III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 456 

Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness 

about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children 

in the foster care system. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 22, 2014 

Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. CASEY, Mr. 

COCHRAN, Mr. CRAPO, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. HAGAN, Ms. HEITKAMP, 

Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. JOHANNS, Mr. KAINE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, 

Mr. LEVIN, Mr. WYDEN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, and Mrs. BOXER) submitted 

the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity 

to raise awareness about the challenges of children in 

the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to 

implement policy to improve the lives of children in the 

foster care system. 

Whereas National Foster Care Month was established more 

than 20 years ago to— 

(1) bring foster care issues to the forefront; 

(2) highlight the importance of permanency for 

every child; and 


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(3) recognize the essential role that foster parents, 

social workers, and advocates have in the lives of children 

in foster care throughout the United States; 

Whereas all children deserve a safe, loving, and permanent 

home; 

Whereas the primary goal of the foster care system is to ensure the safety and well-being of children while working 

to provide a safe, loving, and permanent home for each 

child; 

Whereas there are approximately 400,000 children living in 

foster care; 

Whereas there were approximately 252,000 youth that entered the foster care system in 2012, while nearly 

102,000 youth were eligible and awaiting adoption at the 

end of 2012; 

Whereas foster care is intended to be a temporary placement, 

but children remain in the foster care system for an average of 2 years; 

Whereas ethnic minority children are more likely to stay in 

the foster care system for longer periods of time and are 

less likely to be reunited with their biological families; 

Whereas foster parents are the front-line caregivers for children who cannot safely remain with their biological parents and provide physical care, emotional support, education advocacy, and are the largest single source of families providing permanent homes for children leaving foster care to adoption; 

Whereas children in foster care who are placed with relatives, 

compared to children placed with nonrelatives, have more 

stability, including fewer changes in placements, have 

more positive perceptions of their placements, are more 


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likely to be placed with their siblings, and demonstrate 

fewer behavioral problems; 

Whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support services than do foster caregivers; 

Whereas recent studies show children in foster care are prescribed psychotropic medication at rates up to 11 times 

higher than other children on Medicaid and in amounts 

that exceed the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines; 

Whereas youth in foster care are much more likely to face 

educational instability with 34 percent of foster youth 

ages 17 to 18 experiencing at least 5 changes while in 

care; 

Whereas youth in foster care are often cut off from other 

youth and face hurdles in participating in activities common to their peers, such as sports or extracurricular activities; 

Whereas youth in foster care are more susceptible to being 

trafficked, and more needs to be done to prevent, identify, and intervene when a child becomes a victim of the 

crime; 

Whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is necessary to reduce the number of children that are forced to remain in the foster care system; 

Whereas more than 23,400 youth ‘‘age out’’ of foster care 

annually without a legal permanent connection to an 

adult or family; 

Whereas children who age out of foster care lack the security 

or support of a biological or adoptive family and frequently struggle to secure affordable housing, obtain 


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health insurance, pursue higher education, and acquire 

adequate employment; 

Whereas nearly half of children in foster care for five or more 

years experience 7 or more different foster care placements, which often leads to disruption of routines and 

the need to change schools and move away from siblings, 

extended families, and familiar surroundings; 

Whereas children entering foster care often confront the 

widespread misperception that children in foster care are 

disruptive, unruly, and dangerous, even though placement 

in foster care is based on the actions of a parent or 

guardian, not the child; 

Whereas States, localities, and communities should be encouraged to invest resources in preventative and reunification 

services and post-permanency programs to ensure that 

more children in foster care are provided with safe, loving, and permanent placements; 

Whereas Federal legislation over the past three decades, including the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 

1980 (Public Law 96–272), the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105–89), the Fostering 

Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 

2008 (Public Law 110–351), the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (Public Law 112– 

34), and the Uninterrupted Scholars Act (Public Law 

112-278) provided new investments and services to improve the outcomes of children in the foster care system; 

Whereas the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health 

and Human Services has designated May as National 

Foster Care Month under the theme ‘‘to help build blocks 

toward permanent families for foster youth’’; 


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Whereas May would be an appropriate month to designate as 

National Foster Care Month to provide an opportunity to 

acknowledge the accomplishments of the child-welfare 

workforce, foster parents, advocacy community, and mentors for their dedication, accomplishments, and positive 

impact they have on the lives of children; and 

Whereas much remains to be done to ensure that all children 

have a safe, loving, nurturing, and permanent family, regardless of age or special needs: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes National Foster Care Month as 

3 an opportunity to raise awareness about the chal4 lenges that children face in the foster-care system; 

5 (2) encourages Congress to implement policy to 

6 improve the lives of children in the foster care sys7 tem and maximize the number children exiting foster 

8 care to the protection of safe, loving, and permanent 

9 families; 

10 (3) supports the designation of National Foster 

11 Care Month; 

12 (4) acknowledges the unique needs of children 

13 in the foster-care system; 

14 (5) recognizes foster youth throughout the 

15 United States for their ongoing tenacity, courage, 

16 and resilience while facing life challenges; 


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1 (6) acknowledges the exceptional alumni of the 

2 foster-care system who serve as advocates and role 

3 models for youth who remain in care; 

4 (7) honors the commitment and dedication of 

5 the individuals who work tirelessly to provide assist6 ance and services to children in the foster-care sys7 tem; and 

8 (8) reaffirms the need to continue working to 

9 improve the outcomes of all children in the foster10 care system through parts B and E of title IV of the 

11 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and 

12 other programs designed to— 

13 (A) support vulnerable families; 

14 (B) invest in prevention and reunification 

15 services; 

16 (C) promote guardianship, adoption, and 

17 other permanent placement opportunities in 

18 cases where reunification is not in the best in19 terests of the child; 

20 (D) adequately serve those children 

21 brought into the foster-care system; and 

22 (E) facilitate the successful transition into 

23 adulthood for children that ‘‘age out’’ of the 

24 foster-care system. 

Æ 


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