,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #adg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #af1 
#bjac ,ms4 ,landrieu 7for herself1 ,mr4 
,grassley1 ,mr4 ,begich1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 
,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,levin1 ,mr4 ,wyden1  
,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,south   
,dakota1 ,mr4 ,blunt1 ,mr4 ,hoeven1 and 
,mr4 ,nelson7 submitted the following   
resolution2 which was considered and    
agreed to  ,,resolution  ,recognizing   
,national ,foster ,care ,month as an    
opportunity to raise awareness about the
 challenges of children in the foster   
care system1 and encouraging ,congress  
to implement policy to improve the lives
 of children in the foster care system4 
,whereas ,national ,foster ,care ,month 
was established more than #bj years ago 
to--  7#a7 bring foster care issues to  
the forefront of public consciousness2  
7#b7 highlight the importance of        
permanency for every child2 and  7#c7   
recognize the essential role that foster
 parents1 social workers1 and advocates 

have in the lives of children in foster 
care throughout the ,united ,states2    
,whereas all children deserve a safe1   
loving1 and permanent home2 ,whereas the
 primary goal of the foster care system 
is to ensure the safety and well-being  
of children while working to provide a  
safe1 loving1 and permanent home for    
each child2 ,whereas approximately      
#djj1jjj children are living in foster  
care2 ,whereas approximately #beb1jjj   
youth entered the foster care system in 
#bjaa1 while more than #ajd1jjj youth   
were eligible for and awaiting adoption 
at the end of #bjaa2 ,whereas children  
of minority races and ethnicities are   
more likely to stay in the foster care  
system for longer periods of time and   
are less likely to be reunited with     
their biological families2 ,whereas     
foster parents--  7#a7 are the          
front-line caregivers for children who  
cannot safely remain with their         
biological parents2  7#b7 provide       
physical care1 emotional support1 and   

education advocacy to the children in   
their care2 and  7#c7 are the largest   
single source of families providing     
permanent homes for children            
transitioning from foster care to       
adoption2  ,whereas children in foster  
care who are placed with relatives1     
compared to children placed with        
nonrelatives1 have more stability1      
including fewer changes in placements1  
have more positive perceptions of their 
placements1 are more likely to be placed
 with their siblings1 and demonstrate   
fewer behavioral problems2 ,whereas some
 relative caregivers receive less       
financial assistance and support        
services than foster caregivers2        
,whereas recent studies show foster     
children enrolled in ,medicaid were     
prescribed antipsychotic medications at 
nearly #i times the rate of other       
children receiving ,medicaid2 ,whereas  
youth in foster care are much more      
likely to face educational instability1 
with #fe percent of former foster       

children experiencing at least #g school
 changes while in foster care2 ,whereas 
an increased emphasis on prevention and 
reunification services is necessary to  
reduce the number of children who are   
forced to remain in the foster care     
system2 ,whereas more than #bf1bjj youth
 age out of foster care annually without
 a legal permanent connection to an     
adult or family2 ,whereas the number of 
youth who age out of foster care has    
increased during the past decade2       
,whereas foster care is intended to be a
 temporary placement1 but children      
remain in the foster care system for an 
average of #b years2 ,whereas children  
in foster care experience an average of 
#c different placements1 which often    
leads to disruption of routines and the 
need to change schools and move away    
from siblings1 extended families1 and   
familiar surroundings2 ,whereas children
 entering foster care often confront the
 widespread misperception that children 
in foster care are disruptive1 unruly1  

and dangerous1 even though placement in 
foster care is based on the actions of a
 parent or guardian1 not the child2     
,whereas children who age out of foster 
care lack the security and support of a 
biological or adoptive family and       
frequently struggle to secure affordable
 housing1 obtain health insurance1      
pursue higher education1 and acquire    
adequate employment2 ,whereas ,states1  
localities1 and communities should be   
encouraged to invest resources in       
preventative and reunification services 
and postpermanency programs to ensure   
that more children in foster care are   
provided with safe1 loving1 and         
permanent placements2 ,whereas ,federal 
legislation during the past #c decades1 
including the ,adoption ,assistance and 
,child ,welfare ,act of #aihj 7,public  
,law #if-bgb71 the ,adoption and ,safe  
,families ,act of #aiig 7,public ,law   
#aje-hi71 the ,fostering ,connections to
 ,success and ,increasing ,adoptions    
,act of #bjjh 7,public ,law #aaj-cea71  

and the ,child and ,family ,services    
,improvement and ,innovation ,act       
7,public ,law #aab-cd7 provided new     
investments and services to improve the 
outcomes of children in the foster care 
system2 ,whereas ,may #bjac is an       
appropriate month to designate as       
,national ,foster ,care ,month to       
provide an opportunity to acknowledge   
the accomplishments of the child-welfare
 workforce1 foster parents1 the advocacy
 community1 and mentors for their       
dedication1 accomplishments1 and        
positive impact on the lives of         
children2 and ,whereas much remains to  
be done to ensure that all children have
 a safe1 loving1 nurturing1 and         
permanent family1 regardless of age or  
special needs3 ,now1 therefore1 be it   
,that the ,senate--  7#a7 supports the  
designation of ,may #bjac as ,national  
,foster ,care ,month2  7#b7 recognizes  
,national ,foster ,care ,month as an    
opportunity to raise awareness about the
 challenges that children face in the   

foster care system2  7#c7 encourages    
,congress to implement policies to      
improve the lives of children in the    
foster care system2  7#d7 acknowledges  
the special needs of children in the    
foster care system2  7#e7 recognizes    
youth in foster care throughout the     
,united ,states for their ongoing       
tenacity1 courage1 and resilience while 
facing life challenges2  7#f7           
acknowledges the exceptional alumni of  
the foster care system who serve as     
advocates and role models for youth who 
remain in care2  7#g7 honors the        
commitment and dedication of the        
individuals who work tirelessly to      
provide assistance and services to      
children in the foster care system2 and 
7#h7 reaffirms the need to continue     
working to improve the outcomes of all  
children in the foster care system      
through parts ,b and ,e of title ,,iv of
 the ,social ,security ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #fja et seq47 and other       
programs designed to--  7,a7 support    

vulnerable families2  7,b7 invest in    
prevention and reunification services2  
7,c7 promote adoption in cases where    
reunification is not in the best        
interests of the child2  7,d7 adequately
 serve children brought into the foster 
care system2 and  7,e7 facilitate the   
successful transition into adulthood for
 children who age out of the foster care
 system4