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FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION
SPEECHES
AND
COLUMNS
BOOK #2
F S E I E & # 2 EMI00070
]
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
Foster Care and Adoption
1993-2000
1995
6/19
Home for infants and children, D.C.- Mother Theresa's Home
9/29
Adoption Meeting - - White House
11/08
PSA - Adoption DHHS
11/13
National Adoption Month Event - White House
1996
2/15
PSA for The Adoption Exchange
5/10
Mother's Day Adoption Administration Efforts - White House
8/20
Photo with Adoption Advocates and Families
8/23
Video - Children's Service Conference - - Holt International
9/13
Adoption Meeting - White House
10/29
Video - North American Council on Adoptable Children
11/13
Adoption Event - White House
12/14
Radio Address with POTUS
1997
1/27
Appearance on Rosie O'Donnell Show
2/14
Adoption Event with POTUS White House
4/16
National Council for Adoption Dinner - -Washington, DC
6/26
W.K. Kellogg Families for Kids by 2002 Conference
9/24
Adoption Meeting - White House
11/19
Adoption Bill Signing with POTUS - - White House
1998
5/5
Video - National Adoption Center 15th Annual Gala
9/11
Foster Care -Destination Future '98 - Chevy Chase, Maryland
11/5
Video - Council on Adoptable Children - - New York
11/24
Adoption Event - White House - Secretary Shalala, Dave Thomas
1999
1/29
Foster Care Event with Mrs. Gore - White House
2/5
Video - Children's Symposium at Dave Thomas Adoption Center - Ohio
9/24
Adoption Event - White House
12/14
Foster Care Event - Presidential Hall - OEOB
COLUMNS
July 30, 1995
October 29, 1995
May 14, 1996
December 17, 1996
June 24, 1997
September 9, 1997
November 18, 1997
November 20, 1997
September 23, 1998
November 25, 1998
February 3, 1999
September 29, 1999
November 24, 1999
Final 7/17/00
Katie McCormick Lelyveld
HRC COLUMNS
TALKING IT OVER
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEEKEND, JULY 29-30, 1995
The first time I met Mother Teresa was not In an urban slum or a remote village in
India but in the fancy ballroom of a Washington hotel. It was February 1994, and she had
just delivered a speech against abortion at the National Prayer Breakfast. When she
finished her remarks, she pulled me aside for a chat.
She told me about her homes for orphaned children In New Delhi and Calcutta and
asked for my help in setting up a similar home for abandoned and neglected babies in
Washington, D.C. I agreed to work on the project. Although we differ on some issues, we
found common ground on adoption. So we sat and talked about how to find homes for the
JULY 30 1995
hundreds of thousands of American children who need loving families.
A year later, my daughter and I visited Mother Teresa's home for children in New
Delhi. There were too many cribs and too few tollets, and there was too little space. There
was no way the place could ever pass Inspection in any American city. But there were also
dozens of beautiful babies, mostly girls, being fed, clothed, sheltered and loved until they
could be adopted.
These Images stayed with me when I returned home. I was even more determined to
help Mother Teresa bring to Washington the compassion I had witnessed in India. But you
cannot imagine how much red tape was getting in my way. Ironically, many regulations
designed to protect children often overlook what kids need most: love and attention.
Finally, on a sweltering day this past June, the Mother Teresa Home for Children
opened in an affluent residential neighborhood of the nation's capital. It is a two-story
Tudor house with a swimming pool in the backyard, donated by a remarkably generous
person who chose to remain anonymous. At the dedication ceremony, Mother Teresa -
happy, enthusiastic and all business - took me on a tour. Grabbing my hand and leading
me up the stairs, she walked me through brightly painted rooms filled with cribs, bassinets
and stuffed animals.
Although it will accommodate only eight children at a time, this home is a crucial step
in awakening Americans to the crisis of adoption.
We should worry less about how many cribs can be placed in a room and more
about how many children can be placed with loving families. And instead of yelling at each
other about abortion, we should spend our energy making adoptions easier. If that were to
happen, there would be far fewer abortions and far more children in happy homes.
Today, there are about 450,000 children in the United States who need permanent
families. There are tens of thousands of parents seeking to adopt.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON 7/29-30/95
Page 2
Yet every day, complex regulations, outdated assumptions and wrong-headed laws
stand in the way of bringing these parents and children together.
