Senate Unanimously Passes Grassley Legislation to Bolster Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention

BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – The U.S. Senate this week unanimously passed the Recruiting Families Using Data Act by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), legislation to improve recruitment, retention and support for foster parents. Grassley is the co-chair and co-founder of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth. To address the nationwide shortage of foster parents, the bill directs states to modify data collection efforts that address recruitment challenges and connect children with safe and loving homes. “Every child in foster care deserves a loving foster parent who will provide security and help them achieve life-long success. We need more parents who are ready to step up to serve as caretakers for children in foster care. I want to thank my Senate colleagues for supporting this bipartisan, data-driven solution to address pervasive challenges in the foster system,” Grassley said . The Recruiting Families Using Data Act would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with states to establish a “family partnership plan.” The family partnership plan would enable states to: 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 also requires HHS to produce an annual report to Congress summarizing states’ data to identify national trends. -30-