President Bush signs new child welfare legislation

According to the Children's Bureau of the federal Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families:

"On October 7, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law H.R. 6893, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. The new law, Public Law (P.L.) 110-351, generally amends titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act to provide support to some relative caregivers, provide for Tribal foster care and adoption access, and improve incentives to promote adoption.

Major provisions of the Act include:

• Extending and expanding adoption incentives through Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013
• Creating an option to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments
• Creating an option to extend eligibility for title IV-E foster care, adoption assistance, and kinship guardianship payments to age 21 beginning in FFY 2011
• Phasing in the de-linking of adoption assistance from Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) eligibility beginning in FFY 2011
• Providing federally recognized Indian Tribes or consortia with the option to operate a title IV-E program beginning in FFY 2010"

This is a link to the Children's Bureau Express, which includes links to the new law and the Children's Bureau's guidance.