President Biden has signed the American Rescue Plan Act, which passed the House earlier this week, into law. The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package will provide immediate relief for children and families, work to address injustices exacerbated by COVID-19, and make strides toward addressing childhood trauma.
The package includes several important provisions that will directly impact the child welfare system:
$100 million for CAPTA Title I - State Grants
$250 million for CAPTA Title II – Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention
$150 million in funding for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting programs
$10 million to establish a National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families
$800 million in Education Stabilization Funds focused on homeless children and youth
$450 million for the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
$10 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Additionally, there were a number of provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act that, while not directly child welfare-related, will have enormous impacts on the child welfare system, including provisions that are estimated to lift 50% of children out of poverty in 2021. The Children’s Defense Fund has prepared a summary of what the American Rescue Plan Act means for children and families here.