117 HR 7210 IH: Find and Protect Foster Youth Act U.S. House of Representatives 2022-03-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I117th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 7210IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMarch 24, 2022Ms. Johnson of Texas (for herself and Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and MeansA BILLTo amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify obstacles to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth, to provide technical assistance relating to the removal of such obstacles, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act.

2.

Eliminating obstacles to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth

Section 476 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is amended by adding at the end the following: (f)

Evaluation of protocols relating to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable youth; technical assistance

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the protocols established by States in accordance with the requirements of section 471(a)(35) and to the extent applicable, by Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as defined in section 479B(a)) or tribal consortia with a plan approved under section 471 in accordance with section 479B. (2)

Requirements

The evaluation shall include the following: (A)A review of relevant aspects of reports submitted by States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia under this part and part B, and data and other information reported pursuant to the system established under section 479. (B)Analysis of the extent to which States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia comply with, and enforce, the protocols required by section 471(a)(35). (C)Analysis of the effectiveness of such protocols. (D)Identification of obstacles for States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth. (E)Identification of best practices for identifying such children and youth and intervening with effective services. (3)

Technical assistance

The Secretary, through the capacity building services initiative of the Children's Bureau of the Office of the Administration for Children & Families, shall provide States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia with information, advice, educational materials, and technical assistance relating to eliminating identified obstacles to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth and providing such children and youth with effective services. Such assistance may include, but is not limited to, dissemination of— (A) processes and tools to identify and examine risk factors and potential trends related to children who go missing from foster care and other vulnerable youth; (B) best practices for runaway tracking and recovery; and (C)guidelines for intervention, including with respect to services, types of providers, and placement settings. (4)

Report

Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the results of the evaluation conducted under this subsection and the technical assistance provided in accordance with paragraph (3). (5)

Limitation on authority

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to establish new or additional requirements for States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia relating to eliminating identified obstacles to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth and providing such children and youth with effective services..