Reform Title IV Funding and remove cap on federal funding allowed to states for kinship care (keeping children within their families) and place a federal funding cap on states for children sent into foster placement thereby discouraging instead of incentivizing sending kids to strangers. Children thrive better when placed within their family network.
Social services and our state courts are maximizing Title IV funding efforts to the state by making every excuse to navigate Trumps 2018 Family First Act and nit picking family members as “not suitable” for kinship care. The incentive to navigate the Federal Family First Act is Title IV Funding and the monetary incentive for states to place kids in Foster Care where they make more money.
The US Dept of State yearly reports on Human Trafficking state that the US is among the top 3 countries for child sex trafficking (among Mexico and Honduras). The children most vulnerable are:
- kids in foster placement
- trans kids
- Illegal immigrant kids
Continuing to Federally Fund these child trafficking agencies / policies can implicate the U.S. therefore in some states the Federal Funding must be stopped until they are in compliance with their contract requirements to receive funding. Overall, the funding for foster care at minimum needs to be discouraged (capped) and the funding to keep kids in their families needs to be incentivized (cap removed).