[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8555 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8555
To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for
better protections for children raised in kinship families outside of
the foster care system.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 23, 2024
Ms. Scanlon (for herself and Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education
and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for
better protections for children raised in kinship families outside of
the foster care system.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child
Abuse Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) More than 2,400,000 children are being raised in
kinship families or ``grandfamilies'' by relatives or close
family friends without their parents in the home, and the vast
majority of such children are raised outside of the foster care
system.
(2) The majority of kinship caregivers are grandparents.
(3) For every child in foster care living with relatives,
there are 18 being raised by relatives outside of the foster
care system.
(4) More than one-third of all children placed in foster
care because of parental drug or alcohol use are placed with
relatives.
(5) Children who have been exposed to substance misuse in
the home may also experience abuse and neglect, and research
indicates that children in family foster care because of
substance use are more likely to be placed with relatives than
with nonrelatives.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO CAPTA.
(a) Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect.--Section 102(c) of
the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5102(c)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (13), by striking ``; and'' and inserting
a semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (14), by striking the period and inserting
a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(15) organizations providing services to kinship
families; and
``(16) birth parents, kinship caregivers, and foster care
alumni.''.
(b) National Clearinghouse for Information Relating to Child
Abuse.--Section 103(b) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
(42 U.S.C. 5104(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (8)(B), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) coordinate with the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support
Network: A National Technical Assistance Center to disseminate
information about evidence-based, evidence-informed and
exemplary practices used to support children being raised in
kinship families within, or outside of, the child welfare
system.''.
(c) Grants to States, Indian Tribes or Tribal Organizations, and
Public or Private Agencies and Organizations.--Section 105(a)(4) of the
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)(4)) is
amended by adding at the end the following: ``Such procedures used by
recipients of a grant pursuant to this paragraph shall reflect equity
for children placed with kin, recognize their unique circumstance, and
include plans for prioritizing placement with kin as the first
placement, identifying and engaging kin as supports for children
throughout the child's involvement with the child welfare system,
making it a priority to license kin as foster parents, supporting
permanent families for children placed with kin, and creating a strong
community network to support kin families.''.
(d) Grants to States for Child Abuse or Neglect Prevention and
Treatment Programs.--Section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(2)--
(A) in subparagraph (B)(iv), by inserting ``, and
for how kinship placements will be prioritized'' before
the semicolon; and
(B) in subparagraph (D)(v), by inserting ``kinship
navigators,'' after ``substance abuse treatment
agencies,''; and
(2) in subsection (d)(3)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as
subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively;
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the
following:
``(B) the number that did not receive services
during the year under the State program funded under
this section or an equivalent State program because the
child was diverted from the child welfare system to
live with kin outside of the foster care system;''; and
(C) in subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, by
striking ``families'' and inserting ``parents''.
(e) Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and
Neglect.--
(1) Purpose.--Section 201(b)(1) of the Child Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116(b)(1)) is
amended--
(A) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(B) in subparagraph (H), by adding ``and'' after
the semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(I) support the unique needs of kinship families
raising children inside or outside the foster care
system;''.
(2) Local program requirements.--Section 205(a) of the
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116e(a))
is amended--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and to parents
who are adult former victims of domestic violence or
child abuse or neglect'' and inserting ``to parents who
are adult former victims of domestic violence or child
abuse or neglect, and to families where children are
being raised by kin because their parents cannot raise
them'';
(B) in paragraph (3)(B)--
(i) in clause (viii), by striking ``and'';
(ii) in clause (ix), by striking the period
and inserting a semicolon; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(x) training to meet the specific needs
of kinship caregivers, including training on
caring for children with behavioral or mental
health challenges and how to access services
for which such caregivers may be eligible; and
``(xi) training on understanding substance
use disorders and the impact of trauma on
children;''; and
(C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``, kinship
caregivers, and foster care alumni'' after ``parents''.
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