Pew Charitable Trusts 2004-2005 on Foster Care System

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Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care Releases Sweeping Recommendations to Overhaul Nation’s Foster Care System

Grantee Press Releases
Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care


Grantee Contact:
Gina Russo, 202.687.0697 Pew Contact:
Justin Kenney, 202.207.2142

Washington, DC -- May 18, 2004 -- After a year of intensive analysis, conversations with professionals, parents, and children, The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care today released far-reaching recommendations to overhaul the nation’s foster care system.
The Commission, a national, nonpartisan panel funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and composed of leading experts in child welfare, undertook the first-ever, comprehensive assessment of two key aspects of the foster care system: a federal financing structure that encourages an over-reliance on placement of children in foster care at the expense of other more permanent options for children who have been abused or neglected, and a court system that lacks sufficient tools, information, and accountability necessary to move children swiftly out of foster care and into permanent homes. Reform in these two areas, the Commission determined, will have far-reaching effects for children in foster care and is a critical first step to solving many other problems that plague the child welfare system.

“The nation’s foster care system is unquestionably broken,” stated Commission Chairman Bill Frenzel (R-MN), a twenty-year veteran of Congress and former Ranking Minority Member of the House Budget Committee. “The Commission’s recommendations focus on what states and courts must do to help children get safe and permanent homes.”

“Our recommendations call for greater accountability by both child welfare agencies and courts. They give states a flexible, reliable source of federal funding, as well as new options and incentives to seek safety and permanence for children in foster care. Further, they help courts secure the tools, information and training needed to fulfill their responsibilities to children, and help children and parents have a strong, informed voice in court proceedings.”

Adds Commission Vice Chairman William H. Gray (D-PA), former Majority Whip and Chairman of the House Budget Committee, “The foster care system is in disrepair. Every state has now failed the federal foster care reviews and we’ve seen far too many news stories of children missing from the system or injured while in care. We must act now on behalf of the half a million children currently in foster care.”

The Commission’s recommendations offer a bold, achievable plan for improving outcomes for children in foster care and those at risk of entering care. The Commission proposes a fundamental restructuring of existing resources, as well as targeted new investments that will provide real returns to our children and our nation. Additionally, the Commission’s court recommendations give children a much higher priority in state courts, give courts the tools to better oversee foster care cases, and help to ensure that every child and parent have an effective voice in court decisions that affect their lives.

Foster care protects children who are not safe in their own homes. For some, it is life-saving. But for too many children, what should be a short-term refuge becomes a long-term saga, involving multiple moves. Almost half of children spend at least two years in care, and move to at least three different placements. This turbulence and uncertainty can have lasting consequences, for which children and society pay a price.

The Role of Federal Financing
Current federal funding mechanisms for child welfare encourage an over-reliance on foster care at the expense of other services that might keep families safely together, allow children to return safely home, or move children swiftly and safely from foster care to adoptive families or permanent legal guardians.

The Commission’s recommendations require stronger accountability for how public dollars are used to protect and support children who have suffered abuse and neglect. They require redirection of current funding, and give states the freedom to decide whether foster care is the right choice for an individual child, or whether there are other options that might keep children safe and secure.

The key components of the Commission’s financing recommendations are:

Preserving federal foster care maintenance and adoption assistance as an entitlement and expanding it to all children, regardless of their birth families’ income and including Indian children and children in the U.S. territories;
Providing federal guardianship assistance to all children who leave foster care to live with a permanent legal guardian when a court has explicitly determined that neither reunification nor adoption are feasible permanence options;
Helping states build a range of services from prevention, to treatment, to post-permanence by (1) creating a flexible, indexed Safe Children, Strong Families Grant from what is currently included in Title IV-B and the administration and training components of Title IV-E; and (2) allowing states to “reinvest” federal and state foster care dollars into other child welfare services if they safely reduce their use of foster care;
Encouraging innovation by expanding and simplifying the federal waiver process and providing incentives to states that (1) make and maintain improvements in their child welfare workforce and (2) increase all forms of safe permanence; and
Strengthening the current Child and Family Services Review process to increase states’ accountability for improving outcomes for children.
The Role of the Courts
For years, the courts have been the unseen partners in child welfare--yet they are vested with enormous responsibility. Along with child welfare agencies, the courts have an obligation to ensure that children are protected from harm. Courts make the formal determination on whether abuse or neglect has occurred and whether a child should be removed from the home. Courts review cases to decide if parents and the child welfare agencies are meeting their legal obligations to a child. Courts are charged with ensuring that children are moved from foster care and placed in a safe, permanent home within statutory timeframes. And courts determine if and when a parent’s rights should be terminated and whether a child should be adopted or placed with a permanent guardian.

