[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7197]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING FOSTER CARE MONTH

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 18, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Foster Care 
Month and acknowledge the foster parents, family members, volunteers, 
mentors, policymakers, child welfare professionals, and other community 
members who ensure that every child has an opportunity for a brighter 
future.
  I am honored to be a founding member of the Congressional Caucus for 
Foster Youth, a caucus that allows Members to gain a better 
understanding of the current state of foster care throughout the nation 
and identify potential federal policy modifications that could improve 
outcomes for the children in our country's foster care systems.
  In my home state of Texas there are more than 69,000 children in 
foster care, which is nearly 14.9 percent of the 463,000 children and 
youth in foster care nationally.
  Nearly two of every three (65%) of children who are not placed in a 
permanent home emancipate themselves from the system and are often left 
unemployed, without a place to live and resort to homeless shelters.
  2015 marks the 103rd anniversary of the Children's Bureau which works 
to support, assist, and improve the lives of children in foster care.
  Throughout its history, the Children's Bureau has published the 
Minimum Standards of Child Welfare, which acknowledges the importance 
of keeping children in their own homes or providing a ``home-life'' 
experience with foster families as well as overseeing the temporary 
placement of 8,000 European children in WWII.
  Before the creation of the Children's Bureau, children in foster care 
would often be placed in the hands of private religious organizations.
  Mr. Speaker, it is vital that we continue to create more programs, 
and hold more events and activities to educate and inform Americans 
about children successfully placed in permanent homes, debunk myths 
about the process, and acknowledge the thousands of children who could 
potentially become a part of these statistics.
  Through these efforts we can increase the rate of adoption, decrease 
the rate of homelessness among the youths in this group, and help 
develop future leaders and innovative thinkers of tomorrow.
  I would like to take a moment to recognize the families who have 
opened their hearts and homes to foster children.
  Foster parents play a critical role in the lives of some of the most 
vulnerable youth in Texas and across the country.
  They help hold our nation's social fabric together by ensuring that 
thousands of young people in this country stay on track towards 
successful futures.
  This month, we celebrate them and their efforts to change the lives 
of these children.
  National Foster Care Month is an appropriate time to recognize and 
commend all those who are helping to improve the lives of children in 
foster care.
  But it also serves as a reminder that more must be done.
  These children deserve to grow up in a loving home that is safe, 
happy, and most importantly one they can call their own.

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