Strengthening America’s Families Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2973 To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the health and well- being of maltreated infants and toddlers through the implementation of infant-toddler court teams within States, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 4, 2021 Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. COOPER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. RUTHERFORD, and Mr. SAN NICOLAS) intro- duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the health and well-being of maltreated infants and toddlers through the implementation of infant-toddler court teams within States, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Amer- 4 ica’s Families Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2973 IH SEC. 2. INFANT-TODDLER COURT TEAMS FOR CHILDREN 1 EXPERIENCING OR AT RISK OF MALTREAT- 2 MENT. 3 Part Q of title III of the Public Health Service Act 4 (42 U.S.C. 280h et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 5 the following: 6 ‘‘SEC. 330Z–3. INFANT-TODDLER COURT TEAMS FOR CHIL- 7 DREN EXPERIENCING OR AT RISK OF MAL- 8 TREATMENT. 9 ‘‘(a) CONTINUATION AND EXPANSION OF INFANT- 10 TODDLER COURT PROGRAM.— 11 ‘‘(1) CONTINUATION AND EXPANSION OF PRO- 12 GRAM.—The Secretary, acting through the Adminis- 13 trator of the Health Resources and Services Admin- 14 istration— 15 ‘‘(A) shall continue in effect the Infant- 16 Toddler Court Program; and 17 ‘‘(B) may, beginning with fiscal year 2022, 18 carry out such program on a national basis. 19 ‘‘(2) INFANT-TODDLER COURT PROGRAM DE- 20 FINED.—For purposes of paragraph (1), the term 21 ‘Infant-Toddler Court Program’ refers to the pro- 22 gram carried out pursuant to section 501(a)(2) of 23 the Social Security Act that is designed— 24 ‘‘(A) to support research-based infant-tod- 25 dler court teams for purposes of changing child 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2973 IH welfare practices to improve well-being for in- 1 fants, toddlers, and their families, including ef- 2 forts to build on, and continue the work of, 3 sites established through the Quality Improve- 4 ment Center for Research-Based Infant-Toddler 5 Court Teams initiative funded by the Adminis- 6 tration for Children and Families; and 7 ‘‘(B) to provide training and technical as- 8 sistance in support of infant-toddler court 9 teams’ efforts across the United States. 10 ‘‘(b) GRANTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF 11 INFANT-TODDLER COURT TEAMS.— 12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health 13 and Human Services, acting through the Adminis- 14 trator of the Health Resources and Services Admin- 15 istration, may make grants to States for purposes of 16 seeding the establishment of, or stabilizing and en- 17 hancing existing, infant-toddler court teams for chil- 18 dren experiencing or at risk of maltreatment. 19 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State receiving a 20 grant under this subsection may only use funds re- 21 ceived through the grant to— 22 ‘‘(A) designate a State lead agency as a 23 focal point for statewide planning administra- 24 tion and coordination— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(i) to identify sites and leadership 1 for, and establish, enhance, or stabilize, 2 local community infant-toddler court 3 teams; and 4 ‘‘(ii) to promote collaboration among 5 State and local systems that address the 6 needs of— 7 ‘‘(I) infants and toddlers and 8 their families within the child welfare 9 system; and 10 ‘‘(II) individuals in need of pre- 11 ventive family strengthening services 12 to facilitate the provision of local serv- 13 ices; 14 ‘‘(B) provide funding to the sites identified 15 under subparagraph (A)(i) to establish, en- 16 hance, or stabilize local community infant-tod- 17 dler court teams that meet the criteria specified 18 in paragraph (8); and 19 ‘‘(C) ensure that local community court 20 team projects— 21 ‘‘(i) provide for improved communica- 22 tion and coordination among the courts, 23 child welfare agencies, and related child- 24 serving organizations— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(I) to share information and ex- 1 pedite appropriate high-quality serv- 2 ices for young children and their fami- 3 lies in the child welfare system; and 4 ‘‘(II) to prevent recurrence of 5 maltreatment, promote timely perma- 6 nency, and provide a community 7 structure to help prevent entry into 8 the child welfare system; 9 ‘‘(ii) protect young children in the 10 child welfare system and at risk of enter- 11 ing the child welfare system from further 12 maltreatment and developmental harm and 13 address the damage already done; and 14 ‘‘(iii) identify and address the struc- 15 tural issues in the child welfare system 16 that are harmful to infants and toddler de- 17 velopment and impede the ability to 18 strengthen and stabilize families. 