Supporting Adopted Children and Families Act of 2019
This bill requires the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to award grants to states for post-adoption and post-legal guardianship mental health services. Specifically, grants may be used to implement statewide direct service programs such as educational support or counseling to aid adoptive parents and families in addressing common behavioral health issues among adopted children. Grants also may be used for activities such as peer-to-peer mentoring, crisis intervention, program evaluation, policy development, and research, among others uses.
The ACF must grant only one awards per state, or state-designated entity, and preference must be given to eligible entities that partner with a state's mental health agency and have demonstrated success at increasing adoption and legal guardianship competency.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3909 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3909
To amend subpart 2 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act to
authorize grants to eligible entities to develop and implement
statewide or tribal post-adoption and post-legal guardianship mental
health service programs for all children who are adopted or placed in
legal guardianship, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2019
Mr. Langevin (for himself, Ms. Bass, and Mr. Bacon) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend subpart 2 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act to
authorize grants to eligible entities to develop and implement
statewide or tribal post-adoption and post-legal guardianship mental
health service programs for all children who are adopted or placed in
legal guardianship, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Adopted Children and
Families Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM FOR POST-ADOPTION AND POST-LEGAL
GUARDIANSHIP MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
Section 437 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629g) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``(h) Post-Adoption and Post-Legal Guardianship Mental Health
Services.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Administration for Children and Families, shall award grants or
cooperative agreements to eligible entities to--
``(A) develop and implement statewide or tribal
post-adoption and post-legal guardianship mental health
service programs for all children who are adopted or
placed in legal guardianship and their families;
``(B) support public organization and private
nonprofit organizations actively involved in statewide
or tribal post-adoption and post-legal guardianship
mental health service programs;
``(C) collect and analyze data on State-sponsored
statewide or tribal post-adoption and post-legal
guardianship mental health service programs that can be
used to monitor the effectiveness of such services and
for research, technical assistance, and policy
development;
``(D) develop and provide adoption and legal
guardianship competent educational and training
opportunities concerning the mental health needs of
children who are adopted or placed in legal
guardianship, and their families, for use by teachers,
social workers, and other community mental health
service providers;
``(E) develop and provide materials for potential
adoptive parents and legal guardians, both for children
who already reside in the United States at the time of
the adoption or placement in legal guardianship and for
those who at such time reside in other countries,
describing the possible need for post-adoption and
post-legal guardianship mental health services and
available resources;
``(F) develop and provide respite care services for
adoptive and legal guardian families; and
``(G) support research on, and development of,
promising practices (as defined in section
471(e)(4)(C)(iii)) for post-adoption and post-legal
guardianship mental health services.
``(2) Eligible entity.--
``(A) Definition.--In this subsection, the term
`eligible entity' means--
``(i) a State;
``(ii) a public organization or private
nonprofit organization designated by a State to
develop or direct the State-sponsored statewide
post-adoption and post-legal guardianship
mental health service program under a grant
under this subsection; and
``(iii) a federally recognized Indian tribe
or tribal organization (as defined in the
Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.)) or an
urban Indian organization (as defined in the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C.
1601 et seq.)) that is actively involved in the
development and continuation of a post-adoption
and post-legal guardianship mental health
service program.
``(B) Limitation.--In carrying out this subsection,
the Secretary shall ensure that each State is awarded
only 1 grant or cooperative agreement under this
subsection. For purposes of the preceding sentence, a
State shall be considered to have been awarded a grant
or cooperative agreement if the eligible entity
involved is the State or an entity designated by the
State under subparagraph (A)(ii). Nothing in this
subparagraph shall be construed to apply to entities
described in subparagraph (A)(iii).
``(3) Preference.--In providing assistance under a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection, the Secretary
shall give preference to--
``(A) eligible entities that have demonstrated
success in increasing the level of adoption and legal
guardianship competency among mental health providers,
adoption and legal guardianship lawyers, social
workers, case workers, adoptive parents, and legal
guardians; and
``(B) eligible entities that plan to partner with
their State mental health agency in carrying out the
activities for which the grant or cooperative agreement
is made.
``(4) Requirement for direct services.--Not less than 85
percent of funds received under a grant or cooperative
agreement under this subsection shall be used to provide direct
services, of which not less than 5 percent shall be used for
activities authorized under paragraph (1)(C).
``(5) Coordination and collaboration.--
``(A) In general.--In carrying out this subsection,
the Secretary shall collaborate with relevant Federal
agencies and adoption and legal guardianship-related
working groups to promote interaction between domestic
foster care agencies and private adoption agencies in
other countries.
