House Passes Boyle Bill to Support Foster Parent Recruitment

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Recruiting Families Using Data Act, which was introduced by Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-02) and Congressman Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04). This bipartisan legislation addresses the nationwide foster parent shortage by directing states to modify data collection efforts to address recruitment challenges and help connect children with safe and loving homes. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are leading companion legislation in the Senate.

"I'm proud to see our commonsense, bipartisan bill to improve foster care pass the House overwhelmingly," said Congressman Boyle. "This bill puts children and families first so that we can build stronger connections between vulnerable kids and the foster parents who can help them reach their full potential. With the right resources, we can make real improvements to foster care across our country and ensure that every child has the support they need to thrive. I want to thank Rep. Feenstra, Sen. Hassan, and Sen. Grassley for their partnership and I urge the Senate to swiftly send this bill to the President's desk."

"I'm glad that my bill to connect more foster kids with caring families passed the House of Representatives. As a father of four, I believe that every child deserves a loving family to call their own, and this legislation will help break down barriers that prevent vulnerable children from finding permanent homes," said Congressman Feenstra. "To ensure that more children are paired with families, we need to implement policies that identify potential foster families, connect children with those families, and reverse the alarming trend of foster home closures and declining foster retention rates. Fortunately, by passing this legislation and getting it signed into law, I am confident that we can connect more foster children with loving families and make a lasting and positive impact on our country."

The Recruiting Families Using Data Act would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with states to establish a "family partnership plan."

• The family partnership plan required by this legislation would enable states t
  • Collect and report data on foster family capacity, congregate care utilization, and the demographics of foster families.
  • Collect and report feedback from foster parents and foster family advisory boards regarding licensing, support, training, and reasons why they have stopped taking placements.
  • Establish goals, assess needs, and measure progress in recruiting foster parents.
• The legislation further requires HHS to produce an annual report to Congress regarding states' data in order to identify national trends.

The text of the legislation is available here.

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