19 ‘‘(3) TERM OF GRANT.—A grant under this 20 subsection shall be for a term of not less than 3 21 years and may be renewed for a single term not to 22 exceed 8 years. 23 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State seeking a 1 grant under this subsection shall submit an ap- 2 plication to the Secretary at such time, in such 3 manner, and containing such information as the 4 Secretary may require, including— 5 ‘‘(i) the information specified in para- 6 graph (5); and 7 ‘‘(ii) a plan for the establishment or 8 enhancement and ongoing support of local 9 community infant-toddler court teams in 10 the State. 11 ‘‘(B) LEAD STATE AGENCY.—The Gov- 12 ernor of a State submitting an application 13 under subparagraph (A) shall designate an ap- 14 propriate State lead agency, such as the State 15 Court Improvement Program or the State agen- 16 cy that administers child welfare services, with 17 the ability to carry out the activities specified in 18 paragraph (2). 19 ‘‘(5) APPLICATION CONTENTS.—The informa- 20 tion specified in this paragraph is— 21 ‘‘(A) a description of how the State lead 22 agency designated pursuant to paragraph 23 (4)(B) will implement infant-toddler court team 24 projects that meet the criteria specified in para- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2973 IH graph (2)(C) and the communities in which 1 local community infant-toddler court teams will 2 be established, enhanced, or stabilized; 3 ‘‘(B) an assurance that the State lead 4 agency will consult with representatives of State 5 agencies providing services to infants, toddlers, 6 and families, the State and local judiciary, and 7 local communities and stakeholders, to develop 8 a comprehensive plan for implementing infant- 9 toddler court teams in the State, that includes 10 a plan for determining how the court team 11 structure and approach will inform and support 12 building a family strengthening continuum, 13 which may include using the infant-toddler 14 court team structure in implementing preven- 15 tion and family services and programs under 16 section 471(e) of the Social Security Act (42 17 U.S.C. 671(e)); and 18 ‘‘(C) a certification that any infant-toddler 19 court team established, enhanced, or imple- 20 mented using funds received through the grant 21 meet the criteria specified in paragraph (8). 22 ‘‘(6) CONTINUUM REQUIREMENTS.—The con- 23 tinuum referred to in paragraph (5)(B) shall— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(A) seek to ensure that children and their 1 families, particularly families with histories of 2 trauma and adversity, receive effective, timely 3 services that strengthen protective factors; 4 ‘‘(B) begin as early as possible before fam- 5 ilies encounter the child welfare system— 6 ‘‘(i) to provide comprehensive sup- 7 portive community services to families with 8 very young children in need of such serv- 9 ices; and 10 ‘‘(ii) to emphasize the social deter- 11 minants of health to strengthen families 12 and prevent abuse and neglect; 13 ‘‘(C) for young children with substantiated 14 cases of maltreatment, including those whose 15 families have been placed in an alternative or 16 differential response program, include a com- 17 prehensive approach to stabilizing and strength- 18 ening families and preventing children from 19 being placed in foster care that provides serv- 20 ices and supports focused on in-home parent 21 education and specialized programs that ad- 22 dress the risk factors for removal of infants and 23 toddlers from the home; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(D) use the community structure com- 1 bined with the judicial oversight within the in- 2 fant-toddler court team to improve outcomes for 3 infants and toddlers who have been placed in 4 foster care and their families through working 5 with communities to ensure that— 6 ‘‘(i) parents receive intensive services 7 and supports, including mental health and 8 substance use disorder treatment, to in- 9 crease the likelihood of reunification; and 10 ‘‘(ii) young children receive intensive 11 interventions that will address their devel- 12 opmental needs and heal the trauma of 13 abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and sepa- 14 ration from their caregiver and family. 