Celebrating Successes
The NFPA, along with other like-minded organizations, was instrumental several months ago in helping move forward H.R. 3058, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act.
Networking
NFPA developed ongoing Congressional connections throughout the year with legislators and staffers, and collaborated with advocacy organizations like the Child Welfare League of America, the American Bar Association, Journey to Success, and the Bipartisan Policy Center.
We also collaborated with non-profits with specialized areas of focus like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD), Family Run Executive Director Leadership Association (FREDLA), Foster Club, Families Rising, and the Center for Adoption Support and Education – Bridges4MentalHealth, among others.
The NFPA and our Council of State Affiliates (CoSA) made a big impact on Capitol Hill during last year’s Fall NFPA meeting. Twenty of NFPA’s CoSA members met with 12 congressional leaders and staffers. They also participated in a high-level impact briefing with staffers from the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss the complexities of foster parenting and needed support. The dialogue at this meeting between NFPA CoSA members and congressional leaders and staff helped move the bill forward to the Senate for review.
With hard work and intentional and strategic collaboration, the NFPA has made great inroads, and most importantly, positioned foster parents to finally have a seat at the table. But there is still more to be done.
Still a Need
Looking at our history we see how resilient and resourceful foster parents have been over the years in trying to meet their own needs and the needs of the children they care for. They have produced support groups, meal trains, clothes closets – because those types of core supports have been so lacking. Fifty years later and we’re still working hard to get the needed support.
NFPA Advocacy in Action
Moving forward, the NFPA is pleased to endorse the bipartisan Protecting America’s Children by Strengthening Families Act, which would invest new resources in Title IV-B of the Social Security Act and provide needed policy improvements in several key areas.
Child welfare funding has declined over the past three decades and this investment is a critical first step in addressing this decline.
By requiring agencies to engage foster parents in their planning processes, and using feedback from those with lived experience, this legislation will strengthen and improve services and promote better outcomes.
Research clearly demonstrates the benefits of youth and family engagement, and this bill will help more agencies grow this best practice.
Enhancing requirements for agencies to engage and involve key stakeholders in decision-making, particularly foster parents, is a huge step forward.
This bill also covers many of the five core supports needed for family-based foster care that we’ve been advocating for:
- Daycare/ Early Childhood Interventions
- Accessible, 24/7 Mental Health Care
- Adequate Rate Remuneration and Certified Caregivers for Relief and Respite
- Peer-to-Peer Support for Parents and Children
- Targeted and Accessible Training for Parents and Families 24/7
Our lived experience is making a difference in the greatest possible way!
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