FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, June 25, 2004
Contact: Chris Downing
ACF Press Office (202) 401-9215
Initial Results of National Survey of Children in Foster Care Released
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families has released a report that looks at the circumstances of children in foster care. The report, entitled the “National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being,” provides the first national look at the characteristics and functioning of children who have been in foster care for one year, the point at which a decision must be made as to the permanency plan for that child. The report also provides information about the characteristics of the foster homes for these children, as well as the services provided to children and families. According to the report, over 90 percent of children aged 6 and older in foster care have positive views of the people with whom they are living. Over half report that the school they are currently attending and the neighborhood in which they are living are better than those in which they had previously attended or lived.
Foster children also report having a strong desire for reunification with their biological parents. In addition to the many children who returned home before the one year mark, plans for reunification exist for about one-quarter of the children still in care after a year, and another quarter were reunited shortly before the interviews.
“Safety and stability for children in foster care are key priorities for the Bush Administration,” said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., HHS assistant secretary for children and families. “This report provides important information for those who work in the child welfare system as they seek to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children who have been placed in foster care.”
To help improve states’ child welfare systems, President Bush has asked for a doubling of funding for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which includes raising the CAPTA basic state grant program from $21.8 million to $42 million per year, as well as raising the CAPTA community-based child abuse prevention grant program from $33.2 million to $65 million per year. The President also seeks to increase funding for the Safe and Stable Families program from its current $404 million per year to $505 million per year.
The “National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being” is based on a requirement in the 1996 welfare reform law. Congress directed HHS to conduct a national study of children who are at risk of abuse or neglect. The study is ongoing and includes past reports on characteristics of state and local child welfare agencies and planned future reports on children reported to child abuse agencies. Follow up data will also reveal how children fare over time after the initial interviews that are reported in this volume.
For more information on the "National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being," visit: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/core/ongoing_research/afc/wellbeing_intro.html.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news