[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 349 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 349

   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 policy to improve the lives of 
      children in, or at risk of entering, the foster care system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 2, 2023

  Ms. Kamlager-Dove (for herself, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Nunn of 
  Iowa, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Mace, and Mr. Bacon) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 policy to improve the lives of 
      children in, or at risk of entering, 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 family;
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, in 2021, there were approximately 407,493 children officially living in 
        foster care not counting those children whose physical custody has been 
        shifted to caregivers outside of the foster care system;
Whereas approximately 251,359 children entered foster care in 2019, while 
        122,216 children were eligible and waiting for adoption at the end of 
        2019;
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, including kin families, are the frontline 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 some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support 
        services than do foster caregivers;
Whereas recent studies show foster children enrolled in Medicaid were prescribed 
        antipsychotic medications at nearly 4 times the rate of other children 
        receiving Medicaid;
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 an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is 
        necessary to reduce the number of children that enter or reenter the 
        foster care system;
Whereas the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created additional challenges 
        for youth and families in the child welfare system, including delays in 
        permanency, economic hardships, and disruptions in education;
Whereas more than 20,000 youth ``age out'' of foster care annually without a 
        legal permanent connection to an adult or family, with 20 percent of 
        them becoming instantly homeless;
Whereas the number of youth who age out of foster care has steadily increased 
        for the past decade;
Whereas foster care is intended to be a temporary placement, but children remain 
        in the foster care system for an average of 19.6 months;
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 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 children 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, on average, 8.5 percent of the positions in child protection services 
        remain vacant;
Whereas, due to heavy caseloads and limited resources, the average tenure for a 
        worker in child protection services is just 3 years;
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, in 2018, Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act 
        (Public Law 115-123; 132 Stat. 232), which provided new investments in 
        prevention, early intervention, and family reunification services to 
        help more families stay together, provided support for kinship 
        (relative) caregivers, and provided improved and more flexible services 
        to older youth aging out of foster care, to ensure that more children 
        can be in safe, loving, and permanent homes;
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), the Child and Family Services Improvement and 
        Innovation Act (Public Law 112-34), and the Preventing Sex Trafficking 
        and Strengthening Families Act (Public Law 113-183), 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 accomplishments of the 
        child welfare workforce, foster parents, the advocacy community, and 
        mentors for their dedication, accomplishments, and positive effects 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 House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of 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 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 foster 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. 
        621 et seq. and 670 et seq.) and other programs designed to--
                    (A) support vulnerable families;
                    (B) invest in prevention, early intervention, 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 children that ``age out'' of the foster 
                care system.
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