For some Americans, like a woman who wrote to me recently, cost is the biggest
barrier. She and her husband, both musicians, spent thousands of dollars adopting a little
boy six years ago. He is, she said, "the joy of our life." When her cousin's daughter recently
became pregnant at age 18 and could not afford to keep the child, this same couple
volunteered to adopt again.
As simple as this case should have been -- the parents and baby were members of
the same extended family and all parties agreed to the adoption -- it still cost upward of
$4,000 because of legal fees and paperwork.
For others, there is a fear factor. Like many Americans, a 40-year-old newscaster I
met recently in New Mexico was interested in adopting but was discouraged by highly
publicized cases like Baby Richard's. However rare they are, cases in which birth parents
seek to reclaim custody of adopted children undermine people's faith in the adoption
system.
Decisions to give up children for adoption should be difficult to overturn, especially
in the cases of children who become attached to their adoptive families during their
formative years, like Baby Richard. The decision to return the child to the biological parents
or to uphold the adoption should be made as quickly as possible. No child should be left in
limbo.
The whole process also is made more difficult because of a historical bias against
interracial adoptions, which can mean endless waiting until children are matched with
parents of the same race.
In a perfect world, most of us would choose parents who shared our cultural and
racial identities. But our world is not perfect. Today, there are far more minority children
needing homes than are being placed for adoption. To prevent these children from
languishing in foster care, new guidelines are now in place that will prohibit federally
funded agencies from using race as a factor in placing children.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we did something dramatic about adoption? Why not set a
goal of placing 100,000 children each year for the next five years? To do this, we would
have to make adoption easier and enlist volunteer lawyers and judges to speed up the
legal process. And we should also follow Mother Teresa's model, in which considerations
like money, regulations and skin color do not outweigh the more important gift of love that
adoptive parents want to offer.'
COPYRIGHT 1995 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
10/25/95 WED 08:27 FAX
CREATORS SYNDICATE
+++ LISSA MUSCATINE 002
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEEKEND, OCTOBER 28-29, 1995
OCTOBER 29 1995
When I first began writing this column more than three months ago, I hoped to
occasionally use this space to respond to the many people who write to me.
So far, I have received more heartwarming and thought-provoking letters than I
can count. I also have received a few angry letters whose contents cannot be
published In a family newspaper.
I've heard from a class of second- and third-graders in Kansas who are
concerned about pollution, a man from IllInois who is campalgning against tobacco
use, and a retiree in Florida worried about the high cost of health care.
A boy from Texas wanted to know what Socks eats (dried cat food) and a
10-year-old in Minnesota asked how many rooms are in the White House (132).
I wish I could respond to all of these letters in this column. Instead, I can only
answer a few.
Many readers wrote In response to my column In July about our nation's
complicated system of adoption and the thousands of needy children who are waiting
for permanent, loving homes. Not surprisingly, I heard from lots of people who said
they were eager to adopt children but had become overwhelmed by the long wait, red
tape and high cost involved.
A Florida woman, frustrated by a lack of communication among adoption
agencies and government social workers, summed up the feelings of many
prospective adoptive parents: "I know there is a little girl in this country somewhere
waiting for my home."
One couple from Oregon, trying to adopt through a county agency, was told that
it might take several years before a child was available. Their alternative, to adopt
through a private agency, could cost $16,000 or more.
Because these problems are so widespread - and because so many children
continue to languish in foster care - I recently got together a group of experts,
adoption advocates and concerned parents to help people learn more about adoption
and to make the process simpler and more efficient for waiting parents. There is no
reason so many loving parents cannot be united with children desperate for their care
and attention.
I also have received mailbags of letters about my trip to the United Nations
Fourth World Conference OR Women in Beijing In September. Some people were
--- MUSCATINE
003
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON 10/28-29/95
Page 2
concerned about my participation, and many others were enthusiastic about it. A few
expressed their outrage over infanticide and coerced abortions in China, problems
that people became more aware of because the conference was held there. Others
wondered if the conference would really make a difference in improving women's
rights around the world.
I believe the conference was an important and historic first step in giving women
the tools they need to lead productive lives. More than 180 nations agreed for the first
time that women are integral to the economic, political and social life of every country
and that global peace and prosperity depend on the well-being of women.
However, the conference in Beijing will only be a lasting success if
governments, institutions and each of us in our own lives work to ensure that women
are full and equal partners in society. Here at home, for example, the President has
created a special White House Council on Women that will enable government
agencies to work together and reach out to private organizations to fulfill the goals of
the women's conference.
