[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 634 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 634
Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise
awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system,
and encouraging Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of
children in the foster care system.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 16, 2022
Mr. Grassley (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Brown, Ms. Hassan, Mrs.
Capito, Mr. Barrasso, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Lujan, Mr.
Manchin, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Boozman,
Ms. Ernst, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Young, Mr.
Tillis, Mr. Cornyn, and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise
awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system,
and encouraging Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of
children in the foster care system.
Whereas National Foster Care Month was established more than 30 years ago to--
(1) bring foster care issues to the forefront;
(2) highlight the importance of permanency for every child; and
(3) 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 407,000 children living in foster care in the
United States;
Whereas there were approximately 216,000 youths that entered the foster care
system in 2020 in the United States, while more than 117,000 youths were
awaiting adoption at the end of 2020;
Whereas more than 75,000 children entered foster care in 2020 due to parental
drug abuse;
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 foster parents provide
physical care, emotional support, and 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 non-relatives--
(1) have more stability, including fewer changes in placements;
(2) have more positive perceptions of their placements;
(3) are more likely to be placed with their siblings; and
(4) demonstrate fewer behavioral problems;
Whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support
services than do foster caregivers;
Whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is
necessary to reduce the number of children that enter or re-enter the
foster care system;
Whereas the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic created additional challenges for
youth and families in the child welfare system, including delays in
permanency, economic hardship, and disruptions in education;
Whereas more than 20,000 youths aged out of foster care in 2020 without a legal
permanent connection to an adult or family;
Whereas youth who age out of foster care 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 21 months;
Whereas 35 percent of children in foster care experience more than 2 placements
while in care, 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 a study showing that 75 percent of foster youth
experienced an unscheduled school change during a school year, compared
to 21 percent of youth not in foster care;
Whereas children entering foster care often confront the widespread
misperception that children in foster care are disruptive, unruly, and
dangerous, even though placement in foster care is based on the actions
of a parent or guardian, not the child;
Whereas 30 percent of children in foster care are taking not less than 1 anti-
psychotic medication, and 34 percent of those children are not receiving
adequate treatment planning or medication monitoring;
Whereas, due to heavy caseloads and limited resources, the average annual
turnover rate is between 14 percent and 22 percent for child welfare
workers;
Whereas States, localities, and communities should be encouraged to invest
resources in preventative and reunification services and post-permanency
programs to ensure that more children and older youth in foster care are
provided with safe, loving, and permanent placements;
Whereas, in 2018, Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act
(Public Law 115-123; 132 Stat. 232), which provided new investments in
prevention and family reunification services to help more families stay
together and ensure more children are in safe, loving, and permanent
homes;
Whereas Federal legislation during the past 3 decades, including the Adoption
Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-272; 94 Stat.
500), the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111
Stat. 2115), the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351; 122 Stat. 3949), the Child
and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (Public Law 112-34;
125 Stat. 369), and the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening
Families Act (Public Law 113-183; 128 Stat. 1919) provided new
investments and services to improve the outcomes of children in the
foster care system;
Whereas May 2022 is an appropriate month to designate as National Foster Care
Month to provide an opportunity to acknowledge the accomplishments of
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
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the designation of May 2022 as National Foster
Care Month;
(2) recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity
to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in
the foster care system;
(3) encourages Congress to implement policies to improve
the lives of children in the foster care system;
(4) acknowledges the unique 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;
(8) supports the designation of May 31, 2022, as National
Foster Parent Appreciation Day;
(9) recognizes National Foster Parent Appreciation Day as
an opportunity to recognize the efforts of foster parents to
provide safe and loving care for children in need and raise
awareness about the increasing need for foster parents to serve
in their communities; and
(10) 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 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 youth that ``age out'' of the foster care
system.
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