Mr. Chairman, Mr. Doggett is unable to attend today’s hearing, so he asked me to read his opening statement for this important hearing.
Children in foster care have the same needs, desires and dreams as all children. They need a safe and loving home, and they want and deserve the opportunity to learn, to grow and to fully experience life.
Our foster care system is rightly focused on trying to keep kids safe. But safety can’t be the only goal we pursue. Children in foster care deserve the opportunity to join in the activities that help young people gain confidence and maturity. But too many foster youth encounter a no entry sign when it comes to competing in a sport, or going on a field trip, or working in a part-time job.
Some foster youth can’t even spend a night at a friend’s house unless they ask their friend’s parents to first undergo a criminal background check. These barriers further isolate kids who already feel isolated.
Hopefully this hearing will allow us to examine the policies and practices that unduly prevent foster youth from joining in the activities that other children take for granted. But helping foster youth experience the same things other kids do sometimes requires more than just granting them permission. Starting a savings account, applying to college and getting a driver’s license often require some guidance and/or financial assistance.
Additionally, it we want to empower foster parents to make more decisions for the children in their care, we should review the supports we give to foster parents, as well as our efforts to improve the recruitment and retention of caring foster parents. No policy will ever affect a child as much as a committed, caring and informed parent.
Finally, to promote more normalcy for older foster youth, we need to push every state to extend foster care to the age of 21. I have never met a parent who sends their child out the door without any support when they turn 18, but that was the policy of our foster care system for far too long.
About 20 states have now taken advantage of a change in federal law to extend foster care, and it’s past time for the rest of the states to catch up. Investing in the success of our foster children is not only good for them, but it will also reduce unemployment, homelessness, teenage pregnancy, incarceration and other negative outcomes that cost society much, much more.
Mr. Chairman, with this Committee taking the lead, Congress has made some progress in recent years in ensuring that a child’s well being is a central goal of the foster care system. I look forward to working with you to continue that trend so that every foster child has an opportunity to succeed.
Thank you.