The Commission’s court recommendations call for:

Adoption of court performance measures by every dependency court to ensure that they can track and analyze their caseloads, increase accountability for improved outcomes for children, and inform decisions about the allocation of court resources;
Incentives and requirements for effective collaboration between courts and child welfare agencies on behalf of children in foster care;
A strong voice for children and parents in court and effective representation by better trained attorneys and volunteer advocates;
Leadership from Chief Justices and other state court leaders in organizing their court systems to better serve children, provide training for judges, and promote more effective standards for dependency courts, judges, and attorneys.
“Children deserve more from our child welfare system than they are getting now,” stated Chairman Frenzel. “Yet, for this to happen, those on the front lines of care--caseworkers, foster parents, judges--need the support necessary to do their jobs more effectively. And the public needs to know that, with this support, every part of the chain of care--from the federal government to the states to the courts--can reasonably be held to high standards of accountability for the well-being of children.”

ABOUT THE PEW COMMISSION: The nonpartisan Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care was launched on May 7, 2003. Supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, the panel includes some of the nation’s leading child welfare experts. The panel was charged with developing practical, evidence-based recommendations related to federal financing and court oversight of child welfare to improve outcomes for children in foster care, particularly to expedite the movement of children from foster care to safe, permanent families and to prevent unnecessary placements in foster care.

For additional information about the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, or to obtain a copy of the Commission’s report, or 50 state data about foster care, please visit the Commission Web site. TO INTERVIEW COMMISSION MEMBERS PLEASE CONTACT Gina Russo at 202.687.0697 or [email protected]

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Bipartisan Legislation Incorporates Recommendations Of Pew Commission On Children In Foster Care

Grantee Press Releases

Grantee Contact:
Gina Russo, 202.687.0697 Pew Contact:
Lorie Slass, 215.575.4818

Washington, D.C. -- September 27, 2005 -- Bipartisan legislation was introduced this week that incorporates the Pew Commission's recommendations to strengthen and improve state courts that oversee foster care cases. Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced S. 1679 "WE CARE Kids: Working to Enhance Courts for At-risk and Endangered Kids Act of 2005."
Senators DeWine and Rockefeller have a strong record of working together to pass legislation to improve outcomes for children in foster care.

"The Pew Commission endorses this important legislation, and we thank Senators DeWine and Rockefeller for their leadership," stated Commission Chairman Bill Frenzel (R-MN), a twenty-year veteran of Congress and former Ranking Minority Member of the House Budget Committee.

The Pew Commission's recommendations seek to strengthen courts by calling for: 1.) the adoption of court performance measures by every dependency court; 2.) incentives and requirements for effective collaboration between courts and child welfare agencies; 3.) a strong voice for children and parents in court and effective representation by better trained attorneys and volunteer advocates; and 4.) leadership from Chief Justices and state court leaders in organizing court systems to better serve children, train judges, and promote more effective standards for all court personnel.

In his floor statement, Senator DeWine described the court's pivotal role in foster care. "As observed by the Pew Commission, it is the courts that decide whether a child has been abused or neglected, whether a child should be placed in the foster care system. It is the courts that oversee whether parents are making progress on their case plan and enforce the timelines for permanency. It is the courts that decide whether a parent's rights should be terminated or whether a family should be reunified. These judges are making tough, life-changing decisions for all parties involved."

Senator Rockefeller additionally referenced the work of the Commission in his floor statement. "The Commission did a careful review of the role of the courts in serving children in foster care, and it issued a series of recommendations. We are grateful for this report and relied on many of their recommendations in crafting this legislation. As always, we hope to forge bipartisan consensus on ways to move this bill forward."

The introduction of this legislation is the latest in a series of actions to enact the Pew Commission's court recommendations. Utah, Washington and Nebraska have already formed state commissions on children in foster care, while other states including California, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Maine, Louisiana, Iowa and Indiana have also implemented critical reforms. In addition, judicial leaders from all fifty states will participate in a national judicial leadership summit next week focused on strengthening courts to improve outcomes for children in foster care. At the summit, each state will develop an action plan to improve its child protection procedures, with special attention to the Pew Commission's recommendations.

About the Commission

The nonpartisan Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care was launched on May 7, 2003. Supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, the panel includes some of the nation's leading child welfare experts. The panel was charged with developing practical, evidence-based recommendations related to federal financing and court oversight of child welfare to improve outcomes for children in foster care, particularly to expedite the movement of children from foster care to safe, permanent families and to prevent unnecessary placements in foster care.