Health issues were on the minds of many readers. I heard from scores of Gulf
War veterans and their families, who were concerned about the government's
response to illnesses commonly referred to as Gulf War Syndrome. I hope those
families, many of whom have suffered greatly, know that the President has established
an advisory committee to Investigate Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
Perhaps the most gratifying health-related letter I received came from Miriam
Murtha, a Virginia woman who got a mammogram as a result of our breast cancer
awareness campaign that began earlier this year. Her screening found two malignant
tumors before they could spread to other parts of her body. "I will be having regular
checkups from now on," she wrote.
Children also wrote to me with suggestions and questions. Many wondered if I
could raise their allowances, lower the voting age or send them free tickets to
Washington. (Sorry, I can't.)
And quite a few offered their own editorial comments. "I think there should be no
more drugs. I don't want any more guns and no more pollution," wrote Brandon
Jackson, a second-grader from Kansas.
To Brandon and everyone else who wrote to me over these last few months,
thanks for talking things over with me.
COPYRIGHT 1995 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
00/10/90 WED 08:55 FAX
CREATORS SYNDICATE
002
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The woman visited her new daughter in the hospital every day, reaching into
the incubator to stroke her foot. The receiving blanket seemed heavier than the baby,
who was being fed by a tube in her stomach.
The woman is not the baby's birth mother, but she is her mother in every way
that matters.
She and her husband already had a 3-year-old aclopted son when they heard
about a premature 1-pound baby girl whose birth parents could not take care of her.
The couple decided to adopt the tiny baby. Her start was rocky, but now the child is a
healthy 3-year-old.
"She was just like a little flower that blossomed," the mother says. "She is a
burst of energy."
Now, the couple, who are African-American, are in the process of adopting a
12-year-old girl who was abused. They also are encouraging more African-American
families to open their homes to children in need.
Last summer, I wrote about this important issue. I'm writing about it again
because so many children's Ilves would be better if they could only find a home.
Today, 21,000 children are ready and waiting for families to nurture and care for them.
Tens of thousands of others will be eligible for adoption in the coming months and
years.
Not all these children are healthy, white babies. Many are physically and
developmentally disabled. Many are minorities. Many suffer from emotional traumas
wrought by abuse, neglect and unstable living arrangements. And many are teen-
agers who already have been shuffled from home to home.
Fortunately, some steps have been taken in recent years to make adoption
easier. The Family and Medical Leave Act, which became law three years ago,
ensures that parents can take time off when they adopt a child without fear of losing
their jobs. The Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 prohibits adoption agencies from
denying the placement of a child solely on the basis of the adoptive parents' race,
color or national origin. Over the past three years, adoption subsidies have helped an
increasing number of families cope with the costs of adopting and raising children with
special needs.
MAY 14 1996
00.00
ГАД
CREATORS SYNDICATE
X
003
TALKING IT OVER 5/14/96
Page 2
The President is supporting legislation in Congress that will give tax credits to
families that adopt. The House, for example, just approved a bill that would give
adoptive families a $5,000 tax credit. The Senate, meanwhile, is considering a $7,500
credit for families who adopt children with special needs. This may not be enough to
cover medical and emotional health care costs for special-needs kids, or even
education, but it's a step in the right direction.
Not only is adoption good for children, it saves taxpayers a lot of money. As one
woman said at a recent adoption discussion at the White House her family has saved
the state and the federal government in excess of $1 million by adopting several
special-needs children.
In addition to government, the private sector also has a role to play. Wendy's,
the hamburger chain founded by adoption advocate Dave Thomas (who himself was
adopted), gives workers paid leave and financial assistance with adoption costs.
Margaret Fitzgerald, who participated in our gathering, said her employer,
AT&T, gave her six weeks of unpaid leave when she and her husband adopted a son
four years ago. The company also reimbursed her legal fees.
But the most important thing of all is for more people to reach out and give every
child, regardless of age, disability, race or ethnic origin, the chance to be part of a
loving family.
Just ask Julie Stinger, a teacher with five adopted children - four biracial and
one white -- several of whom had health problems. She told us how, as a white
woman, she had to fight to adopt her first two black children, even though the birth
parents agreed to the adoption and she had cared for them as a foster parent for 18
months. "I fought tooth and nail," she said.
