Abstract
In this chapter, we describe the history of legislative and judicial efforts to reform the foster care system. At the federal level, we focus on the policies present for the past 40 years and evaluation of state foster care systems through the federal Child and Family Services Reviews. We identify federal policy reform efforts that highlight a substantial focus on limiting the size of the foster population through reduced entries or shorter lengths of stay and supports for youth aging out of care. There have been fewer efforts to improve the quality of foster care parents or homes or to track the experiences and well-being of children within the foster care system. We also discuss the role of class-action litigation against state and local child welfare systems on behalf of children in foster care. In our detailed review of active litigation and settlements on behalf of children in foster care, we have shown that many of the lawsuits highlight deficiencies in resources, such as adequate supplies of qualified staff and foster homes, as key areas for reform. We then assess the possibilities and limitations of litigation for achieving meaningful system reform.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
A Better Childhood. (2019). Plaintiffs’ lawyers seek permission to proceed with motion for receivership over Mississippi foster care system. Retrieved from http://www.abetterchildhood.org/plaintiffs-lawyers-seek-permission-to-proceed-with-motion-for-receivership-over-mississippi-foster-care-system/
Administration for Children and Families. (2014). Final notice of statewide data indicators and national standards for Child and Family Services Reviews. Washington, DC: Children’s Bureau.
Adoption and Safe Families Act. (1997). Pub. L. No. 105–89.
Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act. (1980). Pub. L. No. 96–272.
Barth, R. P. (1997). Effects of age and race on the odds of adoption versus remaining in long-term out-of-home care. Child Welfare, 76(2), 285.
Beltran, A., & Epstein, H. R. (2012). Improving foster care licensing standards around the United States: Using research findings to effect change. American Bar Association.
Berrick, J. D., Young, C., D’Andrade, A. C., & Frame, L. (2008). Reasonable efforts? Implementation of the reunification exception provisions of ASFA. Child Welfare, 87, 163–182.
Brehm, M. E. (2018). The effects of federal adoption incentive awards for older children on adoptions from U.S. foster care. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 37(2), 301–330. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22040
Brian A. v. Haslam, Modified Settlement Agreement and Exit Plan. (2015). United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division.
Buckles, K. S. (2013). Adoption subsidies and placement outcomes for children in foster care. Journal of Human Resources, 48(3), 596–627. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.48.3.596
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior. (2016). Indian Child Welfare Act proceedings. Retrieved from Federal Register website: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/14/2016-13686/indian-child-welfare-act-proceedings
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. (2019a). Topic: Permanency enhancement interventions for adolescents. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from https://www.cebc4cw.org/topic/permanency-enhancement-interventions-for-adolescents/
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. (2019b). Topic: Post-permanency services. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from https://www.cebc4cw.org/topic/post-permanency-services/
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. (2019c). Topic: Resource parent programs. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from https://www.cebc4cw.org/topic/resource-parent-recruitment-and-training/
Cambria, N. (2017). Tiniest victims of Missouri’s heroin epidemic flood into foster care. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved from https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tiniest-victims-of-missouri-s-heroin-epidemic-flood-into-foster/article_e3f9fe37-37b9-5c3b-8828-ca292b51d0f1.html
Carter, J. (1980). Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980: Statement on Signing H.R. 3434 Into Law. Administration of Jimmy Carter.
Center for the Study of Social Policy. (2019). Lessons Learned from child welfare class action litigation: A case study of Tennessee’s reform. Retrieved from https://cssp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Tennessee-Case-Study-FINAL.pdf
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act. (1978). Pub. L. No. 95–266.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012). Reasonable efforts to preserve or reunify families and achieve permanency for children. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children’s Bureau.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Placement of children with relatives. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2014). Home study requirements for prospective foster parents. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2017). Extension of foster care beyond age 18. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau website: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/extensionfc.pdf
Children’s Bureau. (2017). Child and Family Services Reviews: Pennsylvania final report 2017. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website: http://www.dhs.pa.gov/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/document/c_268503.pdf
Children’s Rights. (2019). What we do. Retrieved from https://www.childrensrights.org/our-mission/our-work/
Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives. (1996). Section 12. Child protection, foster care, and adoption assistance. Retrieved from 104th Congress, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives website: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/aspe-files/210906/12cprot.txt
Courtney, M. E., & Hook, J. L. (2017). The potential educational benefits of extending foster care to young adults: Findings from a natural experiment. Children and Youth Services Review, 72, 124–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.09.030
Courtney, M. E., Needell, B., & Wulczyn, F. (2004). Unintended consequences of the push for accountability: The case of national child welfare performance standards. Children and Youth Services Review, 26(12), 1141–1154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2004.05.005
DeWine, M. (1996). Improving the well-being of abused and neglected children. § Labor and Human Resources.
