National Foster Care Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan first recognized May as National Foster Care Month.

Each year since then, the month of May has been recognized as a time to bring awareness to youth in foster care.

I thank my colleagues for once again unanimously passing a resolution to recognize the experiences of youth and families in the foster care system and celebrate those who work to improve their lives.

Organizations in Iowa and around the country tirelessly serve kids and families in foster care and the foster parents who open their homes to kids in need.

I salute these organizations and individuals for their year-round efforts to support the kids most in need.

In 2020, there were over 400,000 kids in foster care, including over 4,000 kids in Iowa.

During the pandemic, there was a drop in reports of child abuse, as well as entries into foster care and exits from foster care.

There were the fewest adoptions from foster care since 2016 with 8,000 fewer children being adopted compared to the previous year.

However, Iowa deserves recognition for being one of only nine States to increase adoptions from foster care during 2020.

Permanency for youth in foster care is so important, and I am glad that Iowa continued to make this a priority during the pandemic.

Older youth in foster care and adults who experienced foster care as a child can speak to what worked for them and what didn't work.

These young adults should always have a seat at the table.

When I founded the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth in 2009, the special focus was to hear directly from youth themselves.

Over and over again, I have heard the same thing from kids in foster care: They want a mom and dad. They want a family and a place to call home.

All children, no matter their circumstances, deserve a permanent, loving home and consistent, caring adults in their lives.

We know that just having one caring and consistent adult can meaningfully improve the lives of kids in the long-term.

For some kids, this can be a biological parent who receives the support they need to safely care for their child.

For others, a foster parent, mentor or court-appointed special advocate can be that adult.

My resolution marks May 31 as a particular day to recognize and show appreciation for foster parents.

Congress has worked to expand access to prevention services in the hopes of keeping families out of foster care in the first place.

But in addition to this, it is crucial for foster parents to get the support they need to continue serving kids in their communities.

In Iowa, almost every county has a shortage of trained foster parents who are able to provide a temporary home for kids.

Without volunteer foster parents, kids who cannot remain safely at home end up sleeping in hotels and in the offices of social workers.

Moving forward, Congress must continue to work to find better solutions and secure better outcomes for youth in foster care.

It is clear that there is no one answer for kids in foster care. Some can be reunified with their families; others are best cared for by adoptive parents or a kinship caregiver.

But the goal should always be the same: to protect kids from neglect and abuse and provide them with love and support.

I thank my colleagues for unanimously passing my resolution honoring May as National Foster Care Month once again and look forward to continuing to work on this issue.

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