Later, she had similar trouble when she wanted to adopt her fifth child, who is
white. Authorities were concerned about placing a white boy with four non-white
brothers and sisters.
"Even though we went through some traumas in the adoptions, I would do it
again, I would do it 10 times over," she said. "Adopting a child is the most gratifying
thing that ever happened to me."
After Julie recounted her story, I asked her oldest son, Joey, if he had anything
to add. He nodded.
"I just want to thank my mother," he said.
COPYRIGHT 1996 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
May 14, 1996
Creators Syndicate
= 310-337-7003
012/17/96
06:57 PM
2/3
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Last week in the Oval Office, 7-year-old Adam looked uncomfortable. He stared
down at the floor, at the ceiling, anywhere but at the President, who had asked him a
question. Adam, who is living in foster care, had come to watch the President deliver
his weekly radio address about the new steps his administration is taking to streamline
and encourage adoption.
After the radio address and a discussion with adoptive families, Bill invited
Adam to sit behind his desk and to explore the nooks and crannies of the Oval Office.
Within minutes, Adam came out of his shell. He was full of smiles and questions as he
made himself comfortable in the huge leather chair and inspected Bill's coin and
badge collection.
I found it difficult to believe that this beaming and vivacious child had no
permanent place to call home. Adam is just one of the thousands of children in
communities across our country -- children with tremendous capacities to love and
bring new joy and energy into a home -- who are still waiting for the love of a mother, a
father and a family. These children live with few constants but painful memories of
neglect or abuse, growing case files and the hope that someday they will join loving,
permanent families.
My husband and I have considered adopting ourselves, but as Bill said in a
recent interview: "If we were going to adopt a little baby at our age, if we stayed
healthy, we could raise the child, but I think it is very important for people to bond with
an infant, and it would require massive amounts of time that I don't know whether we
could guarantee the child at this moment. If you took an older child that would have a
bigger, more difficult adjustment period and would think it was a little weird living in the
White House, then that also would require a lot of time. So, I'm doubtful that we could
do it right here."
We are, however, both committed to doing whatever we can to help move our
country's waiting children out of the limbo of foster care. Earlier this year, the President
DECEMBER IT 17 1996
signed a $5,000 tax credit to help families adopt children. In 1994, the administration
and Congress put an end to racial preferences for adoption, making it illegal to deny or
delay any child a loving home simply because the adoptive parents are of a different
race. And at the radio address last week, as adoptive families and waiting children
watched, the President announced more encouraging news for the tens of thousands
TALKING IT OVER 12/17/96
Page 2
of children in our country's foster-care system and the families who could someday
offer them love and permanent homes.
Bill issued a new directive that calls upon his administration to take definite
steps to double the number of children who are placed in permanent homes, from
27,000 a year today to 54,000 a year by 2002. By early next year, Secretary of Health
and Human Services Donna Shalala will report to the President on how the federal
government can help states set and meet new adoption targets. She will study how
local, state and federal authorities can best work together to encourage adoption in all
communities, and she'll make recommendations about the laws and regulations that
need to be changed or added to ensure children don't get trapped in foster care.
The President has also asked the secretaries of Treasury, Labor, Commerce
and Health and Human Services to launch an all-out effort to heighten public
awareness about adoption and recognize those in the private sector who are
committing themselves to this important cause. There are already many businesses,
television stations, foundations and citizens who are working hard to spread the word
about waiting children and to support parents who want to adopt. The National
Adoption Center and Children Awaiting Parents maintain a web site called "Faces of
Adoption" (www.inetcom.net/adopt/photo.html). with 280 photos of brothers and sisters
who need to be adopted together and children between the ages of 7 and 16 who are
waiting to be adopted. It also offers comprehensive information on adoption, from
support-group lists to legislative news and strategies for financial assistance.
During this holiday season, as we make time to be with our families and
recognize how much we love and rely on our parents, spouses, children and other
relatives, let us all work together to find loving homes for the boys and girls who need
them.
Write to Hillary Rodham Clinton at 71154,1271, and include the First
Lady's name in your subject line and a U.S. postal address. Mrs. Clinton
welcomes readers' comments, but the volume of mail prevents her from
answering each letter personally.
