Child Welfare League of America: Support the Loan Forgiveness Provision for Child Welfare Workers

Support the Loan Forgiveness Provision for Child Welfare Workers

YOUR SENATOR IS ON THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE THAT WILL DETERMINE LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR CHILD WELFARE WORKERS

The House and Senate have both passed higher education student loan bills that include language on loan forgiveness for child welfare workers.

There is an important difference between these two bills in the loan forgiveness section.

Both bills provide long term loan forgiveness for public services employees, including child welfare workers. The House language provides loan forgiveness of $1000 a year up to $5000 (five years) if a person works in one of eight areas of national need as well as the current national service program. The Senate provision provides loan forgiveness after an individual has been employed in child welfare for ten years.

The Conference Committee is resolving the differences right now!

Write your Senator while they're back home to tell them to make sure the provision in the House bill remains in any final conference agreement!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Support the Loan Forgiveness Provision for Child Welfare Workers

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a member of your constituency, I urge you to keep the House provision on loan forgiveness (Section 131) that is in the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 (HR 2669) in the final conference report.

Both the House version (HR 2669/the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007) and the Senate version (Senate Substitute for HR 2669/ Higher Education Access Act of 2007) passed in July. Both bills provide long term loan forgiveness for public services employees after 10 years of work, including child welfare workers. The House language provides loan forgiveness of $1000 a year up to $5000 (five years) if a person works in one of eight areas of national need including public and private child welfare workers. The Senate provision provides loan forgiveness after an individual has been employed in child welfare for ten years.

While the ten year loan provision will help some areas of workforce need, the limitations around public agencies will impact child welfare since many of the services in child welfare, as well as child care, are provided by non-profits and charitable agencies.

Loan forgiveness is an important step in addressing the shortage of child welfare workers. A quality child welfare workforce is essential to promoting good outcomes for children in the child welfare system. No issue has as great effect on the child welfare system's capacity to serve at-risk and vulnerable children and families than the shortage of competent, stable workforce.

This shortage affects agencies in every service field, including foster care, adoption, child protective services, child and youth care, social work and support and supervision. The timely review of child abuse complaints, the monitoring and case management of children in foster care, the recruitment of qualified adoptive and foster families, and the management and updating of a modern, effective data collection system that can result in greater and more effective research, all depend on a fully staffed and qualified child welfare workforce.

The U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) documented this crisis in the child welfare workforce, finding that the child welfare system is seriously understaffed, undertrained and undervalued.

The provision of limited loan forgiveness through the Higher Education law would be a very important step in addressing these workforce issues.

Again, I urge you to include the House provision on loan forgiveness (Section 131) in any final agreement.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
August 08, 2007

Background Information

Congressional staff are expected to work during the August break to resolve differences over a higher education student loan bill, which includes language on loan forgiveness for child welfare workers. Both the House version (HR 2669/the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007) and the Senate version (Senate Substitute for HR 2669/ Higher Education Access Act of 2007) passed in July. A final bill will be considered under reconciliation rules whereby debate is limited and the legislation cannot be filibustered.

Both bills provide long term loan forgiveness for public service employees, including child welfare workers. The definitions between the bills for “public service” vary but generally cover a list that includes public education, public health, law enforcement, legal services and “public child and family service agencies”. The House language provides loan forgiveness of $1000 a year up to $5000 (five years) if a person works in one of eight areas of national need as well as the current national service program. The Senate provision provides loan forgiveness after an individual has been employed in child welfare for ten years.

One area defined as public need are child welfare workers who receive a degree in social work or a related field and who is employed in either a public or private child welfare services. The other areas of national need are child care and Head Start teachers, nurses, foreign language specialists, librarians within certain fields, bilingual teachers in certain areas of the country, speech pathologists in preschools are kindergarten through twelve and certain public sector employees.

While the ten year loan provision will help some areas of workforce need, the limitations around public agencies will impact child welfare since many of the services in child welfare as well as child care are provided by non-profits and charitable agencies.

Tell your Senator TODAY to keep the House provision in any final agreement.

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