State Child Welfare Legislation 2005
July 2006
Introduction
State lawmakers play a significant role in crafting legislation and policy that govern the safety and well-being of children in their states. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) tracks this activity through its State Child Welfare Legislation reports. This report documents significant state legislation enacted during calendar year 2005.
Kinship care received a great deal of legislative attention in 2005. States promoted or enhanced the use of relatives as kinship care providers and established or amended guardianship laws to include relatives as important placement options. Another area of major legislative activity in 2005 concerned substance-exposed newborns and methamphetamine abuse.
In addition, legislatures addressed the following:
- Adoption, particularly adoption by relatives and post-adoption contact agreements;
- Parent and child involvement in case planning;
- Social worker loan forgiveness programs;
- Court handling of child welfare cases;
- Education of children in foster care;
- Behavioral health care for children in the child welfare system;
- Alternative response to reports of child maltreatment;
- Kinship care and guardianship;
- Children’s exposure to drug manufacturing;
- Extension of foster care beyond age 18; and
- Tribal issues.
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For more information on child welfare issues, please contact Steve Christian in the Denver office at 303.364.7700 or cyf-info@ncsl.org or either Sheri Steisel or Lee Posey in the D.C. office at 202.624.5400 or fedhumserv-info@ncsl.org.
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