FFPSA Guidance and Resources
Family First Prevention Services Act
Effective October 1, 2021, the FFPSA reforms the federal child welfare financing under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, to authorize the use of federal Title IV-E funding for specified services to families whose children are at risk of entering foster care and to limit reliance on congregate care for children in foster care. California’s FFPSA implementation plan has impacts on the Medi-Cal program, some aspects of which are described below. Federal Financial Participation (FFP) may be available under the Medi-Cal program for family-based aftercare services if the service is a medically necessary specialty mental health service (SMHS), any necessary federal approvals are obtained, and state and federal Medi-Cal requirements are met. The FFPSA requires that states implement the required components related to congregate care on or before October 1, 2021. To achieve compliance with the federal law by October 1, 2021, California passed AB 153 (Chapter 86, Statutes of 2021).
As amended by the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), Section 672(k)(4)(F) of Title 42 of the United States Code, requires six months of aftercare services to be provided to youth exiting Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs). California operationalized FFPSA’s mandate in Welfare Institutions (WIC) Code 4096.6, which states that by October 1, 2021, each county child welfare agency, probation department, and mental health plan will jointly provide, arrange for, or ensure the provision of the six months of aftercare services for youth and nonminor dependents transitioning from a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) to a family-based setting. Aftercare support in California will, by October 1, 2022, utilize California’s High-Fidelity Wraparound model. By leveraging Wraparound to provide these services, aftercare services must be informed by the ten Wraparound Principles and the Wraparound Standards, published and outlined in ACIN I-52-15, supporting each child’s permanency plan.
See the FFPSA CDSS Webpage for more information.
FFPSA Aftercare ACL and Attachments
FFPSA Aftercare CFL Documents
- CFL 21/22-36 County child welfare and probation claiming instructions
- BHIN 21-062 County behavioral health claiming costs in Short Doyle Medi-Cal (SDMC) for FFPSA Qualified Individual (QI) and Aftercare
- CFL 21/22-57 County child welfare and probation allocations
FFPSA Aftercare Guidance Documents and Resources