Rep. Emanuel Cleaver | Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Official Website
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver | Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Official Website
(Washington, D.C.) – On June 14, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Don Bacon (R-NE), members of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, introduced the first-ever federal Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution, helping to ensure foster youth across America are informed about their rights while in foster care. While fifteen states and Puerto Rico have enacted their own Foster Youth Bill of Rights, foster youth rights vary across the country, with most states providing no guaranteed foster rights at all. The resolution introduced by Reps. Cleaver and Bacon is an effort to raise awareness for the existing rights that some states guarantee to foster youth, highlighting ten separate rights that should be afforded to foster youth nationwide.
“In its current form, America’s foster care system is highly fragmented and subject to widening degrees of differences depending on which state a child resides. However, no matter where a child comes from, there are some rights that ought to be fundamental to every kid in the foster care system—and that’s why I’m proud to introduce the first-ever federal Foster Youth Bill of Rights with Congressman Bacon in the House of Representatives,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Whether it is the right to receive a quality education or the right to receive needed health services, there are some rights that must be guaranteed by the federal government to ensure the success of foster youth across the country. I believe our bipartisan Foster Youth Bill of Rights is a critical step toward enshrining these essential protections into law, and we’ll continue working with our colleagues in Congress to guarantee these rights are afforded to foster kids across the country, not just those in Missouri or a select few other states.”
“As a foster to adopt parent I know foster youth are an at-risk population through no fault of their own, and it is our responsibility to not only protect them, but to help them get the best outcome possible,” said Rep. Bacon. “The creation of a Foster Youth Bill of Rights will empower them to effectively advocate for themselves and provide another layer of protections.”
"The most important responsibility of parents, families, and communities, in partnership with child and family serving systems, is to prevent child abuse and maltreatment. When children must be separated from their families due to abuse, neglect, or parental incapacity, we must protect children and strengthen families to facilitate a fast and safe return. We must also ensure that children remain connected to their birth families if possible or with kinship, adoptive, or foster families so that they can benefit from lifelong connections," said Christine James-Brown, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America. "CWLA is pleased to endorse the Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution and applauds Representatives Cleaver and Bacon in this effort to ensure that families, individuals, communities, organizations, and systems protect children from abuse and neglect, and provide an array of supports and services that help children, youth, and their families to accomplish developmental tasks, develop protective factors, and strengthen coping strategies."
"We express our gratitude for the leadership of Congressman Cleaver and Congressman Bacon in highlighting the ongoing importance of foster youth being informed about their rights while in foster care. More than a decade ago, current and former foster youth recognized that knowledge of their rights can safeguard them against vulnerabilities they face in the foster care system. In response, Congress took bipartisan action by enacting the federal requirement as part of the Preventing Sex Trafficking & Strengthening Families Act. However, despite these provisions, FosterClub has discovered that the majority of foster youth still lack awareness of their rights. It is crucial that further measures are taken to ensure that ALL foster youth are knowledgeable about their rights and empowered to advocate for them while in foster care. This resolution represents a significant step towards achieving that objective," said Celeste Bodner, Executive Director of FosterClub.
“Helping transition-age foster youth find success is an important part of what we do at Youth Villages, working in 23 states and the District of Columbia. We have the largest program in the country helping these resilient and capable young people. We believe that all foster youth should have the right to be actively involved in what happens to them, be aware of all their rights and be allowed to identify and reach for the goals they choose. Youth Villages commends Congressman Cleaver and Congressman Bacon for supporting these principles with the introduction of the Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution. While many of the states that we serve have Bills of Rights for foster youth, federal legislation can ensure the rights of young people in all states are protected, ensuring that every human service agency do all they can to empower foster youth as they transition to successful adulthood,” said Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages.
Due to America’s deeply fragmented foster care system and underinvestment in foster youth, children in foster care are at a significant disadvantage, with only 50% of foster youth graduating high school and only 54% of insured foster youth receiving mental health care after experiencing a depressive episode.
To combat these disparities and strengthen America’s foster care system, the Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution expresses Congress’s belief that every foster youth should have the:
- Right to receive an education and remain in their original school, if desired;
- Right to participate in extracurricular, cultural, and social activities;
- Right to receive needed health services, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, and mental health services;
- Right to freedom from abuse, neglect, or corporal punishment;
- Right to be represented by, and speak to, a guardian or attorney ad litem;
- Right to adequate and healthy food, adequate clothing, and a safe and comfortable living environment;
- Right to freedom from discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or disability;
- Right to have continued contact with siblings, if desired;
- Right to regular or at least reasonable contact with their assigned case worker or an employee of the agency responsible for their child welfare services; and the
- Right to be informed of their rights.
The Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution is cosponsored by Reps. Shontel Brown (D-OH), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Troy Carter (D-LA), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Chuck Edwards (R- NC), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Al Green (D-TX), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), French Hill (R-AR), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Katie Porter (D-CA), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Terri Sewell (D-AL).
Official text of the Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution is available here.
Original source can be found here
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