The New Economic Recovery Law: Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Kinship Guardianship Assistance Resources

The Children's Defense Fund has gathered useful materials from federal agencies, congressional sources, and advocacy and other organizations that can help you become familiar with the Recovery Act funding and program activities available in states and communities. The New Economic Recovery Law: Resources to Help Children and the Economy provides links to these materials. This section of the guide provides information and resources for foster care, adoption assistance and kinship guardianship assistance and will be updated frequently to provide the latest and most helpful resources. 

Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Kinship Guardianship Assistance

Departmental and Congressional Organizations

• Department of Health and Human Services' recovery website will include more details over time on funding for these programs. 
• Program Instruction/ACYF-CB-PI-09-03, March 16, 2009.  "Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) Rates affecting programs under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act." This Program Instruction describes the temporary 6.2 percent increase in the FMAP for the Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance programs under Title IV-E that will affect rates from October 1, 2008 through December 31, 2010.  Rates for related administration costs are not increased. It includes a state-by-state chart that describes the impact of the first and second quarter adjustments of the increased FMAP. It also details the financial reporting requirements.

Advocacy and Other Organizations

• National Conference of State Legislatures: "Human Services Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009." This summary provides information on additional funding for foster care, adoption assistance and kinship guardianship assistance under Title IV-E (p. 5), as well as funding for other human services programs.