For additional information about the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, visit the Commission website at: www.pewfostercare.org. To view the Senators' statements, visit their websites at: dewine.senate.gov and rockefeller.senate.gov. The legislation is available at: thomas.loc.gov.
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When Courts Fall Short, Foster Children Pay the Price: New DVD Calls for Sweeping Changes

Grantee Press Releases

Grantee Contact:
Gina Russo, 202.687.0697 Pew Contact:
Lorie Slass, 215.575.4818

Washington, D.C. -- June 28, 2005 -- Too many children are spending more time than necessary in foster care, due in part to delays, limited information and poor communication in the nation's juvenile and family courts. A new DVD released by the nonpartisan, blue-ribbon Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care portrays the causes and consequences of court-based delays and explains how the Commission's recommendations can improve the ability of courts to move children quickly out of the legal limbo of foster care and into safe, permanent homes.
At the release of the DVD, Commission Chairman Bill Frenzel, a former member of Congress, welcomed news that Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) are developing legislation informed by these recommendations. In a joint statement released today, Senators DeWine and Rockefeller said, "We share a strong commitment to promote bipartisan action on behalf of children in foster care, which is why we are working on legislation based on many of the Pew Commission court recommendations."

The Pew Commission's DVD, Fostering the Future, uses firsthand accounts from children, parents, judges, administrators and others to depict the high-stakes decisions courts make, as well as the obstacles – such as court delays, a lack of information, and the failure of all parties to collaborate in the decision-making process - that can prevent children from exiting foster care.

The DVD release comes one year after the Pew Commission released its final report recommending sweeping reform of the juvenile and family courts and of federal child welfare financing. Since then, many state courts across the county have embraced the Commission's court recommendations. In California, Utah, Michigan, Washington, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Arizona, courts and child welfare agencies are shedding their traditionally adversarial positions to move children in their care to safe, permanent families.

The Commission's court recommendations would give courts the tools needed to improve their oversight of foster care cases; promote collaboration between the courts and child welfare agencies; and help every child and parent have an effective voice in the court proceedings that affect their lives. The Commission specifically calls on Chief Justices to give children's safety, permanence and well-being top priority in the state court system and on national policy makers to jump-start key court reforms.

"Courts are the 'silent partners' in child welfare, yet they are vested with enormous responsibility for making life-altering decisions for the children and families before them," stated Commission Chairman Bill Frenzel, a twenty-year veteran of Congress and former Ranking Minority Member of the House Budget Committee. "Our Commission was determined to give judges the tools and information they need to make wise and timely decisions and to give children and parents a strong and informed voice at every stage of the court process. Too much is at stake to do anything less."

"Too often, the family courts are near the bottom of the food chain," declared Michigan Supreme Court Justice and Pew Commission member Maura Corrigan. "They are the last in line when it comes to getting the tools, information and training they need to make good decisions. The Pew Commission identified specific, targeted court reforms. Without such change, the children who are at the center of the court's work will continue to be overlooked and underserved."

"You can't spend a day in court dealing with families without understanding the importance of giving children and parents a strong and informed voice," stated Utah Court of Appeals Judge and Pew Commission member William A. Thorne Jr. "The decisions judges make profoundly change a child's and family's life – for better or worse. We should not make those decisions without their considered input."

The Role of the Courts in Foster Care

Courts share responsibility with child welfare agencies to protect children from harm. Courts determine whether abuse or neglect has occurred and whether a child should be removed from the home. Federal law also charges courts with ensuring that children are moved from foster care and placed in a safe, permanent home within specific timeframes. This includes deciding if and when a parent's rights should be terminated, and whether a child should be adopted or placed with a permanent guardian.

The Commission's court recommendations, as detailed in Fostering the Future, call for:

Adoption of court performance measures by every dependency court to ensure that they can track and analyze their caseloads, increase accountability for improved outcomes for children, and inform decisions about the allocation of court resources;
Incentives and requirements for effective collaboration between courts and child welfare agencies on behalf of children in foster care;
A strong voice for children and parents in court and effective representation by better trained attorneys and volunteer advocates;
Leadership from Chief Justices and other state court leaders in organizing their court systems to better serve children, provide training for judges, and promote more effective standards for dependency courts, judges, and attorneys.
About the Pew Commission

The nonpartisan Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care was launched on May 7, 2003. Supported by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Annie E. Casey Foundation to the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, the panel includes some of the nation's leading child welfare experts. The panel was charged with developing practical, evidence-based recommendations related to federal financing and court oversight of child welfare to improve outcomes for children in foster care, particularly to expedite the movement of children from foster care to safe, permanent families and to prevent unnecessary placements in foster care. The views expressed in the DVD and the companion guide are those of the Commission, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts or The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

For additional information about the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, or to obtain a copy of the Commission's DVD and companion guide, please visit the Commission's Web site.