Child Welfare: The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Jan. 24, 2002 |
| Report Number |
RL30894 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Karen Spar, Domestic Social Policy Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
President Bush signed the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001
( H.R. 2873 ) into law on January 17, 2002 ( P.L. 107-133 ). The new law reauthorizes the
program for 5 years (FY2002-FY2006), sets its annual mandatory funding level at $305 million, and
authorizes additional discretionary funds up to $200 million annually. Separately it grants new
program authority for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fund programs that
mentor children of prisoners and it expands the Foster Care Independence Program by authorizing
new discretionary funds for education and training vouchers. The FY2002 Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations Act ( P.L. 107-116 ) provides $375 million for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families
program ($305 million mandatory, $70 million discretionary) but does not fund the newly authorized
mentoring services for children of prisoners nor the education and training vouchers.
First created in 1993 (under a different name), the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program
(Title IV-B, Subpart 2 of the Social Security Act) provides grants to states for four kinds of child
welfare services: family preservation, family support, time-limited family reunification, and
adoption promotion and support. Funds are reserved from Safe and Stable's annual appropriation
to allow national evaluations of program activities and for state court grants (to improve child
welfare proceedings). P.L. 107-133 expands the definition of family preservation services under the
Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program to include infant safe haven programs; clarifies the
meaning of family support to include services that "strengthen parental relationships and promote
healthy marriages"; provides for reallocation of unused program funds; and stipulates that, out of any
discretionary funds appropriated for the program, 3.3% will be added to the existing $10 million
set-aside for Court Improvement Grants; 3.3% will be added to the existing $6 million reservation
for evaluation, technical assistance, research and training; and 2% will be added to the existing
set-aside for Indian tribes (1% of mandatory funds).
The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program is administered by HHS and the House Ways
and Means and Senate Finance committees have jurisdiction. Like Safe and Stable Families, grants
to states for child welfare services (Title IV-B, Subpart 1) and Adoption Incentive payments (part
of Title IV-E), are under the Social Security Act, have related purposes, and share committee
jurisdictions. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (expired with FY2001, but received
FY2002 funding) authorized programs that share goals with Safe and Stable Families, but is under
House Education and Workforce and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions jurisdiction.
Finally, the Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act, under Senate and House Judiciary
committees jurisdiction, authorizes grants to improve handling of child welfare cases. They are to
be administered, primarily, by the Department of Justice and received initial funding of $2 million
in FY2002.
This report reflects legislative action through the first session of the 107th Congress and will
not
be updated.