Dreher, A. (2018, June 6). Governor Vows to fight foster care takeover. Jackson Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/jun/06/governor-vows-fight-foster-care-takeover/
Dwayne B. v. Granholm. (2008). (United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan July 3, 2008).
Dworsky, A., & Courtney, M. (2010). Extended foster care delays but does not prevent homelessness. Chicago: Chapin Hall. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.chapinhall.org/research/extended-foster-care-delays-but-does-not-prevent-homelessness/
Dworsky, A., Smithgall, C., & Courtney, M. E. (2014). Supporting youth transitioning out of foster care. (Issue Brief 1: Education Programs. OPRE Report No. 2014-66). Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Fernandes-Alcantara, A. L. (2011). Youth transitioning from foster care: Background and federal programs (No. 7–5700). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.
Fernandes-Alcantara, A. L. (2019). John H. Chafee Foster care program for successful transition to adulthood. Retrieved from Congressional Research Service website: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF11070.pdf
Festinger, T. (2014). Adoption disruption. In G. P. Mallon & P. M. C. Hess (Eds.), Child welfare for the 21st century: A handbook of practices, policies, and programs (pp. 437–454). New York: Columbia University Press.
Font, S. A., Berger, L. M., Cancian, M., & Noyes, J. L. (2018). Permanency and the educational and economic attainment of former foster children in early adulthood. American Sociological Review, 83(4), 716–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122418781791
Fowler, P. J., Marcal, K. E., Zhang, J., Day, O., & Landsverk, J. (2017). Homelessness and aging out of foster care: A national comparison of child welfare-involved adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 77, 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.03.017
Herger, W. (2003). Implementation of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Serial No. 108–18, § Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, 96.
Ishizawa, H., & Kubo, K. (2014). Factors affecting adoption decisions: Child and parental characteristics. Journal of Family Issues, 35(5), 627–653. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X13514408
Joseph A. v. Bolson. (1983). No. 80-623 JB (U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico 1983).
Katz, L. (1999). Concurrent planning: Benefits and pitfalls. Child Welfare, 78(1), 71–87.
Kempe, C. H., Silverman, F. N., Steele, B. F., Droegemueller, W., & Silver, H. K. (1962). The battered child syndrome. Journal of the American Medical Association, 181, 107–112.
Kevin S. v. Jacobson. (2018). No. 1:2018-cv-00896 (United States District Court, District of New Mexico 2018).
Kwiatkowski, M., & Cook, T. (2018, January 7). “There’s something wrong”: Lawmakers express concern over number of kids in DCS system. Retrieved June 6, 2019, from Indianapolis Star website: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/07/theres-something-wrong-lawmakers-express-concern-over-number-kids-dcs-system/1001072001/
Lee, J. S., Courtney, M. E., & Tajima, E. (2014). Extended foster care support during the transition to adulthood: Effect on the risk of arrest. Children and Youth Services Review, 42, 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.018
M.B. v. Colyer. (2018). No. 18-cv–2617 (United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Kansas City Division 2018).
M.D. v. Abbott, Memorandum Opinion and Verdict of the Court. (2015). United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division. https://www.childrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/2004-05-17_ms_oliviay_amended_complaint.pdf
MacEachron, A. E., Gustavsson, N. S., Cross, S., & Lewis, A. (1996). The effectiveness of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. Social Service Review, 70(3), 451–463. https://doi.org/10.1086/604199
Mecum, M. (2019, May 26). We need solutions for Ohio’s foster care crisis (Opinion). Retrieved June 6, 2019, from cleveland.com website: https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2019/05/we-need-solutions-for-ohios-foster-care-crisis-mark-mecum-opinion.html
Moran, R., & Hayden, J. (2018). Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act. Pub. L. No. HF 3973.
