[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the Senate will soon be taking up my 
resolution recognizing this month of May as National Foster Care Month.
  For over 20 years, National Foster Care Month has been recognized as 
a time to raise awareness about the challenges that young people in 
foster care experience and to celebrate their resilience in the face of 
these obstacles.
  There are over 438,000 children in foster care nationwide. In Iowa 
alone, over 4,000 kids entered foster care in 2016. Due to the opioid 
crisis, there are more children entering foster care than many child 
welfare agencies are equipped to handle. In 2016, over 92,000 kids 
entered foster care due to parental drug abuse.
  I salute all of those who dedicate their time and their resources to 
helping these young people. This induces social workers, advocates, and 
alumni of the foster care system, who inform lawmakers and the public 
and, more importantly, who fight to secure better outcomes for these 
young people in care. Of course, this also includes foster parents, who 
open their homes and their hearts to children in need.
  Without foster parents, children unable to remain with their 
biological parents would have nowhere to go. Unfortunately, this is 
becoming a reality for children across the country, as many States are 
experiencing a critical shortage of foster parents. In my home State of 
Iowa, many counties are facing a shortage of foster care homes, causing 
young people to be housed in shelters instead of with families.
  The solution is not simply recruiting more people to serve as foster 
parents. Between 30 and 50 percent of licensed foster parents choose to 
stop being foster parents after only 1 year of doing that. That is why 
this year our resolution also designates the single day of May 31 as 
``Foster Parent Appreciation Day.'' It is my hope that communities, 
child welfare agencies, and other organizations will use this day to 
recognize the sacrifices foster parents make. Those who do not choose 
to continue being foster parents often report that their reason is a 
lack of support and training. At a time when foster parents are needed 
more than ever, it is important for communities and child welfare 
agencies to support foster parents and ensure that they are trained to 
help the kids entrusted to them.
  Through my work on the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, I have had the 
opportunity to hear firsthand what children in foster care need. I 
would advise Senators to take advantage of listening to that group of 
people we call foster youth. They need love, they need permanency, and 
they need stability and support.
  In short, all they need is a family. They often express to me: ``I 
would like to have a mom and a dad.'' That is why I am pleased that 
Congress recently passed the Family First Prevention Services Act. This 
legislation works to keep more families together by allowing Federal 
reimbursement for services to families before children are put in 
foster care, not afterward. These services include substance abuse 
treatment and in-home parenting skill programs. When it is truly in a 
child's best interest to be removed from their parents, this bill 
ensures that more kids will be placed with supportive families instead 
of in group homes.
  Of course, there is still work to be done. Far too many children 
still experience the trauma of neglect and abuse, and far too many 
youth in foster care age out without meaningful connection to a caring 
adult.
  Moving forward, Congress must continue to listen to the voices of 
foster youth, foster parents, and other advocates by working to find 
better solutions and secure better outcomes for youth in foster care.

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