[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 73 (Friday, May 21, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6084-S6085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, there are 542,000 reasons that we 
should all be involved in recognizing May as National Foster Care 
Month. These reasons represent the number of children currently in the 
foster care system, roughly 126,000 of whom are waiting to be adopted. 
Over 70 percent of these children entered foster care because of abuse 
or neglect. And, the average length of time that these children stay in 
foster care is almost 3 years.
  For many of these children, the wait for a loving family where they 
are nurtured, comforted, and protected is endless. Every year, 25,000 
children ``age out'' of foster care because they reach adulthood 
without ever being found a permanent home. These children are more 
likely to drop out of school and are more likely to be unemployed, 
welfare dependent, and homeless. In fact, roughly 30 percent of the 
Nation's homeless are former foster children.
  As Senators, we cannot allow over half a million children to continue 
languishing in the foster care system, vulnerable to facing these 
negative outcomes. During this National Foster Care Month or at any 
other appropriate time throughout the year, I ask that you focus 
attention on the need to find secure and supportive families for these 
children.
  Nurturing and stable environments can allow these children to achieve 
great success by helping them to overcome the challenges posed by 
involvement in the foster care system. One such example of the effect 
that a nurturing and stable environment can have on a foster child 
exists right in Congress's own backyard--the Mayor of Washington, DC, 
Anthony Williams. Mayor Williams' mother once told the story that when 
she visited the orphanage where she first met her son, she was told by 
the workers that he was not as advanced developmentally and 
intellectually as he should be for a child his age. These workers even 
indicated that little Anthony might have to be sent to an institution. 
And, they were right. His mother sent him off to two of the most 
prestigious institutions in our country--Yale University for college 
and Harvard University for law school.
  I invite all Members to come to the Senate floor to speak about 
former foster children such as Mayor Williams, about foster children 
currently waiting for loving families, or about the significance of 
foster care in your own life, in your State, or in the life of a child. 
But, I want to ask more of you than simply sharing these stories. I 
would like to urge my colleagues to commit their efforts to ensuring 
that we institute legislative reforms for the child welfare system that 
will emphasize permanency for foster children, whether that be 
reunification with families, adoption, or teaching youth skills to be 
able to live self-sufficiently after emancipation. The time is now for 
us to reform a foster care system that does not adequately address the 
needs of our most vulnerable children and families.
  One of the areas that will require the greatest reform is the Federal 
financing structure of child welfare services. Currently, the Federal 
financing system is structured in a way that provides the greatest 
financial support for a child by the Federal Government when that child 
is in the foster care system. In other words, it creates a funding 
incentive to keep children in foster care, rather than moving them 
towards re-unification or adoption. We must revise this system so that 
funding matches the Federal priorities. This means that Government 
should fund the programs and approaches that are actually working to 
provide safety and permanency to children. Decisions regarding the 
placement of a child should not be influenced by the type of placement 
that would offer the greatest resources for the child, but instead be 
based on the best interests of the child. Adequate resources should be 
available for children involved in any area of the child welfare 
system. Therefore, the money and resources should follow the child, 
whether that is in foster care, in an adoptive home, or after re-
unification with the biological family. The current financing system 
includes a patchwork of programs, many of which are funded through 
discretionary spending that is vulnerable to cuts in the appropriations 
process. Reforms must be instituted that allow the child welfare system 
to encompass a more comprehensive approach that includes prevention, 
re-unification services, adequate foster care services, adoption 
resources, and post-permanency support.
  The time has come to fix these problems, to focus on the solutions in 
order to help our most vulnerable children. The Pew Commission on 
Children in Foster Care released a report this week that summarizes a 
1-year study of the foster care system. This study includes the 
feedback of advocates, State service providers, lawmakers, judges, and 
former foster youth around the country. I respectfully ask my 
colleagues to carefully look at the recommendations of not only the Pew 
Commission but of the hundreds of other individuals, groups, and States 
that have studied this system and have provided valuable ideas for 
reform.
  Further, I hope that the leadership in the Finance Committee will 
hold hearings on the topic of Federal financing of the child welfare 
system to fully explore the problems in this system and the proposals 
for reform that will help to resolve these problems. I also ask all 
Members of Congress to make these reforms a priority during the 
remainder of this session and during the next session of Congress. I am 
personally committed to seeing reform done within

[[Page S6085]]

this time period. And, I am hopeful that we will soon enact legislation 
that will help the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care in 
our country. Let us work together to ensure the success of our future 
by promoting safety and stability for our children today.

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