,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dgbe  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,august #b1    
#bjbb,mr4 ,grassley 7for himself and    
,ms4 ,hassan7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill
  ,to amend parts ,b and ,e of title    
,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act to   
improve foster and adoptive parent      
recruitment and retention1 and for other
 purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,data-,driven       
,foster ,parent ,recruitment and        
,retention ,act of #bjbb4  #b4 ,state   
plan amendment  7a7 ,in general ,section
 #dbb of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #fbb7 is amended-- 7#a7 in   
subsection 7b71 by striking paragraph   
7#g7 and inserting the following3  7#g7 
provide for development and             
implementation of a family partnership  
plan which meets the requirements of    
subsection 7d7 for identification1      
recruitment1 screening1 licensing1      

support1 and retention of foster and    
adoptive families that reflect the      
racial and ethnic diversity of children 
in the ,state for whom foster and       
adoptive homes are needed2  2 and  7#b7 
by adding at the end the following3  7d7
 ,family ,partnership ,plan             
,requirements ,for purposes of          
subsection 7b77#g71 the requirements for
 a family partnership plan 7in this     
subsection referred to as the plan7 are 
the following3 7#a7 ,the plan is        
developed in consultation with birth1   
kinship1 foster and adoptive families1  
community-based service providers1      
technical assistance providers1 and     
youth with lived experience with foster 
care and adoption4  7#b7 7 ,the plan    
describes -- 7,a7 how the ,state plans  
to identify1 notify1 engage1 and support
 relatives as potential placement       
resources for children2  7,b7 how the   
,state plans to use data to establish   
goals1 assess needs1 measure progress1  
reduce unnecessary placements in        

congregate care1 improve placement      
stability1 increase rates of kinship    
placements1 improve recruitment and     
retention of families for teens1 sibling
 groups1 and other special populations1 
and align the racial and ethnic         
composition of foster and adoptive      
families with that of children in need  
of homes2 and  7,c7 how that ,state will
 stand up or support foster family      
advisory boards for the purpose of      
improving recruitment and retention of  
foster and adoptive families4  7#c7 ,the
 plan provides that1 not less than      
annually1 the ,state shall collect and  
report on the ,state's actual foster    
family capacity and congregate care     
utilization1 including the number1      
demographics1 and characteristics of    
licensed foster families1 the number of 
such families that are not being fully  
utilized and the reasons therefor1 and  
the number1 demographics1 and           
characteristics of children placed in   
congregate care in-,state and           

out-of-,state4  7#d7 ,the plan includes1
 and shall update not less than         
annually1 a summary of the most recent  
feedback from foster and adoptive       
parents and youth regarding licensure1  
training1 support1 and reasons why      
parents stop fostering4  7#e7 ,the plan 
includes such other information relating
 to foster and adoptive parent          
recruitment and retention as the        
,secretary may require4  4  7b7         
,effective date  7#a7 ,in general       
,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71  
the amendment made by this subsection   
shall take effect on ,october #a1 #bjbb4
  7#b7 ,delay permitted if state        
legislation required ,in the case of a  
,state plan approved under subpart #a of
 part ,b of title ,,iv of the ,social   
,security ,act which the ,secretary of  
,health and ,human ,services determines 
requires ,state legislation 7other than 
legislation appropriating funds7 in     
order for the plan to meet the          
additional requirements imposed by this 

subsection1 the ,state plan shall not be
 regarded as failing to comply with the 
requirements of such part solely on the 
basis of the failure of the plan to meet
 such additional requirements before the
 first day of the first calendar quarter
 beginning after the close of the first 
regular session of the ,state           
legislature that begins after the date  
of enactment of this subsection4 ,for   
purposes of the previous sentence1 in   
the case of a ,state that has a #b-year 
legislative session1 each year of such  
session shall be deemed to be a separate
 regular session of the ,state          
legislature4  #c4 ,inclusion of         
information on foster families in annual
 child welfare outcomes report to       
,congress ,section #dgi;,a of the       
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#fgi;b7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 
7a7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#f77;,c71 by   
striking and after the semicolon2  7,b7 
in paragraph 7#g77;,b71 by striking the 
period and inserting 2 and2 and  7,c7 by

 adding at the end the following3  7#h7 
include in the report submitted pursuant
 to paragraph 7#e7 for fiscal year #bjbc
 or any succeeding fiscal year-- 7,a7   
,state-by-,state data on the number1    
demographics1 and characteristics of    
foster families in the ,state1 and the  
number of licensed foster families not  
being utilized in the ,state and the    
reasons why2 and  7,b7 a summary of the 
challenges of1 and barriers to1 being a 
foster parent1 including with respect to
 recruitment1 licensure1 engagement1    
retention1 and why parents stop         
fostering1 as reported by ,states based 
on surveys of foster parents4  2 and    
7#b7 in subsection 7b7-- 7,a7 by        
striking ,the ,secretary and inserting  
the following3  7#a7 ,in general ,the   
,secretary  2 and  7,b7 by adding at the
 end the following3  7#b7 ,working group
 on data collection1 use1 and           
presentation ,not later than #c months  
after the date of enactment of the      
,data-,driven ,foster ,parent           

,recruitment and ,retention ,act of     
#bjbb1 the ,secretary shall convene a   
working group comprised of leading child
 welfare researchers1 child welfare     
practitioners1 and individuals with     
lived experience in foster care1        
including youth with experience in both 
family-based care and congregate care1  
to advise the ,secretary on the types1  
uses1 and presentation of data to be    
included in the annual report required  
under this section4  4