# Understanding the Strengthening America's Families Act of 2021

This bill creates a new federal program to help very young children who are being abused or neglected, or are at risk of being harmed. The core idea is to set up special "infant-toddler court teams" in communities across the country—groups of judges, child welfare workers, doctors, mental health professionals, and other experts who work together to help babies and toddlers and their families.

Here's what makes this different from how things typically work now: instead of different agencies handling cases separately, these teams coordinate everything in one place. When a baby or toddler is involved in the child welfare system because of abuse or neglect, the court team brings together everyone who can help—from the judge overseeing the case to therapists, parenting coaches, and health care providers. The goal is to keep families together whenever safely possible, and when children do need to be placed in foster care, to reunite them with their parents as quickly as possible. The bill recognizes that the first few years of life are critical for brain development, so the teams focus on understanding how trauma and maltreatment affect very young children and what services families actually need to heal and stay together.

The federal government will provide grants to states that want to start or expand these court teams, with funding of up to $25 million per year through 2025. States that receive money must set up a lead agency to coordinate the program statewide and establish local teams in their communities. These teams will focus on providing comprehensive services—things like mental health treatment for parents, substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, early childhood education, and medical care. The bill also creates a national resource center that will train people, share best practices, collect data on how well the program works, and help communities improve their efforts over time.

The bill specifically emphasizes that these teams should work to prevent children from entering the foster care system in the first place by helping families before crises happen. When foster care placement is necessary, the teams use strategies like having parents and foster parents work together, frequent visits between children and parents, and planning for reunification from the very beginning. The law also requires that the program pay attention to racial equity and make sure that minority families and LGBTQ individuals aren't treated unfairly. Congress will receive reports in three and five years showing whether the program is actually helping children and families and reducing abuse and neglect.

Strengthening America’s Families Act of 2021

DeLauro, Rosa L.

Strengthening America's Families Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Infant and Toddler Court Program and a related resource center. It also permits the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand the program through grants to states, tribal nations, and territories for establishing, stabilizing, or enhancing infant-toddler court teams. This program aims to improve the well-being of infants, toddlers, and families in the child welfare system through team-based case management services that foster coordination among courts, child welfare agencies, and other child-serving organizations. The resource center provides technical assistance, training, and other support for infant-toddler court teams.