15 ‘‘(7) CONDITIONS.—A State selected to receive 16 a grant under this subsection, shall, as a condition 17 on receipt of such grant— 18 ‘‘(A) agree to work with the National In- 19 fant-Toddler Court Team Resource Center es- 20 tablished under subsection (c) to design or en- 21 hance and implement local infant-toddler court 22 teams, including supporting data collection and 23 continuous quality improvement; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(B) provide information to the National 1 Infant-Toddler Court Team Resource Center on 2 the plan developed pursuant to paragraph 3 (5)(B), including the development of a con- 4 tinuum of family strengthening services that 5 meets the conditions specified in paragraph (6); 6 ‘‘(C) commit to building sustainability into 7 the State lead agency function and the plan re- 8 ferred to in subparagraph (B); and 9 ‘‘(D) ensure that any infant-toddler court 10 team established, enhanced, or implemented 11 using funds received through the grant meets 12 the criteria specified in paragraph (8). 13 ‘‘(8) LOCAL COMMUNITY INFANT-TODDLER 14 COURT TEAM CRITERIA.—The criteria specified in 15 this paragraph with respect to a local community in- 16 fant-toddler court team established, enhanced, or im- 17 plemented using funds received through the grant 18 are that the team— 19 ‘‘(A) organizes and promotes collaboration, 20 with leadership from judges and the heads of 21 child welfare agencies, among community stake- 22 holders and service providers to address the 23 needs of families with infants and toddlers, 24 through implementing trauma-informed prac- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2973 IH tices for infants and toddlers and their families 1 in the child welfare system and for creating a 2 community structure that can provide a con- 3 tinuum of services; 4 ‘‘(B) works to strengthen families to pre- 5 vent foster care placement, promote timely per- 6 manency, prevent recurrence of maltreatment, 7 and promote positive early development; 8 ‘‘(C) is coordinated through a local com- 9 munity coordinator; 10 ‘‘(D) is composed of community stake- 11 holders that include legal and child welfare pro- 12 fessionals involved with families of infants and 13 toddlers and community service providers 14 that— 15 ‘‘(i) have experience solving problems 16 and filling gaps at the community systems 17 level, including with respect to evidence- 18 based interventions appropriate for infants 19 and toddlers and their families; 20 ‘‘(ii) receive training on the science of 21 early childhood development, the impact of 22 trauma, and the implications for child wel- 23 fare and family strengthening practice; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(iii) work to build a community 1 structure for strengthening families across 2 sectors, including work support, education, 3 health (including mental health), and social 4 supports; 5 ‘‘(iv) undergo a period of preparation 6 and training before taking families into the 7 infant-toddler court program; 8 ‘‘(v) provide a team of professionals 9 that provides support to an individual fam- 10 ily to ensure the needs of individual chil- 11 dren within such family and such family as 12 a whole are met; 13 ‘‘(vi) focus on infants and toddlers 14 under the court’s jurisdiction or under in- 15 home supervision; and 16 ‘‘(vii) as resources and team structure 17 permit, work with families of infants and 18 toddlers outside the child welfare system to 19 provide preventive services to strengthen 20 families of young children and avoid child 21 welfare involvement; 22 ‘‘(E) supports parents’ strengths and 23 needs in a compassionate, respectful, holistic, 24 and individualized way; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2973.IH H2973 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 2973 IH ‘‘(F) prevents children from entering and 1 reentering the child welfare system; 2 ‘‘(G) addresses community service gaps 3 and disparities using evidence-based strategies; 4 ‘‘(H) commits to working toward sustain- 5 abi [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]