The bill introduces significant changes to state welfare frameworks, mandating states to adopt more inclusive policies for kinship caregivers. By eliminating the imposition of upper age limits for kinship caregivers, the bill encourages a wider range of individuals to provide care, thereby enhancing the chances of children being placed with family members or fictive kin. Additionally, the legislation establishes requirements for states to provide services like crisis stabilization, family finding, and support for kinship placements to ensure both children's safety and caregivers' well-being. These measures are designed to create a more supportive environment for children at risk of entering or re-entering foster care.
Summary
House Bill 8713, known as the Promoting Permanency Through Kinship Families Act, seeks to amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act. The primary objective of this bill is to remove barriers that hinder kinship guardianship and foster care placements for children unable to be safely cared for in their biological homes. This act emphasizes the importance of family connections in ensuring that children have safe, stable, and permanent homes, thus reversing adverse outcomes often seen in youth who age out of the foster care system. Through support for kinship placements, the legislation aims to strengthen familial ties and improve the well-being of children in temporary care situations.
Contention
Some points of contention surrounding HB 8713 include concerns regarding the assessment of kinship caregivers. The bill proposes to limit the use of past allegations of abuse or neglect against caregivers, provided that there is no current danger posed to the child. This aspect has sparked debate over potential risks to children's safety versus the need for family placements. Furthermore, while the bill promotes the idea of reducing barriers to kinship care, its implementation will require significant adjustments from state legislatures, which may face challenges in balancing legal requirements and the rights of children involved.
Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025This bill requires state plans for child welfare services to provide for the development and implementation of a family partnership plan to improve foster care placement stability, increase rates of kinship placements, and align the composition of foster and adoptive families with the needs of children in or entering foster care.The Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families also must include in its annual report information from states about the number, demographics, and characteristics of foster and adoptive families as well as a summary of the challenges related to recruiting and being foster or adoptive parents.
Expressing support for the goals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month by promoting national awareness of adoption and the children awaiting families, celebrating children and families involved in adoption, and encouraging the people of the United States to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for all children.