Family First Prevention Services Act
Historic Reforms for Child Welfare
The landmark bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 represented the most significant reform to federal child welfare policy in decades. Family First includes long-overdue historic reforms to help keep children safely with their families and avoid the traumatic experience of entering foster care, emphasizes the importance of children growing up in families, and helps ensure children are placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting appropriate to their special needs when foster care is needed. Family First calls on states to radically rethink their approach to child protection and family support, and full implementation of the law will be a years-long process. More information on the law and resources for implementation are below, including a question-and-answer-style guide to help ensure full and prompt implementation of the opportunities created by Family First.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Summaries and other information:
- Family First Prevention Services Act 2018 – Short Summary
- Family First Prevention Services Act 2018 – Detailed Summary
- Family First Prevention Services Act 2018 – Implementation Timeline
- Family First Prevention Services Act 2018 – Full Text
- Congressional Review Service report comparing the final enacted provisions in Family First compared to earlier House-approved language and prior law
Reports and Other Resources:
- Title IV-E California Clearinghouse Ratings
- Implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act – A question-and-answer-style resource containing commonly asked questions about the many important provisions in Family First.
- New Opportunities for Kinship Families: Action Steps to Implement the Family First Prevention Services Act in Your Community
- Leveraging the Family First Prevention Services Act to Improve Use of Title IV-E GAP – Highlights provisions in the Family First Act related to kinship families and federal Title IV-E GAP (GAP)
- Visit FamilyFirstAct.org for a database of resources and information on Family First
Support for the Family First Prevention Services Act:
- Letter to Congressional Leadership Applauding the Passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act (May 2018)
- Letter to Senate in Support of Family First Prevention Services Act (September 2016)
- Letter to House of Representatives Urging Passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act (June 2016)
- Letter from Marian Wright Edelman in Support of the Family First Prevention Services Act (June 2016)
