Child Welfare Advocate Lends a Hand to Foster Care Children
Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) Introduces Legislation to Ease the Foster Care Adoption Process.
Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN) have introduced legislation that seeks to make the process of adopting children from foster care more efficient and family friendly.
The Adoption Improvement Act of 2008, H.R. 6459, will assist child welfare agencies in their mission to find permanent homes for children in foster care. The legislation establishes a demonstration project to help child welfare agencies maintain the interest of prospective adoptive parents while steering them through the complicated adoption process. Agencies will design programs based on recommendations from child welfare research. Components of the programs include; an adoption hotline; specialized professionals to answer adoption inquiries proficiently and sensitively, detailed information about the adoption process, and participation from parents who have successfully adopted children from foster care.
"Every child needs a loving family and a place to call home," said Congressman Fattah. "Tens of thousands of children linger in foster care for years waiting for the security that a stable home offers. This legislation brings their dream of feeling part of a permanent family just a little bit closer," Fattah added.
A recent study conducted by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, Harvard University and the Urban Institute found that rather than insufficient interest in adopting foster children, there are institutional barriers within the child welfare system that prevent waiting children from being matched with the families they deserve. The study showed that challenges in navigating the foster care system led only a fraction of those initially interested in adoption to follow through the entire process. Of the 240,000 prospective parents who inquire about becoming adoptive parents only 6 percent complete the home study component which is a requirement leading to adoption.
"I am delighted that Congressmen Fattah and Souder have introduced the Adoption Improvement Act in the House of Representatives," Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said. "While we have made great progress in increasing foster care adoptions in recent years, 129,000 children in foster care are still awaiting permanent homes. That is why Senator Rockefeller and I introduced this legislation in the Senate and why I continue to call for greater support for our most vulnerable children."
Congressman Fattah has worked tirelessly to improve the life conditions of America's most vulnerable citizens, her children. He recently hosted a symposium with Congressional colleagues that explored pressing issues facing child welfare reform. He has introduced legislation calling for the reconvening of the White House Conference on Children and Youth. Additionally he has co-sponsored legislation to strengthen the child welfare workforce, reunite foster families, and provide financial support for kinship care. A longtime advocate of a quality education for all children, Congressman Fattah authored GEAR UP, an educational program that has put some 2 million children on the path to college.