[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 14, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3021-S3023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, 26 years ago Members of Congress decided 
to designate May as National Foster Care Month. Since then, the U.S. 
Congress, the Children's Bureau at the Department of Health and Human 
Services, and the National Foster Parent Association have worked 
together to recognize the work of foster families, social workers, 
faith-based and community organizations, and others who are improving 
the lives of foster youth across the country and to encourage all 
Americans to participate in efforts to serve these children throughout 
the year.
  I have come to the floor today, alongside my esteemed colleague and 
cochair on the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, to recognize the foster 
parents, social workers, and advocates from my home State of Louisiana 
and around the country who play an essential role in the lives of 
children in foster care throughout the United States. I also want to 
acknowledge the leaders of the House Caucus on Foster Youth--
Representative Karen Bass, Representative Tom Marino, Representative 
Michele Bachmann, and Representative Jim McDermott--who already have or 
will soon speak on the floor, as well, to commemorate National Foster 
Care Month.
  Each day 691 new children enter the foster care system because of 
abuse or neglect. Each week 4,852 children find themselves on the 
beginning of their journey through ``the system.'' Over 79,000 children 
will call this system home for more than 3 years, and more than 23,400 
young adults will ``age out'' of the system without a safe, permanent 
family. Of those that age out, studies indicate that only 25 percent 
have a high school diploma or GED, less than 2 percent finish college, 
over half experience homelessness, and nearly 30 percent have been 
incarcerated.
  As I have long said, governments do many things well, but raising 
children is not, and will never be, one of them. Our foster care system 
should be temporary--it is a temporary place where children should go 
to be protected and nurtured until they can be returned to their birth 
family, be placed with extended family, or be connected with an 
adoptive parent or parents. Unfortunately, all too often this is not 
how it happens. Forty percent of those eligible for adoption will wait 
over 3 years in foster care before being adopted. Even worse, 23,000 
youth--25 percent of those eligible for adoption--``age out'' or 
emancipate from the system each year. We cannot rest until our Federal 
and state governments are 100 percent successful at connecting these 
children--who have been placed under the government's care due to no 
fault of their own--with permanent, safe, and loving families.
  It is our responsibility to find homes for the huge numbers of 
abandoned and orphaned children in the United States. For this reason, 
I created a new pilot grant in the fiscal year 14 Omnibus to enable 
States to initiate intensive and exhaustive child-focused recruitment 
programs, proven to increase adoptions out of foster care 3 to 1. The 
$4 million dollars that I secured for this program will enable States 
to move foster youth eligible for adoption into permanent families at a 
much higher rate than traditional recruitment strategies. This is 
because these grants will provide social workers with the resources, 
time, and mandate to actually open up the file of youth in care and 
identify the names and contact information of parents, relatives, 
caregivers, and other significant adults in that child's life. This 
intense review, often called ``case mining,'' is key in locating a 
caring adult able to commit to reunification, adoption or legal 
guardianship for foster youth.
  There are many other strategies that our government can implement to 
increase permanency for foster children. Just last week the 
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, led by executive 
director Kathleen Strottman, hosted a policy focused briefing to 
educate congressional staff about how postadoption services are cost-
effective and enormously beneficial alternatives to children reentering 
foster care or having their adoptions dissolved. The Federal Government 
spends an average of $27,236 annually for each child in care covered by 
Federal funding--and much more for those in group homes or residential 
treatment centers--compared to $5,043 for a child receiving adoption 
assistance covered by Federal funding adoptions. There currently is no 
Federal funding stream dedicated exclusively to postadoption services. 
We as legislators must consider ways in which we can increase the 
overall resources dedicated to post-adoption.
  As I have stated, it is our responsibility to invest in initiatives 
that are proven to be successful in finding permanent solutions for our 
nation's foster children. I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor S. 
Res. 442, ``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 the foster care system.''

[[Page S3022]]

