CCBHC Legislation Introduced in the Senate
Emma Sharp
White House Releases “Fostering the Future” Executive Order
On November 13, 2025, President Trump signed the executive order “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families,” an initiative to be led by the Office of the First Lady. The order is aimed at supporting children transitioning out of foster care into adulthood by modernizing the out-of-date child welfare system.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services must take the appropriate actions for the following within the next 180 days:
- Update regulations, policies, and practices to improve data collection;
- Promote modernization of child welfare information systems;
- Expand States’ use of technological solutions; and
- Publish an annual scorecard to measure and evaluate State-level achievement.
The HHS Secretary, in coordination with the First Lady and heads of other applicable offices, are to establish a “Fostering the Future” initiative to develop partnerships with agencies, private sector organizations, academic institutions, and non-profit entities to aid in the transition out of the foster care system. The order also calls for the development of an online platform to assist in the navigation of the transition, and an increase in the role of Education and Training Vouchers and educational scholarships. This initiative will be funded by the reallocation of funds returned by the States from Federal programs designed to assist in the transition out of foster care, but further details have not been clarified.
The final section of the Executive Order outlines the role of HHS in coordination with the Director of the White House Office of Faith and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, to:
“(a) take appropriate action to address State and local policies and practices that inappropriately prohibit participation in federally-funded child-welfare programs by qualified individuals or organizations based upon their sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions; and (b) take appropriate actions to increase partnerships between agencies and faith-based organizations and houses of worship to serve families whose children have been placed in foster care or are at risk of being placed in foster care.”
This order explicitly encourages partnerships with faith-based organizations and removes barriers for faith-motivated foster/adoptive families. While faith-based groups currently play a significant role in the foster care system, this order increases ethical tensions regarding what safeguards exist to protect foster youth who come from non-religious or different religious/cultural backgrounds from pressure to conform.
Further concerns with this order lay with language regarding “biological truths.” This term implies that LGBTQIA+, non-binary, or gender non-conforming individuals somehow conflict with science and is used to delegitimize trans and nonbinary identities. There is concern that partnerships with faith-based and other community organizations may not align with youth’s identities, especially older youth in the LGBTQIA+ community. Further guidance will be needed to ensure that any partnerships with faith-based organizations must be voluntary and respectful of each youth’s identity.
Additional concerns arise regarding equity of family selection and pairing/matching systems. Preferential selection of faith-based foster/adoptive families may lead to “religious filtering.” Potential foster/adoptive parents may be selected not on their capacity to care or their qualifications, but on religious affiliation or ideological alignment — which could lead to unfair exclusion of qualified non-religious or differently religious households. Upcoming policy changes could undermine equity and non-discrimination in the foster care system.
RCPA will keep abreast of developments on this issue and further guidance for agencies and individuals involved in the foster care system.
Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.
FASD Respect Act Becomes Law
Early this year, the FASD Respect Act was introduced in the Senate to authorize and modify programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and became a provision of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. The bill sought to establish FASD Centers for Excellence to support FASD prevention through screenings, public awareness, and trainings at a local and state level. In September, Congress passed the SUPPORT Act, and last week the President signed it into law, which officially authorizes the FASD Respect Act.
The legislation will allow the US Department of Health and Human Services to promote and fund FASD education and awareness, as well as the promotion of FASD resources. Beyond funding and program expansion, the FASD Respect Act will task the federal government with addressing FASD through a realigned perspective that supports individuals and families and respects their lived experience.
Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.
OMHSAS and OMAP Issue Juvenile Post-Carceral Programming Bulletin
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) have jointly issued the Medical Assistance Bulletin Targeted Case Management Services for Eligible Juveniles Enrolled in Medical Assistance Prior to Release From a Carceral Setting, implementing Section 5121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Eligible juveniles are individuals under 21 years of age who are determined eligible for MA or an individual 18–25 years of age who was determined eligible for the mandatory eligibility group for former foster care children.
This bulletin advises providers of billing procedures for the physical health (PH) and behavioral health (BH) Targeted Case Management (TCM) services provided to eligible juveniles enrolled in the Medical Assistance (MA) Program within 30 days of release from a carceral setting and for at least 30 days following release. This bulletin also advises providers of a new provider specialty (Spec) for TCM services.
