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 20080S0307R1994 - 2 -
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. D15L82JKL/20080S0307R1994 - 3 -