On February 4, 2019, the Children’s Bureau released final National Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards (National Model), as required by the Family First Prevention Services Act.  The Children’s Bureau used the NARA Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards (NARA Model) as the “main source” for its proposed National Model, and then accorded it “considerable deference” in deciding whether to modify the proposed National Model.  See Generations United's FAQ on the National Model, the NARA Model and the Family First Reporting Requirements (2019).

This Information Memorandum provides information on best practices, resources, and recommendations for using foster care as a support for families to mitigate the trauma of removal, expedite safe and successful reunification, and improve parent and child well-being outcomes.  It emphasizes the importance of kinship placements and the need to  build and support relationships between resource families and parents to facilitate improved engagement of parents, promote timely reunification, build protective capacities in parents, and strengthen overall child and family well-being, while ensuring child safety. 

Program Instruction (PI) to provide instructions for agencies to: 1) amend the Title IV-E Plan Pre-Print (Pre-Print) to meet certain FFPSA title IV-E plan provisions that are effective January 1, 2018 and later, and 2) request a delay of effective dates for certain title IV-B and IV-E plan requirements where permitted by law. 

This Program Instruction (PI) provides instructions on the requirements state title IV-E agencies must meet when electing the title IV-E prevention program

This PI provides instructions on the requirements tribal title IV-E agencies must meet when electing to provide title IV-E prevention and family services and programs.