Phoenix, Ariz. – Yesterday, the Arizona legislature passed a measure, brought by the Center for the Rights of Abused Children, to help abused children at the greatest risk of aging out of the foster care system find safe and loving homes. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is anticipated to sign the bill.
House Bill 2704, sponsored by Representative Matt Gress, establishes the Foster Youth Permanency Project Team within the Department of Child Safety. The Project is modeled after a successful reform in Georgia that found permanent homes for hard-to-place youth. After a ten-year period, Georgia was able to reduce the number of teens aging out by 34% of the reviewed children in the program. Projections in Arizona suggest the successful implementation of the program could help hundreds of more teens every year find a family rather than age out of the system.
Under the new law, DCS will be required to identify children at risk of aging out and super-charge efforts to find these children a permanent home. The department will gather attorneys, guardians and advocates and work as a team to identify and remove barriers to permanent permanency, ensuring that every possible measure is taken to identify and find a safe adoptive family for the child. Steps might include an enhanced search for relatives and kin, developing an individualized permanency plan, and improved recruitment and identification of adoptive families.
“We believe there is a family for every child in need,” said Darcy Olsen, CEO of the Center. “This reform will build a bridge between children who need homes and loving relatives, kin, or adoptive families ready and willing to bring them home.”
About the Center for the Rights of Abused Children: The Center for the Rights of Abused Children believes every child deserves a safe and loving home. Join our mission today, thecenterforchildren.org.
Contact: Aimee Jolley at (602) 689-4052 or aimee@thecenterforchildren.org.
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