Moynihan, D. P. (1979). Proposals related to social and child welfare services, adoption assistance, and foster care. § Subcommittee on Public Assistance, Committee on Finance.
Multiethnic Placement Act. (1994). Pub. L. No. 103–382.
National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. (1979). National analysis of official child abuse and neglect reporting. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health Education, and Welfare website: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009054445
Olivia Y. v. Barbour, Amended Complaint. (2004). Retrieved from https://www.childrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/2004-05-17_ms_oliviay_amended_complaint.pdf
Orlebeke, B., Wulczyn, F., & Mitchell-Herzfeld, S. (2005). Improving public child welfare agency performance in the context of the federal child and family services reviews. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children.
Parker, E., & Sarubbi, M. (2017). Tuition assistance programs for foster youth pursuing post-secondary education. Retrieved from Education Commission of the States website: https://www.ecs.org/wp-content/uploads/Tuition-Assistance-Programs-for-Foster-Youth-in-Postsecondary-Education.pdf
Public Catalyst. (2014). Progress of the Michigan Department of Human Services: Monitoring report for Dwayne B. v. Snyder Modified Settlement Agreement. Retrieved from https://www.childrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2014-09-24-FINAL-Dwayne-B-v-Snyder-MSA-Period-Five-Report.pdf
Rosenthal, J. A. (1993). Outcomes of adoption of children with special needs. The Future of Children, 3(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.2307/1602403
Ryan, T. N., & Gomez, R. J. (2017). What does it take to close a comprehensive child welfare systems reform lawsuit? A case study approach. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 41(3), 252–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2016.1259704
Steele, J. S., & Buchi, K. F. (2008). Medical and mental health of children entering the Utah foster care system. Pediatrics, 122(3), e703–e709. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-0360.
Shaw, C., Jr. (1998). Implementation of the interethnic adoption amendments, ISBN 0-16-060571-7, § Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means.
Sheila A. v. Whiteman. (1993). No. 89-CV-33 (District Court of Shawnee, Kansas, Division 4 1993).
Small Business Job Protection Act. (1996). Pub. L. No. 104–188.
Smith, S. L., Howard, J. A., Garnier, P. C., & Ryan, S. D. (2006). Where are we now? Adoption Quarterly, 9(4), 19–44. https://doi.org/10.1300/J145v09n04_02
Smith, S., McRoy, R., Freundlich, M., & Kroll, J. (2008). Finding families for African American children: The role of race & law in adoption from foster care. Retrieved from Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute website: https://www.adoptioninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/MEPApaper20080527.pdf
Snowden, J., Leon, S., & Sieracki, J. (2008). Predictors of children in foster care being adopted: A classification tree analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(11), 1318–1327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.03.014
Stevens, G. (1998). Transracial adoption and foster care placement [Memorandum]. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources.
U.S. Children’s Bureau. (2011). Report to Congress on states’ use of waivers of non-safety licensing standards for relative foster family homes (pp. 1–14). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (2010). The MultiEthnic Placement Act: Minorities in foster care and adoption. Retrieved from https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/docs/MEPABriefingFinal_07-01-10.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). The AFCARS Report: Final estimates for FY 1998 through FY 2002 (No. 12). Washington, DC: Author, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018a). Child and Family Services Reviews Aggregate Report: Round 3: FYs 2015-2016. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cfsr_aggregate_report.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018b). The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2017 estimates as of August. 10, 2018 (No. 25). Retrieved from Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau website: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport25.pdf
U.S. General Accounting Office. (2002). Foster care: Recent legislation helps states focus on finding permanent homes for children but long-standing barriers remain (Report to Congressional Requesters No. GAO-02-585 Adoption and Safe Families Act). Retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d02585.pdf
Williams, S. C., & Sepulveda, K. (2019, January 3). In 2017, the rate of children in foster care rose in 39 states. Retrieved June 6, 2019, from Child Trends website: https://www.childtrends.org/2017-the-number-of-children-in-foster-care-rose-in-39-states
Wyatt B. v. Brown, Class Action Complaint. (2019). United States District Court, District of Oregon, Eugene Division.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Font, S.A., Gershoff, E.T. (2020). Reforming the Foster Care System: Legislative and Judicial Efforts. In: Foster Care and Best Interests of the Child. SpringerBriefs in Psychology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41146-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41146-6_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41145-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41146-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)