COPYRIGHT 1996 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Creators Syndicate
310-337-7003
01/07/24/97
7:23 PM
2/3
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The reality of foster care was brought home to Bill and me when we met a teenage
boy at the White House this winter. Bill asked him where he was from. "Fairfax County,"
the boy said. When Bill asked where in the county, the boy shrugged and answered, "All
over."
Unfortunately, thousands of children in our foster care system today have similar
stories to tell. Because of the complex regulations, outdated assumptions, and
understaffed and overwhelmed agencies of our child welfare system, too many children
spend their formative years shuttling from one foster home to another. Today, even
children lucky enough to find adoptive families will have waited an average of three
years or more in a series of temporary homes.
But that can change. The Senate and the House of Representatives are both
considering bills that will take important steps toward making sure that no child
languishes in foster care.
Currently, a child's case can drag on for years in the foster care system as
authorities make repeated attempts to reunite a child with his or her biological parents.
Often, these parents, for a variety of reasons, are unable to change the behavior that
caused them to lose their child in the first place. If either bill becomes law, "reasonable
efforts" to return a child to his orsher family would not be required in extreme cases such
as torture, abandonment, or physical or sexual abuse. Court hearings to determine the
placement of a child would be required within 12 months -- instead of the current 18
JUNE 24 1997
months -- of his or her arrival in the foster care system. To make clear their purpose,
these hearings would be renamed "permanency planning hearings."
As a children's advocate and lawyer who has represented parents and children in
their struggles with the foster care system for more than 25 years, I believe these steps
are long overdue. In 1973, I wrote an article about children's rights under the law,
specifically their rights in family situations that pose serious threats to their health and
safety. Even a few years ago, some considered this view controversial. Critics suggested
that by supporting a child's right to a loving family, I advocated giving government more
power to break up biological families and giving children the right to bring trivial disputes
with their parents -- such as bedtime or who takes out the garbage -- to court.
Thankfully, that erroneous interpretation of my views has given way to a new
bipartisan consensus around the idea that protecting our children from harm and working
to provide them with permanent, loving families -- even when that may entail separating
Creators Syndicate
TALKING IT OVER 6/24/97
Page 2
them from their biological parents should be a priority of our child welfare system.
Finally, we are recognizing that there are parents who will never be able to care for their
children. And, in order to secure a foster child's well-being and stable development, we
as a society have the responsibility to decide as quickly as possible whether a child can
return home safely.
Many of the provisions in the House and Senate bills reflect recommendations
made in Adoption 2002, a report prepared by the Department of Health and Human
Services in response to the President's directive to identify the barriers to adoption and
double the number of children placed annually in permanent homes by the year 2002.
Over the years, my husband has dedicated a great deal of time and energy to
improving foster care and promoting adoption. As a result of the Administration's efforts, it
Is now Illegal to deny or delay an adoption simply because the prospective parents and
child are not of the same race. And last year, the President signed into law a $5,000 tax
credit to help families adopt children.
Federal leadership is crucial, but it will take the commitment of people from all
corners of our country to bring about the sweeping change our child welfare system
requires. This week, I'll be speaking at a national conference on adoption and child
welfare reform sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The conference will bring
together business and religious leaders, policy-makers, elected officials, judges, child
advocates, and foster and adoptive families to discuss strategies to reduce the number of
waiting children and limit the time a child spends in foster care to no more than one year.
The Kellogg Foundation has been working to reform child welfare systems in 11
states and localities. Last year alone, the foundation helped find permanent families for
7,000 children. This was possible because the foundation worked with churches and
mounted aggressive media campaigns to recruit prospective adoptive families. And it
helped child welfare agencies reform case work procedures, consolidate records and
modernize data collection methods so that no child becomes lost in the system.
Now we must build on their work. With thousands of children leading transient
lives in foster care, we cannot afford any more delays. We need to encourage Congress
to pass the best adoption bill possible. Thousands of innocent children are counting on
us.
COPYRIGHT 1997 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
June 24, 1997
Katherine Searcy
(310) 337-7625
7119/97
06:44 PM
2/3
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In the short span of a week, the world lost two remarkable people: Princess
Diana and Mother Teresa. Though separated by a multitude of differences, these two
women were united by their desire to help others. As I flew to London to attend Diana's
funeral, I thought of the pictures I had seen of the two of them together. Like so many
others, I was left to wonder what we were going to do to keep the spirit of service they
embodied alive.
Long before I ever met Mother Teresa, I knew of her work and mission to bring
love and comfort to the poor and afflicted in India and around the world.
