,,iii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #bhj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bb1 #bjbc,mr4 ,grassley 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,ms4 ,hassan1 ,mr4 ,lujn1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,barrasso1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,mrs4 ,britt1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,mr4 ,manchin1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mr4 ,warnock1 and ,mr4 ,young7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,,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 policies to improve the lives of children in the foster care system4 ,whereas ,national ,foster ,care ,month was established more than #cj years ago to-- 7#a7 bring foster care issues to the forefront2 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 there are approximately #cia1ajj children living in foster care in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas there were approximately #bjf1hjj youths that entered the foster care system in #bjba in the ,united ,states1 while more than #aac1ejj youths were awaiting adoption at the end of #bjba2 ,whereas almost #gd1jjj children entered foster care in #bjba due to parental drug abuse2 ,whereas children of color 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 are the front-line caregivers for children who cannot safely remain with their biological parents1 and foster parents provide physical care1 emotional support1 and education advocacy1 and are the largest single source of families providing permanent homes for children leaving foster care to adoption2 ,whereas children in foster care who are placed with relatives1 compared to children placed with non-relatives-- 7#a7 have more stability1 including fewer changes in placements2 7#b7 have more positive perceptions of their placements2 7#c7 are more likely to be placed with their siblings2 and 7#d7 demonstrate fewer behavioral problems2 ,whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support services than do foster caregivers2 ,whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is necessary to reduce the number of children that enter or re-enter the foster care system2 ,whereas more than #ai1jjj youths aged out of foster care in #bjba without a legal permanent connection to an adult or family2 ,whereas youth who age out of foster care lack the security or 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 foster care is intended to be a temporary placement1 but children remain in the foster care system for an average of #ba months2 ,whereas #ce percent of children in foster care experience more than #b placements while in care1 which often leads to disruption of routines and the need to change schools and move away from siblings1 extended families1 and familiar surroundings2 ,whereas youth in foster care are much more likely to face educational instability with a study showing that #ge percent of foster youth experienced an unscheduled school change during a school year1 compared to #ba percent of youth not in foster care2 ,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 #cj percent of children in foster care are taking not less than #a anti-psychotic medication1 and #cd percent of those children are not receiving adequate treatment planning or medication monitoring2 ,whereas1 due to heavy caseloads and limited resources1 the average annual turnover rate is between #ad percent and #bb percent for child welfare workers2 ,whereas ,states1 localities1 and communities should be encouraged to invest resources in preventative and reunification services and post-permanency programs to ensure that more children and older youth in foster care are provided with safe1 loving1 and permanent placements2 ,whereas1 in #bjah1 ,congress passed the ,family ,first ,prevention ,services ,act 7,public ,law #aae-abc2 #acb ,stat4 #bcb71 which provided new investments in prevention and family reunification services to help more families stay together and ensure more children are in safe1 loving1 and permanent homes2 ,whereas ,federal legislation during the past #c decades1 including the ,adoption ,assistance and ,child ,welfare ,act of #aihj 7,public ,law #if-bgb2 #id ,stat4 #ejj71 the ,adoption and ,safe ,families ,act of #aiig 7,public ,law #aje-hi2 #aaa ,stat4 #baae71 the ,fostering ,connections to ,success and ,increasing ,adoptions ,act of #bjjh 7,public ,law #aaj-cea2 #abb ,stat4 #cidi71 the ,child and ,family ,services ,improvement and ,innovation ,act 7,public ,law #aab-cd2 #abe ,stat4 #cfi71 and the ,preventing ,sex ,trafficking and ,strengthening ,families ,act 7,public ,law #aac-ahc2 #abh ,stat4 #aiai7 provided new investments and services to improve the outcomes of children in the foster care system2 ,whereas ,may #bjbc 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 advocacy community1 and mentors for their dedication1 accomplishments1 and positive impact they have 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 #bjbc 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 unique needs of children in the foster care system2 7#e7 recognizes foster youth 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 7#h7 supports the designation of ,may #ca1 #bjbc1 as ,national ,foster ,parent ,appreciation ,day2 7#i7 recognizes ,national ,foster ,parent ,appreciation ,day as an opportunity to recognize the efforts of foster parents to provide safe and loving care for children in need and raise awareness about the increasing need for foster parents to serve in their communities2 and 7#aj7 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 those children brought into the foster care system2 and 7,e7 facilitate the successful transition into adulthood for youth that age out of the foster care system4