[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22865-22866]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EXTENDING FOSTER CARE SERVICES THROUGH AGE 21

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2008

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, the House and the 
Senate recently approved an important bill to make significant reforms 
to our child welfare system, including provisions to address the 
serious and urgent need to provide vital support to foster youth during 
their transition to independent adulthood. One provision of the bill in 
particular allows states to voluntarily extend foster care to age 21 
from its current limit of 18 years of age. The President is expected to 
sign H.R. 6893, The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing 
Adoptions Act of 2008, into law shortly. I am proud to have voted for 
this bill, sponsored by my good friend Rep. Jim McDermott, and I look 
forward to its implementation and the benefits it will bring to young 
people struggling to overcome their difficult circumstances.
  Recent research indicates that across the Nation more than 24,000 
youth ``age-out'' of foster care each year. This figure represents an 
increase of 41 percent since 1998 in the number of young people who 
leave foster care without having found a permanent connection to a 
family or stable adult.
  Thus, youth who turn 18 and are discharged from the system find 
themselves on their own, without the support that most adolescents rely 
upon as they transition from childhood to independent adulthood. 
Without that support, former foster youth are known to struggle. One in 
four will be incarcerated within a year of leaving the child welfare 
system. One in five will experience homelessness in that same year. 
Rates of mental health diagnoses are higher than in the general 
population, yet access to treatment and counseling is sporadic. 
Additionally, these youth have extremely low rates of educational 
attainment and thus are frequently unable to secure and sustain 
employment sufficient to meet their basic needs.
  The same research that documents these overwhelming challenges, 
however, also shows the benefits of extending foster care to age 21. A 
large, ongoing, multi-State study conducted by Chapin Hall at the 
University of Chicago, indicates that when youth are allowed to remain 
in care beyond their 18th birthday, they fare significantly better than 
youth who cannot. Some States voluntarily extend the option to young 
adults who have been unable to secure a permanent connection, and when 
Chapin Hall compares their later life circumstances to those of youth 
who were turned out at 18, found that they

[[Page 22866]]

achieved significantly higher levels of education, earned higher wages, 
waited longer to become pregnant and bear children, and they took 
increased advantage of available services.
  The study's authors state clearly that their findings indicate that 
extending foster care services can support youth in developing into 
healthy, educated, productive, and independent citizens. By giving all 
States the option of continuing foster care services to age 21, the 
legislation Congress recently approved would allow States to continue 
vital support for their disconnected adolescent foster youth during a 
crucial life transition, increasing the likelihood that these youth 
will experience better ultimate outcomes.
  As a long-time member and now chairman of the House Education and 
Labor Committee, I have dedicated many years to the effort of improving 
the lives of children in foster care and have had the opportunity to 
work with many different individuals and organizations along the way. 
Today I wanted to highlight one group in particular for its efforts as 
it relates directly to the bill we just approved.
  The John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes has played an 
invaluable role in identifying potential policy solutions to the 
documented difficulties of former foster youth. Under the leadership of 
California State Senator John Burton (retired), the foundation plays a 
critical role at the State and national levels by bringing legislative 
attention to the needs of some of the Nation's most vulnerable young 
people. The foundation sponsors and advocates for legislation aimed at 
providing necessary ongoing support to youth who, by definition, the 
government has taken on the responsibility of parenting.
  Through their advocacy to members of Congress and effective efforts 
to organize stakeholders in California, the John Burton Foundation has 
played an important role in ensuring that the extension of Federal 
funding to age 21 is included in this legislation. The evidence is 
solid and the conclusion is clear: Extending foster care services to 
age 21 to young adults raised in the child welfare system will support 
them in their effort to become healthy, independently functioning 
adults, and thereby honor the commitment made to them by the State and 
Federal governments.
  Madam Speaker, I deeply appreciate the foundation's efforts and I 
deeply appreciate the work that my colleague, Rep. McDermott, carried 
out in passing this legislation. Congress owes a great deal to children 
in foster care, and this legislation will be a very important step in 
that direction.

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