Still, nothing I had heard or read about her prepared me for the diminutive,
determined and joyful woman I met at the National Prayer Breakfast in February 1994.
Bill and I greeted her before the program started, and when she asked if she could see
us privately afterward, we quickly agreed.
SEPTEMBER 9,1997
Standing on a step so she could see over the podium, Mother Teresa
mesmerized an audience packed into the largest ballroom in Washington. She spoke
without notes, calling on all of us to care for the poor and defenseless in society and
making a plea against abortion.
After her speech, Bill and I sat together with Mother Teresa on folding chairs in
the work space behind the curtain at the back of the stage. She took my hand in both
of hers and told me she had been praying for me and my husband and for the work we
were trying to do, especially in trying to provide health care to the poor. We also
discussed abortion. Though we disagreed respectfully about birth control and whether
abortion should be legal, we agreed that adoption should be promoted. We talked
about doing more to make adoption a realistic option for pregnant women who do not
want to keep their children - and to make adoption easier for qualified adults who
want to provide a child with a permanent, loving home.
Then, Mother Teresa asked me to help her open a shelter in Washington, D.C.
for infants and young children awaiting adoption or placement with foster families. I
said I would, though I had no idea how. I did, however, have the feeling that keeping
my promise to Mother Teresa would involve a fair amount of hard work.
To find a way through the complicated legal and regulatory issues that surround
opening such a home in the District of Columbia, I set up a coalition of community
leaders and government representatives. The process took a year and a half. Over
Katherine Searcy
(310) 33/-1025
01/9/97
06:45 PM
13/3
TALKING IT OVER 9/9/97
Page 2
that time, I had the joy of corresponding with Mother Teresa. Letters would arrive,
written in her own hand. telling me where she had been and what she had been doing
and asking, of course, how we were coming with the house for children -- "the gift of
love" she called it. At the top of each letter was an inscription: "As long as you did it to
one of these My least brethren. You did it to me."
I saw that Scriptural lesson in action when Chelsea and I traveled to India the
following year. In New Delhi, we visited a home for children run by the Missionaries of
Charity - the order Mother Teresa founded in 1950. The building we walked through
was crowded with cribs holding babies. As I examined the surroundings, I thought
about the struggle I was having back in Washington trying to fulfill my promise to open
a home for babies there. There is no way the New Delhi home could have passed
muster with the regulators in D.C., but the crowded rooms contained something no
regulation could ever provide: enormous love for children who had been left to fend for
themselves.
The next time I saw Mother Teresa was back in Washington for the long-awaited
opening of the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children on June 19, 1995. Before the
ceremony, Mother Teresa and I toured the home with the Sisters who would staff it. We
were delighted by the sunny rooms filled with bassinets, changing tables and rockers.
Before we went outside to cut the ribbon, she said to me: "This is a gift of love but I've
been told I cannot give the gift of peace because I don't give peace to anyone." What
she meant, I believe, is that her work compelled her to "disturb the peace," to upset the
complacency of the comfortable to help the poor.
From the moment she received a calling from God "to serve Him among the
poorest of the poor" to the moment she passed away at 87, Mother Teresa gave
selfless service, love and, yes, peace to countless others. It is in honor of her memory
and her work that I will travel to Calcutta on behalf of the President to attend her
funeral on Saturday. It is only fitting that people of different faiths from all over the
world will come together to express their sorrow at her loss -- and to be reminded,
once again, that feeding a child, healing a wound and caring for the dying ultimately
help repair the human spirit.
COPYRIGHT 1997 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
September 9, 1997
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bill and I get a lot of letters. Some ask me for advice on hairstyles. Others ask
him for golf tips. But the best letters are always from kids. I'll never forget the letter he
got from a young boy in lowa. It said, "Dear Mr. President, My name is Rollie. I like to
play football and basketball. I've been waiting eight years for an adoptive family. I'm
hoping for a family with pets, a brother and a sister, and nice parents."
Thanks to a new law Bill signed this week, the Adoption and Safe Families Act
of 1997, more children like Rollie will have their hopes fulfilled. This law holds out the
promise that all children in our foster care system will have a chance to find what every
child deserves -- loving parents and a safe, permanent home.
NOVEMBER 18,1997 18, 1997
Right now, there are half a million children in foster care. For most of them,
foster care is a safe haven on the road to a permanent home. Too many, however,
make countless detours along the way, shuffling from family to family, without much
hope that they'll ever find parents to love and take care of them.
