Act now to improve foster care and adoption

Act now to improve foster care and adoption

Greetings,

On Wednesday, September 17, the House of Representatives passed the Fostering Connections to Success and Improving Adoptions Act by unanimous consent. The bill is a compromise of the Fostering Connections to Success Act passed by the House on June 24 and the Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support Act passed by the Senate Finance Committee on September 10.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later this week or early next week. Advocates are asked to contact their Senators now to encourage passage of this legislation before the end of September when the Adoption Incentives Program is set to expire. To read the entire bill, click here.

ACTION IS NEEDED NOW! Contact your Senators now and ask them to support passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Improving Adoptions Act before the end of September. Personalize and send the email below by clicking on take action, or call your U.S. Senator today. You can find their contact information by using our searchable database.

This bill would make a large impact on Iowa children in the foster care system, Lutheran Services in Iowa and Iowa KidsNet, a statewide collabortation of six Iowa agencies, including LSI, dedicated to the safety and permanency of children and families through foster care and adoption.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Senators

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Please Support Landmark Child Welfare Legislation

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

As you consider how to vote on bill H.R. 6893, Fostering Connections to Success and Improving Adoptions Act, please remember the broad and postive impact it will have on the 513,000 children across the United States, including 4,000 in Iowa alone, currently in foster care.

Many of these children come from homes where abuse and neglect were a daily part of their lives. The possiblity of a loving, permanent home would give hope to these children who have been through so much in their young lives. As a supporter of Lutheran Services in Iowa and Iowa KidsNet, I want to make sure you understand the importance of this landmark child welfare legislation.

The points below are just some of the important ways that this bill would help children and agencies like LSI and Iowa KidsNet:

-Expand child welfare training funding to non-profit organizations;
-Extend the adoption incentives program for five years;
-Extend the state option for children up to age 21 to receive foster care services; and
-Grant Native American tribes access to Title IV-E funds.

Again, I encourage you to vote yes for this important legislation for children. You can make a difference in their lives and help them live bright futures full of promise.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
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What's At Stake:

  • The U.S. House of Representatives approved critical legislation that will afford foster children more permanency in their lives, by enhancing states’ capacity to secure safe, stable and permanent homes for all foster children, and renewing and increasing the effectiveness of the federal Adoption Incentive Program.

    Specifically, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (H.R. 6893) provides, for the first time, federal assistance to grandparents and relatives who become legal guardians of children for whom they have cared for as foster parents. The measure also provides critical support to American Indian children in foster care, by allowing tribes the same direct access to federal foster care, adoption assistance, and relative guardianship funding that states have. In addition, the legislation increases opportunities for success for older youth in foster care as they transition into adult life; by continuing federal foster care payments up to the age of 21, and requiring a transitional plan for every youth aging out of care.

    In addition to the aforementioned provisions, the legislation includes measures to:
  • Increase incentives for adoption of children in the foster care system, particularly for those with special needs and older youth;
  • Improve educational opportunities for children and youth in foster care, which will also increase their opportunities for later success;
  • Require improved oversight of the health care needs of every foster child, covering their assessment, treatment, medical records, and medication;
  • Require reasonable efforts to place siblings together when removed from their homes, or if not possible, to allow ongoing interaction.

    The bill now moves to the Senate for passage, and then to the president for signature.

Click here to read a one-page summary created by the Pew "Kids are Waiting" campaign.


Campaign Expiration Date:
September 26, 2008