[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 92 (Thursday, June 18, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S6807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 1286. A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act to allow children in foster care to be placed with their parents in 
residential family treatment centers that provide safe environments for 
treating addiction and promoting healthy parenting; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Keeping 
Families Safe Act of 2009 which seeks to keep families together when a 
parent is in a comprehensive residential family treatment program. 
Comprehensive residential family treatment is a unique program that 
serves parents and children together in a safe residential environment 
as the parent undergoes treatment for substance abuse.
  Such programs tend to be small, but their results are impressive. One 
study found that 60 percent of mothers who participated in the Pregnant 
and Postpartum Women and Their Infants program were completely clean 
and sober six months after their discharge. This same study found that 
88 percent of these children were still with their mothers six months 
after the mother was discharged. However, only 5 percent of all 
substance abuse treatment facilities are able to accommodate children. 
The goal of this legislation is to offer support and flexibility to 
such promising programs by allowing children who are in foster care be 
placed with their parent in the comprehensive residential family 
treatment center, and bring their foster care payment with them as 
their placement is transferred. By allowing these funds to follow the 
child to the residential facility, the chances for that family's 
success are much greater.
  Family based substance abuse treatment centers have proven to be an 
effective means of treating substance abuse and reuniting families, but 
most facilities are struggling to make ends meet. Many of the parents 
in treatment are motivated by the hope of overcoming their addiction 
and reuniting with their children. This bill is designed to give them 
that chance, and it will hopefully inspire them by allowing their 
children to be part of the recovery, in a completely safe environment. 
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to help keep 
families together and provide another funding source for these 
promising programs for children and parents.
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