Whereas National Foster Care Month was established more
than 20 years ago to bring foster care issues to the forefront, highlight the
importance of permanency for every child, and recognize the essential role that
foster parents, social workers, and advocates have in the lives of children in
foster care throughout the United States;
Whereas all children deserve a safe, loving, and permanent
home;
Whereas the primary goal of the foster care system is to
ensure the safety and well-being of children while working to provide a safe,
loving, and permanent home for each child;
Whereas there are approximately 408,000 children living in
foster care;
Whereas there were approximately 254,000 youth that
entered the foster care system in 2010, while over 107,000 youth were eligible
and awaiting adoption at the end of 2010;
Whereas children in foster care experience an average of 3
different placements, which often leads to disruption of routines and the need
to change schools and move away from siblings, extended families, and familiar
surroundings;
Whereas youth in foster care are much more likely to face
educational instability with 65 percent of former foster children experiencing
at least 7 school changes while in care;
Whereas children of color are more likely to stay in the
foster care system for longer periods of time and are less likely to be
reunited with their biological families;
Whereas foster parents are the front-line caregivers for
children who cannot safely remain with their biological parents and provide
physical care, emotional support, education advocacy, and are the largest
single source of families providing permanent homes for children leaving foster
care to adoption;
Whereas children in foster care who are placed with
relatives, compared to children placed with nonrelatives, have more stability,
including fewer changes in placements, have more positive perceptions of their
placements, are more likely to be placed with their siblings, and demonstrate
fewer behavioral problems;
Whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and
reunification services is necessary to reduce the number of children that are
forced to remain in the foster care system;
Whereas more than 27,900 youth age out
of
foster care without a legal permanent connection to an adult or family;
Whereas children who age out of foster care may lack the
security or support of a biological or adoptive family and frequently struggle
to secure affordable housing, obtain health insurance, pursue higher education,
and acquire adequate employment;
Whereas foster care is intended to be a temporary
placement, but children remain in the foster care system for an average of 2
years;
Whereas volunteers, guardians, mentors, and workers in the
child-protective-services community play a vital role in improving the safety
of the most valuable youth and work hard to increase permanency through
reunification, adoption, and guardianship;
Whereas due to heavy caseloads and limited resources, the
average tenure for a worker in child protection services is just 3
years;
Whereas on average, 8.5 percent of the positions in child
protective services remain vacant;
Whereas States, localities, and communities should be
encouraged to invest resources in preventative and reunification services and
postpermanency programs to ensure that more children in foster care are
provided with safe, loving, and permanent placements;
Whereas Federal legislation over the past 3 decades,
including the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Public Law
96–272), the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105–89), the
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public
Law 110–351), and the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act
(Public Law 112–34) provided new investments and services to improve the
outcomes of children in the foster care system;
Whereas May is an appropriate month to designate as
National Foster Care Month to provide an opportunity to acknowledge the
child-welfare workforce, foster parents, advocacy community, and mentors for
their dedication, accomplishments, and positive impact they have on the lives
of children; and
Whereas much remains to be done to ensure that all
children have a safe, loving, nurturing, and permanent family, regardless of
age or special needs: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)recognizes
National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the
challenges faced by children in the foster care system, acknowledging the
dedication of foster care parents, advocates, and workers, and encouraging
Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster
care system;
(2)encourages
Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster
care system;
(3)supports the
designation of May as National Foster Care Month;
(4)acknowledges the
special needs of children in the foster care system;
(5)recognizes foster
youth throughout the United States for their ongoing tenacity, courage, and
resilience while facing life challenges;
(6)acknowledges the
exceptional alumni of the foster care system who serve as advocates and role
models for youth who remain in care;
(7)honors the
commitment and dedication of the individuals who work tirelessly to provide
assistance and services to children in the foster care system; and
(8)reaffirms the
need to continue working to improve the outcomes of all children in the foster
care system through parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and other programs designed to—
(A)support
vulnerable families;
(B)invest in
prevention and reunification services;
(C)promote adoption
and guardianship in cases where reunification is not in the best interests of
the child;
(D)adequately serve
those children brought into the foster care system; and
(E)facilitate the
successful transition into adulthood for children that age out
of the foster care system.