WASHINGTON – As many states, including Iowa, face a worsening shortage of qualified foster parents, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) this week reintroduced bipartisan legislation to improve recruitment, retention and support for foster parents. The Recruiting Families Using Data Act would make the Title IV-B Diligent Recruitment Plan requirements more robust and require states to use a data-driven approach to recruiting foster parents. Additionally, it would call for states to provide more opportunities for input from foster parents through foster parent advisory boards when making these plans. Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) will introduce companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Kids in foster care deserve the same opportunities and support as their peers, and they need well-trained, qualified foster parents to help them achieve their goals. Too often, the child welfare system fails to support the foster families who step up to the plate and help kids in need. Our bill improves data-collection to help states recruit and support more qualified individuals to care for foster youth. By making these improvements, we can help make sure foster kids have safe places to call home,” Grassley said.

“As a father of four, I believe that every child deserves a loving home,” Feenstra said. “I’m proud to work with Senator Grassley to better connect vulnerable children with foster parents who will support their growth and long-term success. With the right tools and resources, we can improve foster care outcomes and help our children thrive.”

“As a former social worker, I understand how important it is that our foster and adoptive families are supported. This bill will lift up the voices of those who know the foster care system best—the families and youth who have gone through it—to improve foster care for all,” Kildee said. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues from the House and the Senate to support foster and adoptive families.”

The bill is supported by 36 state organizations and eight national organizations, including the National Foster Parent Association, Voice for Adoption, North American Council on Adoptable Children, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Family Focused Treatment Association, Creating a Family and The Foster Care Institute.

“The Recruiting Families Using Data Act is a timely and urgently needed proposal. It speaks to the challenges that child welfare agencies across the country are facing and offers much-needed help… The act would make key reforms that align with the changes foster families and kinship caregivers have been calling for and that are essential to achieving the best outcomes for children and families,” the organizations wrote in a joint letter of support for the bill.

Specifically, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act would:

  • Create a new “family partnership plan” requirement that describes how states will be identifying, recruiting, screening, supporting and retaining foster families by:
    • Requiring consultation with foster parents and kinship parents, as well as youth and service providers;
    • Requiring states to describe plans to use data to establish goals, assess needs and measure progress; and
    • Describing how the state plans to stand up and support ongoing family advisory boards to improve retention of foster and adoptive families.
  • Require states to collect and report on the foster family capacity and congregate care utilization, as well as the demographics and characteristics of foster families. This data collection would also include a summary of feedback from foster parents on licensing, support, training and reasons why they have stopped taking placements if applicable.
  • Require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to produce an annual report of states’ data in order to identify national trends, similar to the data collection and annual report on children in foster care.

The full text of the bill is available HERE. A one-page summary is available HERE and a section-by-section summary is available HERE.

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