The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 includes provisions to deny reunification services under specified conditions and gives states latitude to develop any number of additional "aggravated circumstances" in which parents need not be offered services. California legislators have developed a relatively large number of…

In 1974, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges initiated a special project to promote, in courts throughout the country, periodic review of the status of all children in foster care. This paper explains the development of these judicial review systems, describes several alternative review mechanisms, and discusses key issues…

Discusses the impact of a class action lawsuit in Illinois on the interpretation of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, a major piece of legislation designed to prevent the unnecessary removal of children from their families and to promote reunification if foster placement has occurred. (JPS)

Analyzed New York's implementation of a legislated adoption subsidy program. Found variance in county subsidy levels not based on cost-of-living differences. Also found that special needs child subsidies are close to estimated rearing costs, and low subsidy counties cause a financial burden on adoptive parents. Findings pose implications for…

In relation to the potential of P.L. 96-272, the condition of black children in the child welfare system has not improved. Before P.L. 96-272, services were not rendered to prevent placement, and foster care was allowed to go on too long or to become the resolution of the child's situation as opposed to finding a permanent home. The law provided…

Legislation has been proposed by the Administration to revise the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) foster care program. This committee print provides background information on the AFDC foster care program under Title IV-A (from 1962-1980); discusses the changes made in the program since the passage of the Adoption Assistance and…

In 1980, Congress passed the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act. The Act requires, in part, that states receiving federal monies under the Act make "reasonable efforts" to prevent the removal of children from their homes and, whenever possible, to reunify children placed in foster care with their families. In 1997, Congress passed…

Introduces special journal issue and highlights federal initiatives that have increased attention on adoption as a service for children in out-of-home care who cannot or will not be returned home. Notes several factors underpinning legislation, including growth in number of children who need adoption planning and services; and low rates of…

The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 provides for annual federal incentive payments to states if they improve foster care programs by (1) avoiding unnecessary removal of children from their homes; (2) preventing extended stays in foster care; and (3) reunifying children with their families or placing them for adoption. To be…

This document begins with an annotated outline of Public Law 96-272, the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which encourages states to prevent unnecessary removal of children from their homes and to reunify foster children with their families. The document discusses reasons for the law's enactment, the law's provisions, its…

A hearing was held to explore issues of foster care, child welfare, and adoption reforms, and to examine the implementation of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Amendments of 1980. The Amendments were designed to emphasize preventive services that would strengthen families, prevent the unnecessary placement of children in foster care,…

The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (PL 96-272) provided major federal initiatives to reform the state child welfare system. The goals of the act were to keep families together by providing them with services and to find permanent adoptive homes for children who could not be reunited with their parents. This report examines the…

This hearing examined whether federal child welfare and foster care programs could be streamlined to better help children, focusing on the efficacy of section 427 of the 1980 Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, which requires states to report on compliance with 18 separate child protection strategies. Testimony regarding the streamlining or…

Under the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P. L. 96-272), Congress outlined a case review system intended to assure that child welfare agencies deal directly with various aspects of child placement. The second of four volumes, this document presents case study descriptions of the hearings within the context of the case review…

Under the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272), Congress outlined a case review system to assure that child welfare agencies monitor children under their care, that parental and child rights are protected, that agencies periodically report progress in implementing case plans, and that agencies work toward a permanent…