[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 280--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 POLICIES TO 
        IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Hassan, Mr. 
Lujan, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Peters, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Casey, 
Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Warner, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Manchin, Mr. 
Padilla, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Warnock, and Mr. Young) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.:

                              S. Res. 280

       Whereas National Foster Care Month was established more 
     than 30 years ago to--
       (1) bring foster care issues to the forefront;
       (2) highlight the importance of permanency for every child; 
     and
       (3) recognize the essential role that foster parents, 
     social workers, and advocates have in the lives of children 
     in foster care throughout the United States;
       Whereas all children deserve a safe, loving, and permanent 
     home;
       Whereas the primary goal of the foster care system is to 
     ensure the safety and well-being of children while working to 
     provide a safe, loving, and permanent home for each child;
       Whereas there are approximately 391,100 children living in 
     foster care in the United States;
       Whereas there were approximately 206,800 youths that 
     entered the foster care system in 2021 in the United States, 
     while more than 113,500 youths were awaiting adoption at the 
     end of 2021;
       Whereas almost 74,000 children entered foster care in 2021 
     due to parental drug abuse;
       Whereas children of color are more likely to stay in the 
     foster care system for longer periods of time and are less 
     likely to be reunited with their biological families;
       Whereas foster parents are the front-line caregivers for 
     children who cannot safely remain with their biological 
     parents, and foster parents provide physical care, emotional 
     support, and education advocacy, and are the largest single 
     source of families providing permanent homes for children 
     leaving foster care to adoption;
       Whereas children in foster care who are placed with 
     relatives, compared to children placed with non-relatives--
       (1) have more stability, including fewer changes in 
     placements;
       (2) have more positive perceptions of their placements;
       (3) are more likely to be placed with their siblings; and
       (4) demonstrate fewer behavioral problems;
       Whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial 
     assistance and support services than do foster caregivers;
       Whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and 
     reunification services is necessary to reduce the number of 
     children that enter or re-enter the foster care system;
       Whereas more than 19,000 youths aged out of foster care in 
     2021 without a legal permanent connection to an adult or 
     family;
       Whereas youth who age out of foster care lack the security 
     or support of a biological or adoptive family and frequently 
     struggle to secure affordable housing, obtain health 
     insurance, pursue higher education, and acquire adequate 
     employment;
       Whereas foster care is intended to be a temporary 
     placement, but children remain in the foster care system for 
     an average of 21 months;
       Whereas 35 percent of children in foster care experience 
     more than 2 placements while in care, which often leads to 
     disruption of routines and the need to change schools and 
     move away from siblings, extended families, and familiar 
     surroundings;
       Whereas youth in foster care are much more likely to face 
     educational instability with a study showing that 75 percent 
     of foster youth experienced an unscheduled school change 
     during a school year, compared to 21 percent of youth not in 
     foster care;
       Whereas children entering foster care often confront the 
     widespread misperception that children in foster care are 
     disruptive, unruly, and dangerous, even though placement in 
     foster care is based on the actions of a parent or guardian, 
     not the child;
       Whereas 30 percent of children in foster care are taking 
     not less than 1 anti-psychotic medication, and 34 percent of 
     those children are not receiving adequate treatment planning 
     or medication monitoring;
       Whereas, due to heavy caseloads and limited resources, the 
     average annual turnover rate is between 14 percent and 22 
     percent for child welfare workers;
       Whereas States, localities, and communities should be 
     encouraged to invest resources in preventative and 
     reunification services and post-permanency programs to ensure 
     that more children and older youth in foster care are 
     provided with safe, loving, and permanent placements;
       Whereas, in 2018, Congress passed the Family First 
     Prevention Services Act (Public Law 115-123; 132 Stat. 232), 
     which provided new investments in prevention and family 
     reunification services to help more families stay together 
     and ensure more children are in safe, loving, and permanent 
     homes;
       Whereas Federal legislation during the past 3 decades, 
     including the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 
     1980 (Public Law 96-272; 94 Stat. 500), the Adoption and Safe 
     Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 2115), the 
     Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act 
     of 2008 (Public Law 110-351; 122 Stat. 3949), the Child and 
     Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (Public Law 
     112-34; 125 Stat. 369), and the Preventing Sex Trafficking 
     and Strengthening Families Act (Public Law 113-183; 128 Stat. 
     1919) provided new investments and services to improve the 
     outcomes of children in the foster care system;
       Whereas May 2023 is an appropriate month to designate as 
     National Foster Care Month to provide an opportunity to 
     acknowledge the accomplishments of the child welfare 
     workforce, foster parents, advocacy community, and mentors 
     for their dedication, accomplishments, and positive impact 
     they have on the lives of children; and
       Whereas much remains to be done to ensure that all children 
     have a safe, loving, nurturing, and permanent family, 
     regardless of age or special needs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of May 2023 as National Foster 
     Care Month;
       (2) recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity 
     to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in 
     the foster care system;
       (3) encourages Congress to implement policies to improve 
     the lives of children in the foster care system;
       (4) acknowledges the unique needs of children in the foster 
     care system;
       (5) recognizes foster youth throughout the United States 
     for their ongoing tenacity, courage, and resilience while 
     facing life challenges;
       (6) acknowledges the exceptional alumni of the foster care 
     system who serve as advocates and role models for youth who 
     remain in care;
       (7) honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals 
     who work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to 
     children in the foster care system;
       (8) supports the designation of May 31, 2023, as National 
     Foster Parent Appreciation Day;
       (9) recognizes National Foster Parent Appreciation Day as 
     an opportunity to recognize the efforts of foster parents to 
     provide safe and loving care for children in need and raise 
     awareness about the increasing need for foster parents to 
     serve in their communities; and
       (10) reaffirms the need to continue working to improve the 
     outcomes of all children in the foster care system through 
     parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
     U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and other programs designed to--
       (A) support vulnerable families;
       (B) invest in prevention and reunification services;
       (C) promote adoption in cases where reunification is not in 
     the best interests of the child;
       (D) adequately serve those children brought into the foster 
     care system; and
       (E) facilitate the successful transition into adulthood for 
     youth that ``age out'' of the foster care system.

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