Dr. Kohomban Goes to Washington

On May 25, CV President Jeremy Kohomban testified before the Senate Committee on Finance at their hearing entitled “No Place to Grow Up: How to Safely Reduce Reliance on Foster Care Group Homes”. CV, the only social services organization represented at the hearing, was selected because of Jeremy’s vocal stance on the need to strengthen communities and families with the goal of keeping kids home whenever possible.

The purpose of the testimony was to encourage Congress and the Administration to find ways to incentivize local governments and child welfare agencies to reduce the number of children placed in out-of-home care and return those who are placed in care home as quickly as possible. This is the approach CV has taken for many years with a great deal of success.

Jeremy shared four important points in his testimony:

1. Children belong in families, not in long-term residential care.
2. States must invest in help for children and families facing crisis.
3. Providers can and should change their business models for helping children and families by moving away from long-term residential care and investing in models that wrap services around children and families in the community. And, crucially,
4. The federal government can serve an important role as a catalyst for change by providing funding for strong systems of community-based care.

Testifying alongside Jeremy were a young lady who grew up in a group home, a foster parent who adopted a teenager,
and the Commissioner representing President Obama’s Administration. The full testimony can be downloaded here.

Click here to read the next story.