[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2944 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2944

 To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to examine and 
      improve the child welfare workforce, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2008

 Mr. Reid (for Mrs. Clinton) introduced the following bill; which was 
          read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to examine and 
      improve the child welfare workforce, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Child Welfare Workforce Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1)(A) Research indicates that child welfare staff face a 
        variety of obstacles that hinder their effective work with 
        children and families in the child welfare system. These 
        obstacles include barriers described in subparagraphs (B) 
        through (D).
            (B) High caseload and high workload levels prevent child 
        welfare staff from working intensively with children and 
        families and monitoring their progress carefully.
            (C) Child welfare staff report a need for greater access to 
        supervision, mentoring, and professional advancement. A lack of 
        access to supervision, mentoring, and professional advancement 
        contributes to staff burnout and turnover.
            (D) States report difficulty hiring and retaining quality 
        child welfare staff. The average tenure of such a staff member 
        is less than 2 years. In addition to increasing the cost of 
        hiring and training new child welfare staff, high turnover 
        rates among such staff are associated with multiple placements 
        of children in foster care, longer lengths of stays in foster 
        care, lower rates of permanency, and failed efforts at family 
        reunification. Lengthy periods of foster care increase costs 
        for child welfare agencies, as maintaining children in foster 
        care is more expensive than adoption, reunification, or other 
        permanency options.
            (2) Federal funding under part E of title IV of the Social 
        Security Act for training of child welfare staff is limited. 
        The related Federal funding procedures are linked to an 
        outdated income eligibility requirement and administered in a 
        way that fails to recognize the scope or types of staff who are 
        working with children in the child welfare system.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 111 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5106g) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (6) as 
        paragraphs (5) through (8), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) the term `child welfare staff' means--
                    ``(A) employees of State and local child welfare 
                agencies, who are working with children and families 
                that have contact with such a child welfare agency, in 
                order to promote safety, permanence, and well-being for 
                children and families; and
                    ``(B) employees of State-licensed or State-approved 
                nonprofit private agencies, who are working with 
                children and families that have contact with a State or 
                local child welfare agency in order to promote safety, 
                permanence, and well-being for children and families;
            ``(4) the term `related professionals', used with respect 
        to child welfare staff, means--
                    ``(A) legal staff, working with children and 
                families that have contact with a State or local child 
                welfare agency, including judges, attorneys, guardians 
                ad litem, and court appointed special advocates; and
                    ``(B) individuals employed by public or nonprofit 
                private agencies in child- and family-serving fields 
                including education, health, mental health, substance 
                abuse prevention and treatment, juvenile justice, and 
                domestic violence services, who work with children and 
                families that have contact with a State or local child 
                welfare agency;''.

SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND RESEARCH TO INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR 
              OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN.

    The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act is amended by 
inserting after section 104 (42 U.S.C. 5105) the following:

``SEC. 104A. DATA COLLECTION AND RESEARCH TO INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY 
              FOR OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN.

