FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 24, 2008
CONTACT:
Gina Russo,
Kids Are Waiting, (202) 421-3578,
press@kidsarewaiting.org
Congress Passes Groundbreaking Foster Care and Adoption Bill
Legislation ensures sweeping reform of child welfare system
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2008
510 E. Mound St., Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614-224-5802 • Fax 614-228-5150
Columbus, OH, September 23, 2008 – The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (HR 6893), the most comprehensive federal policy passed since the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act, passed Congress last night and is on its way to the President’s desk. PCSAO and a number of national, state and local child welfare, judicial and other organizations advocated for the passage of this bill, which will significantly enhance the nation’s child welfare system and improve outcomes for the children and youth in the foster care system.
This bi-partisan legislation creates a vehicle for more children to exit foster care quickly and safely and join permanent families. HR 6893 reauthorizes and improves the effective Adoption Incentives program which has assisted Ohio in matching thousands of waiting children with adoptive families; it also ensures a federal partnership to support adoptive families of all special needs children.
The bill also establishes several supports for the many relative caregivers who are stepping up to care for children when their birth families cannot. HR 6893 puts in place important policies to find relatives when birth families can’t care for own children, connect those kin caregivers with essential community supports, and financially support relative caregivers, similar to support for adoptive families, as they make a permanent commitment to raise those children to adulthood. “Society has changed over the years as more and more children are being cared for by grandparents and other relatives,” said Crystal Ward Allen, Executive Director of PCSAO. “Research shows children fortunate enough to have familiar faces to raise them when their birth families cannot, have improved academic and community outcomes - yet these families need financial and other supports to maintain a loving, stable home.”
Another key feature of the legislation allows states to extend federal foster care maintenance payments up to the age of 19, 20 or 21. The bill also includes several other provisions supporting siblings, education, and health care. Ms. Allen stated “Ohio foster youth have made their voice heard not only in this state, but also on Capitol Hill – about the challenges of living independently at age 18, the tragedy of losing contact with not only their parents, but also their siblings. Hearing these amazing current and former foster youth express the challenges with affordable housing and spending holidays alone, were compelling to all that heard – Congress responded.”
Gayle Channing Tenenbaum, Legislative Director of PCSAO says “We celebrate and thank Congress for their willingness to put politics aside and act on this important federal policy”. Congressman Pat Tiberi, PCSAO’s Legislator of the Year was an early co-sponsor of similar legislation, and all Ohio Representatives supported the legislation. Both Ohio Senators George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown also supported this bill. In fact, the important provision allowing adoption assistance to all special needs children, regardless of the income of their birth families was included in another Bill that Senator Brown introduced.
PCSAO is pleased to note that part of this bill will memorialize U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs-Jones’ commitment to children by renaming the Title IV-B, Part 1, The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program. “Naming part of this Bill for Congresswoman Tubbs Jones is only fitting in that she fought so valiantly for all children across this country to have permanent, safe and loving homes. That this will forever be called the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program makes the passage of HB 6893 even more special for Ohioans,” remarked Channing Tenenbaum.
ABOUT PCSAO: We are a proactive coalition of Public Children Services Agencies that promotes the development of sound public policy and program excellence for safe children, stable families, and supportive communities. We do this through advocacy, research, training, consultation, and technical assistance.
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