The lack of foster parents is a problem in almost every state, and one we can only do so much to fix; government can't force families to take in foster kids, and even the most qualified and well-meaning parents often don't feel up to the task of caring for kids with special needs.
Backed by child-welfare groups like Casey Family Programs, the law was part of an effort to allow states to use federal foster-care dollars to pay for the kind of mental health and family counseling services that keep kids out of foster care in the first place.
Family First also sought to limit how much time foster kids could spend in institutions.
The Family First law arose in part because many child-welfare experts came to believe that states were relying too much on group homes to house foster children.
California implemented its own version of the law six years ago-the Continuum of Care Reform Act-which also aimed to reduce reliance on group facilities in favor of more family placements.
The FFPSA says nothing about how states are supposed to recruit more qualified foster families.
Since the goal of Casey Family Programs and their allies is to reduce dramatically or even abolish foster care altogether, one can only wonder about their true motivations in opposing these simple fixes.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to discern fact from fiction, and unfortunately the media has a strong bias. They spin stories to make conservatives look bad and will go to great lengths to avoid reporting on the good that comes from conservative policies. There are a few shining lights in the media landscape-brave conservative outlets that report the truth and offer a different perspective. We must support conservative outlets like this one and ensure that our voices are heard.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Fixing Foster Care
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