    ``(a) National Child Welfare Staff Study.--
            ``(1) Study and report.--The Secretary shall enter into an 
        agreement with the National Academy of Sciences, under which 
        the National Academy of Sciences shall--
                    ``(A) conduct a national study of child welfare 
                staff to--
                            ``(i) examine and provide findings related 
                        to the demographic and other characteristics of 
                        child welfare staff, including salaries, 
                        academic degrees held, training received, and 
                        turnover;
                            ``(ii) examine and provide findings 
                        regarding factors contributing to child welfare 
                        staff turnover and strategies that have been 
                        effective in reducing the turnover;
                            ``(iii)(I) examine and provide findings 
                        regarding strengths and challenges present in 
                        the working relationship between child welfare 
                        staff and related professionals; and
                            ``(II) make recommendations regarding how 
                        this working relationship may be improved;
                            ``(iv) examine and provide findings, and 
                        make recommendations, regarding appropriate 
                        overall workloads and caseloads for all child 
                        welfare staff, including appropriate workloads 
                        and caseloads for supervisors, analyzed by type 
                        of child welfare staff member supervised, and 
                        appropriate measurement of such overall 
                        workloads and caseloads;
                            ``(v)(I) examine and provide findings 
                        related to policy and practice regarding 
                        education level and training requirements for 
                        child welfare staff; and
                            ``(II) make recommendations regarding 
                        appropriate education levels and training to 
                        ensure competent child welfare staff; and
                            ``(vi)(I) examine and provide findings 
                        related to the kinds of data available to or 
                        collected by State or local child welfare 
                        agencies with regard to child welfare staff;
                            ``(II) examine the methods and kinds of 
                        data on child welfare staff that States report 
                        to the Secretary through the data collection 
                        systems authorized under section 103(c)(1)(C), 
                        section 477(f) of the Social Security Act (42 
                        U.S.C. 677(f)), and section 479 of that Act (42 
                        U.S.C. 679);
                            ``(III) make recommendations on how States 
                        might collect data on child welfare staff, and 
                        report the data to the Secretary, regularly and 
                        in a manner that enables the data to be linked 
                        to the outcomes achieved for individual 
                        children served by the State or local child 
                        welfare agency involved, which shall include--
                                    ``(aa) a means of incorporating the 
                                data into the data collection system 
                                authorized under section 479 of the 
                                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 679); 
                                and
                                    ``(bb) as appropriate, a means of 
                                linking the data to the information 
                                collected through the data collection 
                                systems authorized under section 
                                103(c)(1)(C) and under section 477(f) 
                                of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                677(f)); and
                            ``(IV) examine and provide findings 
                        regarding the impact of data collection 
                        procedures and requirements on child welfare 
                        staff, and make recommendations for collecting 
                        data on child welfare staff in such a way that 
                        the attention and time of child welfare staff 
                        are not diverted from providing services to 
                        children and families in order to meet data 
                        collection requirements; and
                    ``(B) not later that 18 months after the date on 
                which the Secretary and the National Academy of 
                Sciences enter into the agreement, submit a report 
                containing the results of the study, including the 
                findings and recommendations described in subparagraph 
                (A), to the Secretary.
            ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than 3 months after 
        receiving the report submitted under paragraph (1)(B), the 
        Secretary shall transmit the report to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress, along with a description of how the 
        Secretary plans to consult with State administrators, child 
        welfare staff, and other appropriate stakeholders to issue the 
        proposed regulations described in subsection (b)(1).
            ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out paragraph (1), $5,000,000 for 
        fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
    ``(b) Collection and Reporting of Data on Child Welfare Staff.--
            ``(1) Proposed regulations.--The Secretary shall consult 
        with State administrators, child welfare staff, and other 
        appropriate stakeholders and, not later than 12 months after 
        receiving the report described in subsection (a)(1)(B), shall 
        issue proposed regulations, which shall--
                    ``(A) be based on the recommendations of the 
                report; and
                    ``(B) require States to collect data on child 
                welfare staff, and report the data to the Secretary, 
                regularly and in a manner that enables the data to be 
                linked to the outcomes achieved for individual children 
                served by the State or local child welfare agency 
                involved, which shall include--
                            ``(i) a means of incorporating the data 
                        into the data collection system authorized 
                        under section 479 of the Social Security Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 679); and
                            ``(ii) as appropriate, a means of linking 
                        the data to the information collected through 
                        the data collection systems authorized under 
                        section 103(c)(1)(C) and under section 477(f) 
                        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677(f)).
            ``(2) Final regulations.--Not later than 2 years after 
        receiving the report described in subsection (a)(1)(B), the 
        Secretary shall issue final regulations that meet the 
        requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1).''.

SEC. 5. REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO PROVIDING TRAINING FOR CHILD WELFARE 
              STAFF AND RELATED PROFESSIONALS UNDER PARTS B AND E OF 
              TITLE IV OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.

