[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9512-9513]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2300
                    FOSTERING OUR FUTURE ACT OF 2006

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, this week I introduced the Fostering our 
Future Act of 2006, along with my colleague, the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).
  This is a bill to help our Nation's foster youth by strengthening 
dependency courts and requiring accountability.
  Foster care is a critical safety net for half a million abused and 
neglected American children. It is, however, a system in need of 
support and reform. 20 percent of all foster kids will be forced to 
wait over 5 years for a safe, permanent family. Even worse, almost 
20,000 older youth age out of the system without the assistance of a 
permanent family every year.
  Frequent foster home transfers create turbulence and insecurity that 
heighten the emotional, behavioral and educational challenges faced by 
these youth. The doubling of the foster care population since the early 
1980s compounds this problem by creating enormous caseloads and taxing 
the capacity of foster homes.
  The end result is that foster kids through no fault of their own are 
more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment and other life 
course problems despite their resilience and courage. Imagine what it 
is like to be 8 years old, neglected by your parents and then taken 
away from them. You are told that you must live with a family that is 
not your own. You would be confused by court proceedings that govern 
your future and frightened that you might be transferred to yet another 
home. You would certainly feel alienated from your peers who talk about 
mom and dad. Imagine what that must feel like.
  These children deserve better. They should be guaranteed physical and 
emotional safety. They should have continuing relationships with 
caregivers and loved ones. They should have an informed voice in the 
legal decisions made about their lives. And they should enter adulthood 
prepared to live a happy, healthy and productive life. We have a 
responsibility to these children to meet these goals. Anything less is 
unacceptable.
  Practitioners and policy experts have conducted thorough analyses and 
advanced proposals to overhaul the foster care system. The most 
prominent example, a comprehensive 2004 report by the bipartisan Pew 
Commission on Children in Foster Care identified several areas where 
the Federal Government could support these kids by strengthening the 
Nation's foster care systems.

[[Page 9513]]

  The Pew Commission found that State dependency court systems were 
failing to sufficiently track cases and train personnel, because they 
do not receive Federal funds to do so. Inner-agency collaboration and 
performance measurement where they exist have been inconsistent both 
within and between States and tend to focus on bureaucratic needs 
rather than outcomes.
  I was pleased earlier this year when under the leadership of the Ways 
and Means chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Herger, the committee 
passed legislation that included $100 million in new funding to improve 
our foster care system. These funds have been allocated to improve 
juvenile and family courts, help track and analyze caseloads, train 
judges and other court personnel and bolster collaboration between 
State courts and State child welfare agencies. While this is a critical 
first step, it is time we implement the rest of the court-related 
provisions recommended by the Pew Commission, and this legislation we 
introduced will do exactly that.
  Our State foster care system struggled to retain qualified dependency 
attorneys who are often burdened by substantial debt. A recent survey 
found that one-third of practicing dependency attorneys graduated with 
over $75,000 in outstanding loans, and 44 percent of them currently owe 
more than $50,000. High turnover among dependency attorneys has led to 
a dearth of experienced lawyers who have a comprehensive understanding 
of the system and maintain valuable relationships with their young 
clients.
  The Fostering Our Future Act that we are introducing responds to 
these shortcomings. It encourages Statewide interagency collaboration 
and data sharing. It ensures effective representation is available to 
children and families. It establishes a loan forgiveness program to 
attract and retain qualified child welfare attorneys. And most 
importantly, by focusing on child welfare outcomes, this legislation 
will keep the needs of children and families rather than the needs of 
bureaucracies front and center.
  I commend the child welfare workers of America for the invaluable 
services they provide and for constantly struggling to get this issue 
the attention it deserves. Foster care plays a crucial role in the 
Nation's child welfare safety net, but it is in desperate need of 
change and support. I call on my colleagues to join us working for the 
day when all of our Nation's children are protected, nurtured and 
loved. And I invite you to join me in that quest by co-sponsoring the 
Fostering Our Future Act of 2006.

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