casey Foundation. As this Child Welfare Monitor analysis shows, they built in so many regulations that after five years, only 6,200 children nationally are receiving the preventive services envisioned by the act. The FFPSA has also cut off most funding for residential treatment centers and group homes so foster children everywhere are sleeping in welfare offices.
Casey and related groups are driving child welfare policy today. They make these huge miscalculations because they view child welfare through a lens of political ideology rather than being grounded in experience and best practice.
Soon we will ask you to help us talk with elected representatives about proposals for the 2024 state legislative session that are child-centered and based on research, not political theories.