Senate Caucus on Foster Youth

At the 10^thanniversary celebration of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independent Program (independent living) in December 2009, Senator Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Landrieu (D-LA) announced the creation of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth.  The purpose of this caucus is to focus on the needs of older youth in foster care and on those of young adults who “age-out” of the system. 

A goal of the caucus is to hear directly from youth in foster care who are personally affected by child welfare policies. That happened – and after less than a year, and on the second anniversary of the passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, the Caucus issued A Call to Action report featuring more than 30 pages of recommendations that build off of the significant reforms made through Fostering Connections.   Among the issues presented is the need for a foster care bill of rights, reduction in the use of congregate care, appropriate use of psychotropic medications, federal finance reform, etc.  In addition to promoting these reforms the Caucus is keeping a close eye on how states are choosing to implement Fostering Connections. 

A key point that Senator Grassley made when he announced the creation of the Caucus was the importance of advocacy at the grassroots level – that the reforms that he and Senator Landrieu have championed wouldn’t have been possible without grassroots involvement. 

One grassroots effort underway to build a movement of support for the Call to Action recommendations comes from a couple youth and video producers from Montana.  The From Place to Place documentary not only highlights the journey of these youth that includes their testimony before the Caucus but it attempts to inspire advocates from across the country to take action.

Todd Lloyd, MSW, is Child Welfare Director of PA Partnerships for Children