PRINTER'S NO. 1994
No. 307 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY WASHINGTON, APRIL 29, 2008
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, APRIL 29, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of May 2008 as "Foster Care Month" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Families are the primary source of love, identity,
4 self-esteem and support and the very foundation of our
5 communities and our State; and
6 WHEREAS, In this Commonwealth there are 20,925 children and
7 youths in foster care; and
8 WHEREAS, Foster families provide safe, secure and stable
9 homes, compassion and nurturing; and
10 WHEREAS, Some 60% of children with State agency involvement
11 in fiscal year 2005 were adopted by their foster parents, and
12 25% were adopted by relatives; and
13 WHEREAS, There are more than 556,000 children in foster care
14 in the United States; and
15 WHEREAS, Foster families open their homes and hearts to
16 children whose families are in crisis, helping children and
17 families heal and reconnect and launching children into
1 successful adulthood; and
2 WHEREAS, Of the young people leaving the foster care system,
3 59.5% were reunified with their birth parents or primary
4 caregivers; and
5 WHEREAS, Dedicated foster families frequently adopt foster
6 children, resulting in a greater need for more foster families;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, During the month of May the spotlight shines on the
9 children and teens, the foster families and the dedicated child
10 welfare professionals who make foster care work; and
11 WHEREAS, During the month of May we have an opportunity to
12 change the public perception that children in foster care are
13 the responsibility of someone else; and
14 WHEREAS, "National Foster Care Month" honors children and
15 youths in foster care and their foster families; and
16 WHEREAS, "National Foster Care Month" raises public awareness
17 of the need for more foster families, the need to keep siblings
18 in foster care together and the need to keep children in foster
19 care in their own communities and schools; and
20 WHEREAS, Our priorities must include recruiting and training
21 more foster parents, keeping children connected to their
22 extended family and supporting the foster families we have; and
23 WHEREAS, More public attention and resources must be focused
24 on those children in foster care who "age out" of the system;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, Numerous individuals and public and private
27 organizations work tirelessly to increase public awareness of
28 the needs of children in and leaving foster care; therefore be
29 it
30 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of May 2008 as
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1 "Foster Care Month" in Pennsylvania and urge all citizens to
2 change lives by sharing their hearts and opening their homes to
3 help children in foster care and by supporting foster parents
4 and child welfare professionals.
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