FFTA members are well represented nationally through long-standing relationships and on-going collaborations with the White House, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Policy, SAMHSA, HHS, congressional offices and committees of both the House and the Senate, and a broad coalition of national and state child welfare and child advocacy organizations.

Policy endeavors in which we are integrally involved include: legislation for a national definition of treatment family care, child welfare reform, domestic minor sex trafficking, mental health and psychotropic medications for foster youth, relative and kinship care, and community systems-of-care. As with all legislation, various bills and agency rules adhere to a system rife with change and modifications and a system of unpredictable timing and timetables.

Our commitment is to stay abreast of these proposals and dynamics in order to represent the needs of your agencies and the families you serve and to provide you with information necessary to fulfill your mission of service delivery with your state public agencies and legislatures.

We will share major policy discussions and pieces of legislation here. We will also inform you of the activities of the FFTA Public Policy Committee and the FFTA Liaison Network, a volunteer network of members in each state who are ‘point persons’ between the Public Policy Division and the state. These Liaisons are committed to contacting Congress on crucial issues as needed. In return, FFTA offers support and counsel for challenges facing you, the provider, in your state.

If you are interested in impacting Federal public policy on treatment foster care, please join the Public Policy Committee or become a State Liaison. For more information, email ffta@ffta.org. And do return to this page often for the latest in national news.