    (a) Removal of Certain Funding Restrictions.--
            (1) In general.--Section 474 of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 672) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(g) Training Expenditures To Develop and Improve the Child 
Welfare Workforce.--
            ``(1) De-linking of afdc eligibility criteria.--The 
        Secretary shall treat as necessary for the proper and efficient 
        administration of the State plan all expenditures by a State 
        for training activities described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of 
        subsection (a)(3) without regard to whether individuals 
        participating in such activities include individuals providing 
        services or treatment to foster or adoptive children other than 
        those on behalf of whom foster care maintenance payments or 
        adoption assistance payments may be made under this part.
            ``(2) Training related to services for children and 
        families that have contact with the state agency or the local 
        agency administering a state plan.--The Secretary shall treat 
        as necessary for the proper and efficient administration of the 
        State plan all expenditures by the State for training 
        activities described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection 
        (a)(3) without regard to whether such training covers services, 
        programs, and activities carried out under the State plan 
        approved under this part or the State plans approved under part 
        B.
            ``(3) Removal of prohibition on funding state share from 
        private sources for expenditures for training partnerships with 
        private nonprofit educational institutions.--With respect to 
        expenditures by a State for short- and long-term training at 
        educational institutions through grants to such institutions or 
        by direct financial assistance to students enrolled in such 
        institutions for which Federal payments are provided under 
        subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(3) funds from private 
        nonprofit educational institutions may be considered as the 
        State's share in claiming Federal reimbursement for such 
        expenditures without regard to any requirement that the funds--
                    ``(A) be transferred to the State or local agency 
                and under its administrative control;
                    ``(B) be donated without any restriction which 
                would require their use for the training of a 
                particular individual or at particular facilities or 
                institutions; or
                    ``(C) do not revert to the private source's 
                facility or use.''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 474(a)(3) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(3)) is amended--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``subsection (g) and'' before ``section 
                472(i)'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``per centum'' 
                and inserting ``percent''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``receiving 
                assistance under this part''.
    (b) Definition of Child Welfare Staff and Related Professionals.--
Section 474(a)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(3)) is 
amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) by striking ``personnel'' and inserting ``child 
                welfare staff (as such term is defined in section 111 
                of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
                U.S.C. 5106g))''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or by State-licensed or State-
                approved nonprofit private agencies,'' after 
                ``political subdivision,''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B) (as amended by subsection 
        (a)(2)(C))--
                    (A) by inserting ``(i)'' after ``(B)'';
                    (B) by striking ``current or prospective foster or 
                adoptive parents and the members of the staff of State-
                licensed or State-approved child care institutions 
                providing care to foster and adopted children, in ways 
                that increase the ability of such current or 
                prospective parents, staff members, and institutions'' 
                and inserting ``child welfare staff (as so defined), 
                current or prospective foster or adoptive parents, and 
                the members of the staff of State-licensed or State-
                approved child care institutions providing care to 
                foster and adopted children, in ways that increase the 
                ability of such staff, current or prospective parents, 
                and institutions'';
                    (C) by adding ``and'' after ``contract,''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following new 
                subclause:
                    ``(ii) 75 percent of so much of such expenditures 
                as are for the short-term training of related 
                professionals (as such term is defined in section 111 
                of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
                U.S.C. 5106g)) to the extent that such training 
                pertains to the way in which those related 
                professionals work with children and families that have 
                contact with the State agency or the local agency 
                administering the plan in the political subdivision,''.
    (c) State Plan Requirement for Annual Evaluation and Assessment of 
Training and Staff Development Activities Under Parts B and E.--Section 
471(a)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(7)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``will monitor'' and inserting ``will--
                    ``(A) monitor'';
            (2) by adding ``and'' after the semicolon; and
            (3) by adding the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) with respect to training activities for which 
                Federal payments are provided under subparagraph (A) or 
                (B) of 474(a)(3), establish and maintain a plan for 
                evaluation of such activities, and of the child welfare 
                services staff development and training conducted by 
                the State in accordance with section 422(b)(4)(B), that 
                includes at least an annual assessment of the nature of 
                the such activities and such staff development and 
                training, the types of staff trained and developed, and 
                the intended and actual impact of the training and 
                staff development activities on participating staff, 
                and on children and families;''.
    (d) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendments made by this section shall 
        take effect on the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter that 
        begins on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
        without regard to whether regulations to implement the 
        amendment are promulgated by such date.
            (2) Delay permitted if state legislation required.--In the 
        case of a State plan approved under section 471 of the Social 
        Security Act which requires State legislation (other than 
        legislation appropriating funds) in order for the plan to meet 
        the additional requirements imposed by the amendment made by 
        subsection (a) of this section, the State plan shall not be 
        regarded as failing to comply with the additional requirements 
        solely on the basis of the failure of the plan to meet the 
        additional requirements before the first day of the first 
        calendar quarter beginning after the close of the first regular 
        session of the State legislature that begins after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act. For purposes of the previous 
        sentence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year legislative 
        session, each year of such session shall be deemed to be a 
        separate regular session of the State legislature.
                                 <all>