  I yield my time to my esteemed colleague and co chair of the Senate 
Caucus on Foster Youth, Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa.
  Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak today about 
the foster care system and the impact the system has on the lives of 
far too many children, young adults, and families.
  Currently, more than 400,000 children across the United States are in 
the foster care system. From its inception, the foster care system was 
designed to be a safe and temporary place of transition for kids who 
have nowhere else to go. Of those currently calling the foster care 
system home, 79,000 will stay in foster care for more than 3 years. 
More than 23,400 will age out of foster care without finding an 
adoptive family or a permanent place to call home.
  Furthermore, youth who age out of the foster care system experience 
unique struggles that extend beyond the usual anxieties of trying to 
establish a life after high school. In fact, only one quarter has 
earned a high school diploma or GED, while less than 2 percent finish 
college. Worse yet, more than 50 percent will experience homelessness 
and nearly 30 percent will have spent time behind bars.
  That is why we recognize May as National Foster Care Month. Senator 
Landrieu and I have introduced a resolution to shed light on the many 
young faces that seek a permanent home and family. We also set aside a 
moment to recognize the countless number of people who work tirelessly 
for youth in foster care.
  Stability comes from a much larger community than just a family. 
Stability comes from the teacher who sees the student at the desk near 
the back of the classroom who needs a little extra help and guidance. 
Stability comes from the friends and neighbors who take it upon 
themselves to invite the new face in the neighborhood to join in a game 
of basketball or swimming. Stability comes from the social workers who 
work tirelessly to help resolve the issues at home foster youth face 
or, if necessary, they help find a permanent home that will offer 
warmth and happiness. And most importantly, stability comes from the 
families who are willing to take a child or group of children into 
their home, to provide a safe and nurturing environment so that they 
have a chance to grow and thrive.
  I call upon my colleagues to support S. Res. 442 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 the 
foster care system. The resolution also recognizes foster youth 
throughout the United States for their courage and resilience as they 
move through their personal trials and challenges. We also seek to 
applaud the youth who have moved on from the foster care system but 
remain active to serve as advocates and role models for those who 
remain in the system.
  However, while we seek to applaud and commend those who continue to 
be a beacon of hope for these youth, the resolution is also intended to 
reaffirm the need to continue to improve the outcomes for all children 
in the foster care system. Every child deserves the stability and 
certainty that a loving, permanent home and family can provide.
  Congress has been working to improve the lives of all those touched 
by the foster care system. That has included providing support to 
vulnerable families, with the hope of safely keeping families intact 
while they work through difficult times. We have promoted policies that 
encourage reunification of families when they successfully address 
issues that make homes safe and nurturing for children. We have helped 
create incentives to promote adoption when reunification isn't 
possible. For those who age out of the foster care system without a 
permanent place to call home, we have been working to make the 
transition to adulthood more certain.
  That is why in 2009 Senator Landrieu and I launched the bipartisan 
Senate Caucus on Foster Youth. The caucus works to provide an outlet 
for Members and staff to provide educational opportunities in order to 
help shape meaningful policy that works to bring children and families 
together.
  The caucus has created a gateway for grassroots coalitions of 
families, foster youth, child welfare advocates, court representatives, 
and social workers to locate policymakers who are actively fighting and 
supporting tools to improve the lives of all children and families. The 
caucus has created an avenue for all stakeholders to help identify 
barriers that block foster kids from finding a permanent, loving home 
either through adoption, guardianship, or reunification with their 
birth family.
  The caucus is currently offering a series of opportunities designed 
to introduce Members and staff to the issue of child welfare financing. 
The meetings have been designed to provide a collegial environment to 
build a base of knowledge for those less familiar with the issue and to 
help those who have been working on the issue for many years.
  So far this spring, we have had a chance to hear from specialists and 
experts about the early history of child welfare and how it has 
developed into the programs that we see today. We are studying how the 
current system is structured, how we can improve it, and how we can 
better incentivize States to find permanent placements for foster 
youth.
  In the past, we have studied and acted to improve the educational 
stability of the students. There are numerous cases of children who 
move from school to school within a given year. Just as they have an 
opportunity to form a series of friendships, they are ushered on to 
another school to begin the process yet again. Beyond the problems of 
building meaningful relationships, many foster youth have to worry 
about how their credits transfer from one school to the next. Many 
students are required to take a class numerous times in multiple 
schools because of varying requirements. Oftentimes, this creates a gap 
that extends the amount of time it takes a student to fulfill the 
requirements to complete school.
  Another issue that comes up is sex trafficking. Youth in the foster 
care system can be susceptible to domestic sexual predators who offer 
them financial assistance and emotional bonds.
  Just recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, rescued 18 
minors from forced prostitution around the time of the Super Bowl. Of 
the 18 minors, 3 were from the foster care system. I sent a letter to 
the FBI to ask the agency to explain how underage victims are treated 
once they are rescued from forced prostitution. From my inquiry so far, 
it seems the FBI has taken positive steps, including making clear that 
those who are forced into prostitution are victims, not criminals. The 
FBI also has a coordinated effort that has recovered a number of 
juvenile victims. But it is important to track what happens to victims 
after rescue. Are they getting the protections and services they need 
to stay safe or are they ending up back in dangerous situations? If 
they came from foster care, did the system fail to protect them?
  The Senate Finance Committee approved a bipartisan bill in December 
to improve the foster care system. The bill seeks to protect foster 
youth and to encourage officials to better prevent, identify, and 
intervene when a child becomes a victim of trafficking.
  Our caucus has taken a lead in educating the public about this issue. 
We heard from two incredibly brave survivors of trafficking who had 
beaten the odds, escaped ``the life,'' and are now working as mentors 
with other girls who have been trafficked or are at risk of being 
trafficked.
  The caucus has raised a number of other important issues, and we have 
invited youth to share their personal experiences. They are the 
experts, and we can learn from them.
  I am glad to report the caucus is gaining strong support from across 
party lines and regional areas of the country. I am glad that we have 
had nine new members this year, including Senators Crapo, Scott, Kaine, 
Warner, Klobuchar, Inhofe, Wicker, Heitkamp, and Johanns.
  We will continue working to keep the national spotlight on the 
challenges confronting foster youth. Every child deserves the stability 
and certainty that a loving, permanent home and family can provide. I 
thank my colleagues for their support in this endeavor.

[[Page S3023]]



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