Advocacy

Due to the work of numerous children’s advocacy groups, including the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths (NCECAD), the issue of child abuse and neglect deaths in the United States is beginning to attract both national and international media attention, as well as the attention of Congress. For example, provisions related to compiling information on child maltreatment deaths is ... Read More »

On September 30, President Obama president signed into law the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act that reauthorizes two important child welfare programs – Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) and the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services (STJCWS) for 5 years. The law also renews waiver authority so states can test various approaches to serving children at ... Read More »

On September 21, the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, HR 2883, overwhelmingly passed in House of Representatives. This bill amends title IV part B (Child and Family Services) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend through FY2016 the authorization of appropriations for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program. It also revises requirements for child ... Read More »

September 23 marked the 18 – month anniversary since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). New census numbers showed 500,000 more young adults have insurance than last year because of the ACA provision that lets parents keep their children on their plans until they are 26 years old. In addition, 18.9 million seniors have already taken advantage of ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Children’s Bureau is sponsoring a webinar for home visiting programs and partner organizations Thursday, September 22, 2011, titled “Partnerships and Collaboration in Home Visiting:  Critical Issues in Serving Families with Substance Use Disorders”, for 3:00-4:30 pm EST/ 12:00-1:30 pm PST. The webinar intends to address issues regarding the important linkages between ... Read More »

On September 14, the House Rules Committee filed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government after the 2011 Fiscal Year expires on September 30th. The CR will run until November 18, 2011 and funds the government at a level of $1.043 trillion, as established by the Budget Control Act (the debt ceiling agreement). This spending level is about $7 ... Read More »

On September 15, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus  introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2011, a bill that complements the efforts of the Affordable Care Act and focuses on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. The bill was introduced by social worker, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Chair of ... Read More »

The first ever bipartisan congressional HIV/AIDS caucus officially launched on September 15, 30 years after the human immunodeficiency virus was first identified. The caucus is led by House members Jim McDermott (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Trent Franks (R-AZ). Read More »

NASW Sends Letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction NASW recently sent a letter to the recently appointed 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction who will make recommendations on ways to increase revenues while reducing the deficit.  The Super Committee will determine which programs, both military and domestic, that will be included in a ... Read More »

When President Obama spoke recently about the American Jobs Act, he specifically outlined a program designed to increase hiring of veterans.  Although this proposal might not strike the reader as being specific to women, it’s important to remember how many women have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with some form of traumatic stress.  Also, in terms of health, some women ... Read More »