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Vol.
24, No. 1
February 2019
The Family First Prevention Services Act: Key Provisions Related to Preventing Out-of-Home Placement
Family First allows use of title IV-E funds for prevention services so "candidates for foster care" can stay with parents or relatives.
Who is eligible?
- Candidates for foster care (a child at serious risk of removal as evidenced by the State either pursuing his/her removal from the home or making reasonable efforts to prevent such removal)
- Pregnant and parenting youth in foster care
- Birth parents, adoptive parents, relative and non-relative guardians of candidates for foster care
- Children and families are eligible regardless of income (i.e., no income test)
Reimbursement will be available for:
- Mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services (services must be provided by a qualified clinician)
- In-home parent skill-based programs (must include parenting skills, training, parent education, and individual counseling)
- Kinship navigator programs
Additional requirements for services:
- No more than 12 months (per candidate episode)
- Must meet evidence-based requirements issued by USDHHS
- Must be trauma-informed
- Must be provided by a qualified clinician
More on the Family First Prevention Services Act:
- NCDHHS FFPSA Kickoff
- US Children's Bureau: What's New in Laws and Policies
- The Family First Prevention Services Act (see pages 169-206).
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For more on the status of FFPSA implementation in North Carolina as of February 2019, see the introduction to this issue.