[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               SPEECH OF

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                 RECOGNIZING NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 6, 2009

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, on any given day there are nearly a half 
million children in our nation's foster care system. These children 
have endured more pain and suffering in their short lives than many of 
us could ever imagine. Not only do they experience the physical and 
emotional trauma that is connected to their mistreatment, but they also 
face the grief of being separated from their siblings, extended family, 
friends, and their community. The foster care system serves as a safe 
sanctuary for these young people and provides services and support to 
help ease their suffering. It is in the foster care system that 
children find the help they need to address their pain, and where 
families can receive the services they need to safely restore their 
bond with their children. And when it is not possible to safely reunify 
a child with their parents, it is through the foster care system that a 
child finds a permanent home with a relative caregiver or an adoptive 
family.
  The month of May is National Foster Care Month. It provides the 
nation with an opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful contributions 
of the countless men and women who dedicate their lives to assisting 
children and families, such as case workers and administrators, child 
and family advocates, researchers, volunteers, and community 
organizations such as the Child Welfare Organizing Project, which is 
doing fantastic work in my district. National Foster Care Month 
provides us with an opportunity to commend those individuals and 
families who open up their homes and lives to our most vulnerable 
children by becoming a foster parent. Foster parents step in to serve 
as a surrogate mom and dad to children when their parents are not there 
to comfort and care for them. Their services are invaluable in helping 
these children overcome their grief and move forward in their lives.
  National Foster Care Month also provides us with an opportunity to 
evaluate our foster care system. Congress made great strides last fall 
in passing comprehensive, bipartisan legislation that strengthened the 
child welfare system. The Fostering Connections to Success and 
Increasing Adoptions Act provided new resources to the system and 
included policy changes aimed at improving the outcomes of children in 
care. The legislation has significantly improved the lives of foster 
children by facilitating their connection to extended family, 
supporting grandparents and other relative caregivers who care for 
these children, providing support to older youth in their transition to 
adulthood, ensuring the health care and educational needs of every 
child are met, ending the discriminatory practices against Native 
American children who are under the supervision of tribal governments, 
enhancing federal training assistance for child welfare workers and 
court personnel, and strengthening the federal adoption assistance 
program. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions 
Act represented the most significant reform in the child welfare system 
in over a decade. I am proud of the bipartisan work that the Committee 
on Ways and Means did in developing the underlying legislation that led 
to the comprehensive bill. Nevertheless, there is still a great deal of 
work that needs to be done.
  Despite the success of last fall's legislation, Congress needs to 
remain committed to further strengthening the foster care system and 
addressing some of the problems that have plagued it for years. 
Children of color are disproportionately over-represented in foster 
care. African American and Native American children are removed from 
their homes and placed in foster care at much higher rates than their 
white peers. Tragically, once they are removed from their homes, they 
are more likely to remain in the system for longer periods of time. 
This problem transcends urban areas and occurs across our nation, 
affecting not only New York, Michigan and Illinois, but States such as 
Iowa, Washington State and Minnesota. Many of the provisions included 
in the Fostering Connections the Success and Increasing Adoptions Act 
will help to begin to address this problem, yet more reform is still 
needed.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating National Foster Care 
Month by saluting the people who come to the aid of our most vulnerable 
children and families, as well as the men and women who are, or were 
formerly in, the foster care system. These individuals represent some 
of our bravest men and women who have overcome a level of grief and 
suffering that some will never experience in their lifetime. Yet, these 
remarkable people go on to lead successful lives, often exceeding their 
wildest expectations. Many of them now volunteer their time and 
expertise to efforts to improve the lives of those children who are 
currently in the system, championing their cause in State legislatures 
and throughout the halls of Congress. I salute these fine men and women 
for the example that they set for all Americans.

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