Questions and comments can be sent electronically. You can also contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.
Mental Health America Releases 2025 Annual Report
Mental Health America has released their State of Mental Health in America 2025 Report. The report highlights the latest national data and provides state-level rankings on mental health and wellbeing in the U.S. It serves as a collection of data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the goal of providing a snapshot of mental health status among youth and adults, tracking changes in prevalence of mental health issues and access to mental health care, and understanding how changes in national data reflect the impact of legislation and policies.
The report highlights:
- Prevalence of mental health and substance use issues;
- Access to adequate insurance and mental health care; and
- Which states have higher barriers in accessing mental health care.
Pennsylvania ranked 7th in the overall rankings, indicating a lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care. Individually, PA was ranked 4th in access to care, 30th in prevalence of any mental illness, and 31st in mental health workforce availability.
Read the full report here. Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.
National Council Publishes Performance Benchmarks for Utilization of LAMs
RCPA Submits Proposed Crisis Regulation Comments to IRRC
RCPA, in partnership with its members, has submitted public comments in response to the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ (OMHSAS) proposed Licensure of Crisis Intervention Services regulations. RCPA thanks OMHSAS for their effort in creating licensing standards that align with national best practice standards for the Commonwealth’s crisis intervention system and their receptivity to further recommendations from current crisis providers.
The proposed regulations have been reviewed by members of RCPA’s 988/Crisis Work Group, who are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable leaders in Pennsylvania’s Crisis System. With their expertise, RCPA developed comments and recommendations to guide the State towards meaningful regulations for Crisis Intervention Licensure.
The largest areas of concern in the proposed regulations are in regard to the staffing requirements and fiscal impacts, which led to the following recommendations:
- Flexibility in the staffing requirements to account for the national behavioral health workforce shortage.
- A transparent cost analysis of the true cost of implementing the regulations to ensure that the regulations do not become an unfunded mandate.
- Increased clarity on the role of community outpatient clinics that are not connected to larger hospital systems.
- The assembly of a stakeholder work group, similar to the forums that OMHSAS convened for their PRTF regulations, to ensure that provider and other stakeholder concerns are addressed before promulgation of the regulations.
Read RCPA’s full public comments here. Contact Emma Sharp with any questions.
National Council Seeks Participation in H.R. 1 Implementation Survey
DHS Launches Human Services Helpers Program
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is launching Human Services Helpers, a Substack that will cover updates on DHS programs, news from the agency, and how organizations and partners can help their communities. Specifically, as DHS implements changes required by the federal government under HR1, Human Services Helpers will share resources and tips to help Pennsylvanians affected by these changes understand what is happening and what they must do to keep their benefits. News on the federal government shutdown and its impact on programs like SNAP and LIHEAP will also be shared through this platform.
Sign up for updates today and be a helper for PA!
Please contact your respective RCPA Policy Director with any questions.
No-Cost CEs Now Available Through FR-ACT Program
The Office of Children, Youth and Families is offering no-cost continuing education opportunities for service professionals. The Department’s First Responder Addiction and Connection to Treatment program (FR-ACT) is a training program within the Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention that was established to ensure first responders and public safety professionals, including CYS professionals, have the tools necessary to respond to the overdose epidemic. Training is offered at no cost and is available in all 67 counties across Pennsylvania. The Department works with an expert training vendor, St. Joseph’s University, to deliver live trainings.
FR-ACT trains and provides skills to first responders and public safety professionals on opioid use disorder, overdose response, and related information, including:
- Substance use disorder as a chronic disease;
- Stigma reduction;
- Providing resources to overdose survivors and families;
- Naloxone use and leave-behind practices; and
- Warm hand-offs and connection to treatment.
Continuing education credits are now available for Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors licensees who complete FR-ACT training. There are two ways to participate:
- Complete the online, self-study training on TRAIN PA and earn 1 credit hour. Self-study training is available here.
- Schedule a training for yourself or your agency by contacting St. Joseph’s University Center for Addiction and Recover Education. OR, you can email the Department. Credit hours available to participants of live training will depend on the length of live training.
More information about FR-ACT may be found here. Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.
