News

(December 9, 2016) – Senators Graham (R-South Carolina) and Durbin (D-Illinois) today announced a new piece of legislation that would continue protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by allowing them to maintain lawful status and continue to live without fear of deportation.The Bridge Act is designed to be a temporary solution for those protected currently under DACA given the program’s uncertain future under the incoming Administration. To date, more than 740,000 young people have obtained DACA. With the Bridge Act, DACA youth would fall under a new 3-year status called “provisional protected status,” allowing them to continue to work...

YouthToday12/1/2016A major medical innovation bill that could help children and families with mental health reforms and funding to fight opioid addiction is headed to the U.S. Senate.The $6.3 billion bill, the 21st Century Cures Act, is largely devoted to changing the way medical drugs and devices are approved in the United States. But various other provisions hitched a ride on the bill the House approved Wednesday by a vote of 392-26.The Senate is expected to consider the legislation next week, and the White House has weighed in with support for it.Read More...

For Immediate Release: December 1, 2016Washington D.C. – After months of work, compromise and negotiation, limited time remains for Congress to pass the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). On Tuesday, the bill was stripped from the 21st Century Cures Act due to the objection of a few Senators.The Family First Prevention Services Act contains many important provisions which would allow federal Title IV-E foster care funds to be used for prevention services, including substance use treatment services, mental health services, and in home-parenting skills for families in or at risk of becoming involved with the foster care system.“We’re really...

MEDIA STATEMENT(November 28, 2016) – “As organizations dedicated to protecting and improving the health, safety and well-being of America’s children and families, we feel it is critical that Congress passes funding assistance before the end of the year for Flint, MI and other communities affected by lead contamination.“No level of lead is safe for children and even trace amounts can cause irreversible damage to a child’s brain development and nervous system.  Yet children and families in Flint, MI and other communities have been waiting for over a year for help to address this crisis and prevent future cases of lead exposure.“Congress...

Washington – Advocates for homeless children and youth say the annual estimate of homelessness in the United States released yesterday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is misleading and underestimates family and youth homelessness.HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part II, an estimate and description of homeless Americans presented each year to Congress, reported 502,521 sheltered families with children in 2015, a 6.1 percent increase since 2007.In contrast, public schools, as reported by the Department of Education identified 1,301,239 homeless children and youth in the 2013-2014 school year, a 100 percent increase from the 2006-2007 school year. Head...

Washington – Congress yesterday voted to pass a continuing resolution (CR), a stopgap measure that prevented a government shutdown.“The government funds so many programs that are crucial for kids,” said Bruce Lesley, president of the First Focus Campaign for Children. “While we are glad that a government shutdown has been averted, we know that a full budget deal is better for kids. A long-term spending package ensures funding for services that are critical to support and improve the well-being of America’s children.”Two areas critical to kids’ health came through in the short-term deal: funding that will begin to combat the Zika...

Youth Todayby Sarah Barr7/18/16WASHINGTON — Federal legislation that aims to address the nation’s opioid crisis cleared its last major hurdle this week, while another bill that also includes provisions to address substance abuse floundered.Before leaving for a lengthy summer recess, the Senate sent to the president’s desk the sweeping Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (S 524), which includes some programs focused on the needs of children and families.But the Senate did not take up the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR 5456, S 3065), a bill that would ...Read More

Washington – By voice vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted today to pass the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456), a bipartisan bill to improve prevention and support services for children at risk of being placed in foster care.The Campaign for Children strongly supports the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456/S.3065 in the Senate), the result of more than a year of bipartisan discussion in the House and Senate that will allow states to be reimbursed for providing preventive mental health, substance abuse, and in-home counseling services to children who are candidates for foster care, as well...

Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children welcomes the proposed one-year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, approved in the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote today as part of H.R. 5170, the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act.TANF provides critical support to children of poor and low-income working class families in the United States. TANF provides cash assistance to families, funding for child welfare programs, aid to children at risk of abuse, and child care assistance. However, increased resources for TANF are needed in order to increase the program’s...

Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children applauds the introduction of the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456/S.3065), a bipartisan, bicameral commitment to investing in and improving prevention and support services for children at risk of entering the foster care system.The Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456/S.3065), which is expected to be voted on in the House this week, is the result of more than a year of bipartisan discussions and proposals led by the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. Among other provisions, the bill allows states to be reimbursed for providing...