Saturday, June 28, 2008

Foster Care Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a landmark child welfare bill, designed to get children out of foster care and into the homes of their kinfolk.

Dr. Abe Bergman, a pediatrician at Harbor View Hospital who has specialized in foster care help said "If enacted it would be the most significant child welfare legislation passed in years."

The bill is complicated, but its essence is helping relatives take on responsibility for parenting. The bill allows states to provide assistance to relatives who become the legal guardians of children in foster care.

The legislation also authorizes $50 million a year in matching grants to states, local agencies, tribes and private nonprofits for work in connecting foster children to their relatives.

The Bush Administration declared that it opposes the foster care legislation, arguing that the House bill raises "significant programmatic and fiscal concerns."

Full Article and Source:
McDermott wins on foster care

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