Today, the Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth endorsed five bipartisan bills that were previously provisions of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in the 114th Congress. This package includes five separate bills designed to improve critical components of care within the child welfare system, particularly aimed at increasing the age of eligibility for education and vocational services for older foster youth, removing barriers for kinship care placements, modernizing case management systems, and enhancing access to family-based substance abuse treatment. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that every single child within the foster care system receives the quality care and support they need to achieve their full potential.
"The expectation that our current child welfare system sets is that once a child in the foster care system turns 18, they are fully capable of being independent without any aid. They can house themselves, feed themselves, and their own bills. We know that that's simply not true," Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) said. "That's why these bills are so important; not just because of the functionality, but because it sends a message to the over 400,000 foster youth in the country that we hear them and that we're here for them. The system does not have to work against them, that's why our caucus is supporting this package and the bipartisan coalition of Members that have put these bills forward."