This brief, developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Children's Defense Fund, FosterClub, Think of Us and Youth Law Center, outlines the child-centered reforms made under the Family First Act by limiting financing of institutional care for children in foster care and highlights reports from pediatiricans, alumni of foster care and other child advocates which shows children do best in families. The brief also includes 2 key recommendations for moving forward with Family First implementation:
- To align with evidence-based best practice, QRTPs should remain small (fewer than 17 beds) to protect children from the harms of large institutional settings, and to enable states to leverage federal Medicaid funds.
- Experts on child health and wellbeing recognize the need for family-based foster care and community-based services to fulfill the vision of the Family First Act.
View the brief here.