To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for better protections for children raised in kinship families outside of the foster care system.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9878 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9878

 To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for
 better protections for children raised in kinship families outside of
                        the foster care system.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2026

 Ms. Scanlon (for herself and Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania) introduced
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education
                             and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for
 better protections for children raised in kinship families outside of
                        the foster care system.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child
Abuse Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) More than 2,400,000 children are being raised in
        kinship families or ``grandfamilies'' by relatives or close
        family friends without their parents in the home, and the vast
        majority of such children are raised outside of the foster care
        system.
            (2) The majority of kinship caregivers are grandparents.
            (3) For every child in foster care living with relatives,
        there are 18 being raised by relatives outside of the foster
        care system.
            (4) More than one-third of all children placed in foster
        care because of parental drug or alcohol use are placed with
        relatives.
            (5) Children who have been exposed to substance misuse in
        the home may also experience abuse and neglect, and research
        indicates that children in family foster care because of
        substance use are more likely to be placed with relatives than
        with nonrelatives.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO CAPTA.

    (a) Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect.--Section 102(c) of
the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5102(c)) is
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (13), by striking ``; and'' and inserting
        a semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (14), by striking the period and inserting
        a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(15) organizations providing services to kinship
        families; and
            ``(16) birth parents, kinship caregivers, and foster care
        alumni.''.
    (b) National Clearinghouse for Information Relating to Child
Abuse.--Section 103(b) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
(42 U.S.C. 5104(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (8)(B), by striking ``; and'' and
        inserting a semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) coordinate with the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support
        Network: A National Technical Assistance Center to disseminate
        information about evidence-based, evidence-informed and
        exemplary practices used to support children being raised in
        kinship families within, or outside of, the child welfare
        system.''.
    (c) Grants to States, Indian Tribes or Tribal Organizations, and
Public or Private Agencies and Organizations.--Section 105(a)(4) of the
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)(4)) is
amended by adding at the end the following: ``Such procedures used by
recipients of a grant pursuant to this paragraph shall reflect equity
for children placed with kin, recognize their unique circumstance, and
include plans for prioritizing placement with kin as the first
placement, identifying and engaging kin as supports for children
throughout the child's involvement with the child welfare system,
making it a priority to license kin as foster parents, supporting
permanent families for children placed with kin, and creating a strong
community network to support kin families.''.
    (d) Grants to States for Child Abuse or Neglect Prevention and
Treatment Programs.--Section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B)(iv), by inserting ``, and
                for how kinship placements will be prioritized'' before
                the semicolon; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (D)(v), by inserting ``kinship
                navigators,'' after ``substance abuse treatment
                agencies,''; and
            (2) in subsection (d)(3)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as
                subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the
                following:
                    ``(B) the number that did not receive services
                during the year under the State program funded under
                this section or an equivalent State program because the
                child was diverted from the child welfare system to
                live with kin outside of the foster care system;''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, by
                striking ``families'' and inserting ``parents''.
    (e) Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and
Neglect.--
            (1) Purpose.--Section 201(b)(1) of the Child Abuse
        Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116(b)(1)) is
        amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``; and'' and
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in subparagraph (H), by adding ``and'' after
                the semicolon; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(I) support the unique needs of kinship families
                raising children inside or outside the foster care
                system;''.
            (2) Local program requirements.--Section 205(a) of the
        Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116e(a))
        is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and to parents
                who are adult former victims of domestic violence or
                child abuse or neglect'' and inserting ``to parents who
                are adult former victims of domestic violence or child
                abuse or neglect, and to families where children are
                being raised by kin because their parents cannot raise
                them'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3)(B)--
                            (i) in clause (viii), by striking ``and'';
                            (ii) in clause (ix), by striking the period
                        and inserting a semicolon; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(x) training to meet the specific needs
                        of kinship caregivers, including training on
                        caring for children with behavioral or mental
                        health challenges and how to access services
                        for which such caregivers may be eligible; and
                            ``(xi) training on understanding substance
                        use disorders and the impact of trauma on
                        children;''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``, kinship
                caregivers, and foster care alumni'' after ``parents''.
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