[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 82 (Thursday, June 22, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S6412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               CAREGIVERS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise to commend the ongoing efforts of 
relative caregivers all over the State of Illinois, who have opened 
their hearts to children whose homes have been broken. Children are 
placed into foster care for a variety of reasons stemming from neglect 
to drug-addicted parents and often suffer the consequences of the 
separation. The fate of children who are not adopted or reunited with 
their birth parents often spells a legacy of instability. Relatives who 
welcome these children into their homes offer them a stability that can 
rarely be found in the foster care system.
  Subsidized guardianship helps to remove some of the barriers to 
keeping displaced children within the family. The main obstacle faced 
by guardians is the cost of upkeep of additional children. Subsidized 
guardianship allows relatives to access the same programs that regular 
foster parents have. These State programs support permanent 
guardianship placements with relatives by offsetting some of the costs 
of child rearing.
  The correlation between relative placement and success of foster 
children has never been more apparent than in my own office. One of my 
summer interns attributes her current success to her aunt and uncle who 
took both herself and sister in when she was 16. This act of generosity 
prevented her from dropping out of high school to support her sister. 
Both girls were too old for adoption and hard to place in foster homes. 
The placement made it possible for the girls to stay in their current 
school and their community. Relative care was home when they needed one 
the most.
  As of February 2006, there were over 17,000 children placed in 
substitute care in Illinois. Across the country, more than 6 million 
children live in households headed by a grandparent or other relative. 
Kinship care is important because it helps keep children closer to 
their family and to their sense of normalcy. Supportive programs such 
as the Subsidized Guardianship Program help children leave the foster 
care system for the permanent care of nurturing relatives.
  Today I offer my formal acknowledgement and deepest appreciation for 
the ongoing service of these caregivers to our country and our Nation's 
most valuable asset, our children.

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