I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2022 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a 

study on the recruitment and retention of foster parents in the United 

States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 26, 2011 

Ms. BASS of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

to conduct a study on the recruitment and retention 

of foster parents in the United States. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The Nation’s foster care system provides for 

6 nearly 424,000 children each day who are unable to 

7 live safely with their biological parents. 

8 (2) In fiscal year 2009, an estimated 255,000 

9 children entered the foster care system and an averVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:54 Jun 02, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2022.IH H2022

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1 age of 115,000 children were waiting to be adopted 

2 every day. 

3 (3) Most children who are removed from the 

4 care of their parents live with non-relative foster 

5 parents, however, the number of children placed in 

6 relative foster care is growing. 

7 (4) Foster parents and relative caregivers are 

8 the most frontline caregivers for children who cannot 

9 safely remain with their biological parents and pro10 vide physical care and emotional support. 

11 (5) Federal legislation enacted over the past 

12 three decades, including the Adoption Assistance 

13 and Child Welfare Act of 1980, the Adoption and 

14 Safe Families Act of 1997, and the Fostering Con15 nections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 

16 2008, provided new investments and services to im17 prove the outcome of our most vulnerable children. 

18 However, more work needs to be done to ensure chil19 dren are placed in quality foster homes as they wait 

20 to be reunited with their parents or achieve perma21 nency with a relative caregiver or adoptive family. 

22 (6) The last national report to Congress on re23 cruitment and retention of foster parents was last 

24 conducted in the 1990s. 


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1 SEC. 2. STUDY. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

3 Human Services shall conduct a study on the recruitment 

4 and retention of foster parents of children served by any 

5 foster care program funded under part E of title IV of 

6 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.). 

7 (b) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—The study shall in8 clude— 

9 (1) a survey of foster parents who care for chil10 dren served by any foster care program funded 

11 under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act; 

12 (2) an evaluation of the role of respite care 

13 training and services; 

14 (3) the identification of the capacity of respite 

15 care service providers in each State; 

16 (4) the identification of any barriers that pres17 ently exist that limit the ability of States to success18 fully recruit and retain families in the foster system; 

19 (5) an evaluation of the efforts that have been 

20 made by States to recruit relative caregivers; and 

21 (6) any other matters that the Secretary of 

22 Health and Human Services deems appropriate for 

23 this study. 

24 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after funds are 

25 made available for the study, the Secretary of Health and 


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1 Human Services shall submit to Congress a report con2 taining the study’s findings and recommendations. 

Æ 


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