This new law will come to their aid. It is the direct result of the President's
commitment to improving the lives of all children. And it will help meet his goal of
doubling by the year 2002 the number of kids who are adopted or placed in
permanent homes each year.
Here's what this legislation will do:
-- With this law, the health and safety of children will always be the first priority.
The best chance children have in this life is with parents who love them -- and we must
always do our best to give them that. But we cannot ever leave children in unsafe
homes. Under this law, states will no longer be required to try to keep children with
parents who tortured, abandoned or chronically abused a child. When this happens, a
child will be on a fast track to a safe, permanent home. Furthermore, states will conduct
criminal background checks of prospective foster and adoptive parents.
-- With this new law, foster care will become what it was always meant to be -- a
temporary refuge en route to a permanent home -- not a place to grow up. For kids in
foster care, hearings determining their future will be sped up by at least six months. For
children who have been in foster care for 15 of the last 22 months, states must move
forward to terminate parental rights except in narrowly specified circumstances. For
children who cannot be safely returned to their families, states must do all they can to
find a permanent place to call home. And states now will receive financial incentives to
TALKING IT OVER 11/18/97
Page 2
increase the number of foster care children who are adopted each year -- especially
those with special needs.
This new law removes another barrier -- it gets rid of the obstacles that keep
families from adopting children across state and county lines. It also tells children with
special needs: You will continue to have health insurance under Medicaid or the new
State Child Health Insurance Program. And it tells parents that our government will
work harder to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.
-- With this new law, we are going to demand accountability by basing state
performance on the only yardstick that matters: results. The Department of Health and
Human Services will develop an annual report card to show how states are measuring
up including the number of adoptions they've completed and the amount of time
children are staying in foster care.
Regardless of age, religion or race, all the children I've met over the years have
had one important thing in common: All of them needed parents in their lives.
Someone to pick them up when they've fallen. Someone to teach them right from
wrong. Someone to tuck them into bed at night. Someone simply to love them.
It is for this reason that, for more than 25 years, I've done my best to call
attention to children in foster care and to see to it these children are not lost in the
system and that those who cannot ever go home are freed for adoption.
The landmark bill my husband signed will go a long way toward making sure
this happens. It's a historic opportunity -- one that couldn't have happened without
extraordinary bipartisan work from members of Congress in both houses.
But this new law will not solve all that ails our child welfare system. Businesses
can make it easier for their employees to adopt a child. Religious leaders can help
spread the word about the joys of adoption. Parents thinking about adoption can
expand their search to reach out to kids in foster care.
That's what Bernell and Della Neal did -- again and again and again. This
week, the government honored them with a 1997 Adoption 2002 Excellence Award.
These parents have adopted 11 children, many with severe physical and emotional
needs. Though the Neals have faced tough challenges, they have shown that nothing
is impossible. Their family motto is "There's always room for one more."
Because of this new law, that will be the motto for other families as well.
COPYRIGHT 1997 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
November 18, 1997
DRAFT
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
COLUMN FOR NOVEMBER 20, 1997
NEMBER 20 1997
There is no greater tragedy for any family than when parents are unable or
unwilling to care for their children. And there is no greater challenge for society than to
decide what to do with children in these circumstances.
Today, nearly half a million children are in foster care, separated from their parents
because of abuse or neglect. For most of these children, foster care is a temporary safe
haven until they can return home. But for others, it's a bleak waiting game that can go on
for years. Shuffled from family to family, they have little hope of being reunited with their
birth parents or finding permanent placement with adoptive parents who will care for
them and love them.
While there is no quick fix for the foster care crisis, and no fool-proof formula for
deciding every foster care case, our nation took a giant step this week in improving the
prospects for children in need of permanent homes. At a ceremony in the Rose Garden,
the President signed legislation that, for the first time, will put the interest of children first
when it comes to adoption and foster care. [NOTE: needs more emotion here, something
personal would help.]
DRAFT
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
COLUMN FOR NOVEMBER 20, 1997
NOVEMBER 20 1997
There is no greater tragedy for any family than when parents are unable or
unwilling to care for their children. And there is no greater challenge for society than to
decide what to do with children in these circumstances.
