Washington, D.C.—The nation’s largest operating foundation dedicated to improving foster care today applauded U.S. Senate passage of the most important foster care funding reform legislation in more than a decade.  H.R. 6893, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 17 and by the Senate on Monday, September 22. It now awaits the President’s signature.

“By passing this bill, Congress has taken a significant step toward improving the lives of the most vulnerable youth in our nation,” said William C. Bell, President and CEO of Casey Family Programs, a national foundation that has long backed the reforms. “This legislation will encourage more relatives to care for children in familiar surroundings while connecting young people to critical services that everyone needs to have a bright future.”

If signed by the President, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 would invest in initiatives to help move children safely—and permanently—out of foster care. In particular, the bill would:

• Provide $15 million in guaranteed federal funding to strengthen supports for relatives who care for abused and neglected children;
• Improve the Adoption Assistance and Incentive Programs;
• Give American Indian tribes the same access to federal child welfare funding that states currently receive;
• Improve education stability and supports for children in foster care;
• Promote the coordination of health care services provided to children in foster care; and
• Provide opportunities for additional assistance to older youth who are aging out of the system. 

The legislation addresses issues critical to Casey Family Programs’ ambitious 2020 Strategy to improve foster care in America by safely reducing the number of children in out-of-home care by 50 percent over the next 12 years; reinvesting savings from reductions to strengthen child welfare systems; and improving education, employment and mental health services for those in foster care.