``(B) Consultation.--In carrying out this
subsection, the Secretary shall consult with--
``(i) State and social service agencies
engaged in the placement of children for
adoption, domestically or from other countries;
``(ii) local and national organizations
that serve foster and adopted youth and youth
placed in legal guardianship;
``(iii) health and education specialists
who focus on adoption, legal guardianship, and
foster care medicine;
``(iv) youth who have been in foster care,
adopted, or in legal guardianship, domestically
or from other countries, including youth who
have experienced adoption or guardianship
disruptions or dissolutions;
``(v) families and friends of youth who
have been in foster care, adopted, or in legal
guardianship, domestically or from other
countries, including foster and adoptive
parents and legal guardians; and
``(vi) qualified professionals who possess
the specialized knowledge, skills, experience,
and relevant attributes needed to serve
children who are adopted or placed in legal
guardianship and their families.
``(C) Policy development.--In carrying out this
subsection, the Secretary shall--
``(i) coordinate and collaborate on policy
development with other relevant Department of
Health and Human Services agencies and adoption
and legal guardianship-related working groups;
and
``(ii) consult on policy development at the
Federal level with those in the private sector
engaged in the recruitment of foster and
adoptive parents and legal guardians, the
placement of children in foster care, for
adoption, and in legal guardianship, and the
provision of post-adoption and post-legal
guardianship services.
``(6) Evaluation and report.--
``(A) Evaluations by eligible entities.--Not later
than 18 months after receipt of a grant or cooperative
agreement under this subsection, an eligible entity
shall submit to the Secretary the results of an
evaluation to be conducted by the entity concerning the
effectiveness of the activities carried out under the
grant or agreement.
``(B) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
a report concerning the results of--
``(i) the evaluations conducted under
subparagraph (A); and
``(ii) an evaluation conducted by the
Secretary to analyze the effectiveness and
efficacy of the activities conducted with
grants, collaborations, and consultations under
this subsection.
``(7) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Adoption and legal guardianship competency.--
The term `adoption and legal guardianship competency'
means an understanding of--
``(i) the nature of adoption and legal
guardianship as a form of family formation and
the different types of adoption and legal
guardianship;
``(ii) relevant emotional and physical
issues involved in the adoption and legal
guardianship process, including issues relating
to separation, loss, attachment, abuse, trauma,
and neglect;
``(iii) common developmental challenges
associated with adoption and legal
guardianship;
``(iv) the characteristics and skills that
allow for successful adoptive and legal
guardian families;
``(v) proper sensitivity with respect to
the different geographic, ethnic, or cultural
backgrounds of children who are adopted or
placed in legal guardianship and their
families; and
``(vi) the necessary skills for effectively
advocating on behalf of birth and adoptive and
legal guardian families.
``(B) Post-adoption and post-legal guardianship
mental health services.--The term `post-adoption and
post-legal guardianship mental health services'
includes--
``(i) adoption and legal guardianship
competent mental health direct services,
including training, educational support,
counseling, and other services for adoptive and
legal guardian parents and families that
address caregiver interests and concerns
regarding child behavioral issues that are
common among children who are adopted, placed
in legal guardianship, or placed in foster
care, including, as appropriate--
``(I) caring for a child who is
adopted or placed in legal guardianship
and has emotional, behavioral, or
developmental health needs; and
``(II) providing for the emotional
needs of a child who is adopted or
placed in legal guardianship, including
issues relating to attachment,
identity, abandonment, cultural
differences, grief, loss, and trauma;
``(ii) peer-to-peer mentoring and support
groups that permit a newly adoptive parent or
legal guardian to communicate and learn from
more experienced adoptive parents and legal
guardians;
``(iii) the provision of informational
resources and available services for adoptive
parents and legal guardians;
``(iv) direct services, including
counseling, peer-to-peer mentoring and support
groups, and other services for children who are
adopted or placed in legal guardianship that
address common behavioral and adjustment
issues, including, as appropriate--
``(I) support services for a child
who is adopted or placed in legal
guardianship with emotional,
behavioral, or developmental health
needs;
``(II) support services that
address the emotional needs of a child
who is adopted or placed in legal
guardianship, including issues relating
to attachment, identity, abandonment,
cultural differences, grief, loss, and
trauma; and
``(III) treatment services that are
specialized for children who are
adopted or placed in legal
guardianship, including psychiatric
residential services, outpatient mental
health services, social skills
training, intensive in-home supervision
services, recreational therapy, suicide
prevention, and substance abuse
treatment;
``(v) peer-to-peer mentoring and support
groups that allow children who are adopted or
placed in legal guardianship to communicate and
socialize with other such children; and
``(vi) crisis intervention and family
preservation services.
``(8) Limitations on authorization of appropriations.--For
grants under this subsection, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary not more than $10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2020, to remain available until expended.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
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