Find and Protect Foster Youth Act
Bill: H.R.7210 | Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Eddie Bernice (D-TX)
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Find and Protect Foster Youth Act
This bill requires the Office of the Administration for Children & Families to evaluate the protocols that states have developed to comply with the reporting requirements for locating a child missing from foster care.
Additionally, the administration, through the Children's Bureau, must provide states, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia with information, advice, educational materials, and technical assistance relating to eliminating identified obstacles to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth and providing such children and youth with effective services.

To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the 
    Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify obstacles to 
  identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and 
other vulnerable foster youth, to provide technical assistance relating 
       to the removal of such obstacles, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Find and Protect Foster Youth Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATING OBSTACLES TO IDENTIFYING AND RESPONDING TO CHILDREN 
              MISSING FROM FOSTER CARE AND OTHER VULNERABLE FOSTER 
              YOUTH.

    Section 476 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 676) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Evaluation of Protocols Relating to Children Missing From 
Foster Care and Other Vulnerable Youth; Technical Assistance.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct an 
        evaluation of the protocols established by States in accordance 
        with the requirements of section 471(a)(35) and to the extent 
        applicable, by Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as 
        defined in section 479B(a)) or tribal consortia with a plan 
        approved under section 471 in accordance with section 479B.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The evaluation shall include the 
        following:
                    ``(A) A review of relevant aspects of reports 
                submitted by States, Indian tribes, tribal 
                organizations, and tribal consortia under this part and 
                part B, and data and other information reported 
                pursuant to the system established under section 479.
                    ``(B) Analysis of the extent to which States, 
                Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal 
                consortia comply with, and enforce, the protocols 
                required by section 471(a)(35).
                    ``(C) Analysis of the effectiveness of such 
                protocols.
                    ``(D) Identification of obstacles for States, 
                Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal 
                consortia to identifying and responding to children 
                missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster 
                youth.
                    ``(E) Identification of best practices for 
                identifying such children and youth and intervening 
                with effective services.
            ``(3) Technical assistance.--The Secretary, through the 
        capacity building services initiative of the Children's Bureau 
        of the Office of the Administration for Children & Families, 
        shall provide States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and 
        tribal consortia with information, advice, educational 
        materials, and technical assistance relating to eliminating 
        identified obstacles to identifying and responding to children 
        missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth and 
        providing such children and youth with effective services. Such 
        assistance may include, but is not limited to, dissemination 
        of--
                    ``(A) processes and tools to identify and examine 
                risk factors and potential trends related to children 
                who go missing from foster care and other vulnerable 
                youth;
                    ``(B) best practices for `runaway' tracking and 
                recovery; and
                    ``(C) guidelines for intervention, including with 
                respect to services, types of providers, and placement 
                settings.
            ``(4) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a 
        report to Congress on the results of the evaluation conducted 
        under this subsection and the technical assistance provided in 
        accordance with paragraph (3).
            ``(5) Limitation on authority.--Nothing in this subsection 
        shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to establish 
        new or additional requirements for States, Indian tribes, 
        tribal organizations, and tribal consortia relating to 
        eliminating identified obstacles to identifying and responding 
        to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable 
        foster youth and providing such children and youth with 
        effective services.''.
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