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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 6, 2019 05:45 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Tarah Toohil and Rep. Joanna E. McClinton, Rep. Karen Boback, Rep. Rosita C. Youngblood |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Resolution Recognizing May 2019 as "Foster Care Awareness Month" |
| We plan to introduce a resolution that recognizes May 2019 as "Foster Care Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. Right now in Pennsylvania, there are approximately 25,441 children in foster care that receive services through Children & Youth and the Department of Human Services. This number has increased from 24,543 in 2018 largely impart to the Opiod Crisis. This is an increase of 898 children and youth in Pennsylvania alone. Children will remain in foster care for an average of 13 months from the date of their entry into the system. This is an increase from an average of 11.7 months in 2018. There is a great need for both emergency "respite" foster homes and long term foster homes. Foster parents are also referred to as "resource families" in the Child Protective Services Law, CPSL. A "Resource Family" is defined as "a family that provides temporary foster or kinship care for children who need out-of-home placement and may eventually provide permanency for those children, including an adoptive family." Thank you for joining us in raising awareness about foster care, the issues facing children in placement, and the need for more foster families to meet the growing deficit of available homes. |
Introduced as HR335