[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21701]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   ADOPTION AND CHILD WELFARE POLICY

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I would like to talk about the 
history of adoption and child welfare policy and the importance of the 
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 
which passed in wrap-up on Monday, September 22, 2008.
  First, I want to commend Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley and 
their professional staffs who have done incredible work to forge a 
consensus and develop this bold package. Subcommittee Chairman 
McDermott and Congressman Weller and their staffs showed the same 
leadership and commitment in the House. It was a privilege to be part 
of the process. This is a strong package with extraordinary broad-based 
support from the adoption community, child advocates, and even State 
groups. That consensus was essential to move the legislation and act on 
behalf of vulnerable children in foster care.
  This strong bipartisan, bicameral package will help promote adoption, 
support guardianship, and improve the outcomes in foster care. The 
package and the process build on the legacy of the 1997 Adoption and 
Safe Families Act. In 1997, a bipartisan group came together and 
developed legislation that started the adoption incentive program, an 
initiative that spurred genuine change in the child welfare system 
including doubling the number of adoptions from foster care over the 
decade. This means that 443,000 children from foster care have a 
permanent home and a family, and 3,600 are West Virginia children. A 
family and a permanent home makes all the difference for a child. The 
1997 act also changed the reasonable efforts provisions to restore 
balance and help focus on the best interest of a child, and providing a 
safe, stable and permanent home.
  The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 
2008 is a historic initiative to further promote adoption and 
permanency for children. It will eliminate, over time, the outdated 
connection between adoption assistance eligibility with the broken Aid 
To Families with Dependent Children, AFDC, a program that was 
terminated in 1996. The new Adoption Assistance Program is phased in 
over 10 years, starting with the oldest children or children who have 
been in care for over 5 years. The package also updates the adoption 
incentive program.
  The bill gives States the option to invest in relative guardianship, 
a program that was tested and found very successful during the child 
welfare waivers. Children in relative placement tend to move less and 
get better reports from the teachers. The package also makes a special 
investment to promote the promising kinship navigator program to 
provide support and referrals to the millions of grandparents and 
relatives raising their kin. It provides new tools and direction to 
locate relatives as possible care providers. This is an important 
option that will lead to more permanency for children.
  The bill also requires States to do more on educational stability and 
directs that each child has a coordinated health plan that includes 
dental and mental health care. This is fundamental for each child. To 
help staff do a better job serving children, the bill also invests in 
training programs.
  The legislation will also invest in the more than 20,000 young people 
who age out of foster care, each year. First, it requires that the 
youth have full support in developing a transition plan 90 days before 
leaving care. It is not right or appropriate for a foster teen to leave 
care and move into a homeless shelter. The legislation also encourages 
States to extend foster care beyond the age of 18 if the young person 
is engaged in education, job training, employment, or has a disability 
that prevents such engagement. Young people need and deserve support, 
and we know that it makes a positive difference.
  Finally, for the first time, thanks to Chairman Baucus' leadership, 
the Tribes and Tribal organization will have the option of direct 
access to Federal foster care to serve Native American children 
directly.
  Many of the provisions in this package, particularly improvements in 
adoption assistance, have been among my priorities for years. It is 
exciting to work with colleagues on a success, and it will be even more 
rewarding to work on its implementation for children and families in 
West Virginia and nationwide.

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