Today, nearly half a million children are in foster care, separated from their parents
because of abuse or neglect. For most of these children, foster care is a temporary safe
haven until they can return home. But for others, it's a bleak waiting game that can go on
for years. Shuffled from family to family, they have little hope of being reunited with their
birth parents or finding permanent placement with adoptive parents who will care for
them and love them.
While there is no quick fix for the foster care crisis, and no fool-proof formula for
deciding every foster care case, our nation took a giant step this week in improving the
prospects for children in need of permanent homes. At a ceremony in the Rose Garden,
the President signed legislation that, for the first time, will put the interest of children first
when it comes to adoption and foster care. [NOTE: needs more emotion here, something
personal would help.]
That's what this new law does. And what better gift can we give this
Thanksgiving week than the hope for tens of thousands of children in foster care that they,
too, may soon know the joy of spending the holiday season with a family that cares for
them and loves them.
This new law gives states greater flexibility in assessing when and whether parents
are able to meet their responsibilities to their children. States will no longer be required to
reunify families who have come apart due to "aggravated circumstances", like torture,
abandonment or sexual abuse. At the same time, the law will redouble efforts to keep
families together by helping families overcome problems that can lead to family instability.
The new law will give states financial incentives to increase the number of
adoptions by assuring prospective adoptive parents that children with special needs will
retain their health care coverage. It also will require states to come to quicker resolution
about permanent plans for foster children. And the new law will provide funding for the
education and training of judges who must decide the fate of children in the foster care
system.
This legislation surely will ease the pain and confusion that so often marks foster
care cases. For too long, in courtrooms across America, children have been caught in a
legal tug of war in which their own rights must compete with the noble, but sometimes
unrealistic, ideal of family reunification.
I remember once representing a foster family in Arkansas that wanted to adopt a
four-year old boy who had been in their care for three years. The boy had been
abandoned by a mother who suffered from psychological problems and he showed all the
symptoms of severe mistreatment; he had gained little weight, was unresponsive and shied
away from human contact.
But in his foster family he began to thrive. Still, when his foster parents tried to
adopt him, the state adoption agency refused. Instead, state officials began to consider
returning him to his birth mother, who had filed suit to get him back.
It seemed clear that keeping the little boy with his foster parents was in his best
interest. What was not clear was whether his health and safety was the priority that
counted most in a court of law.
Thankfully, the judge allowed the foster parents to adopt the boy, giving him the
opportunity that all children need and deserve: to grow up in a safe, loving, and stable
family.
Not all of us are parents, but all of us have been children. We all know the
importance of having a caring permanent family - either because we have been fortunate
enough to have had the experience or because we are painfully aware of what we have
missed.
I know that laws are not the answer to all of our nation's problems. A loving
home and responsible parents are not things that can be legislated. But laws can help
protect our most vulnerable children and smooth their paths to stable homes with mothers
and fathers who want to take them in.
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2/3
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1998, AND THEREAFTER
I met the most extraordinary young woman last week. Joy Warren had just
begun her first week at Yale Law School. But what's remarkable is that Joy grew up in
foster care, and like more than 20,000 foster-care children each year, she "aged out" of
the system when she turned 18.
This means Joy has been entirely on her own, without the traditional support
system so many families provide, for the past seven years -- years in which she
managed to receive a college degree, work as an advocate to improve foster care and
begin law school.
Children who grow up in foster care face many of the same challenges as other
children and have many of the same needs. But they also have special challenges that
demand special attention -- and too often they just don't get it.
One 13-year-old foster child told me what she wants most: "I want a place that I
can call home; a room that I can call my room; a family that I can love and would love
me back." Is this too much to ask?
Although my own mother was never in formal foster care, her teen parents were
unable to care for her when she was born. They sent her to live with her grandparents,
but when that didn't work out, she went to live in the home of a family where she
helped take care of the children for room and board.
My mother has often told me how grateful she is to the woman with whom she
lived because she got to see what a real family was like. She watched what happens
inside a home where parents and children go through all they should go through as a
family. And she wanted to pass that opportunity on.
When I was growing up, she invited young women from a group home to come
and work for us, spending time with our family, much as my mother had done so many
years before.
I'm proud that this Administration has cared enough to improve and reform our
nation's foster-care system, including passing the Family and Medical Leave Act,
which gives time off for parents to adopt a child. Tax credits are now available for
families who adopt, and foster care and adoption have been freed from discrimination
and delays based on race, culture and ethnicity.
I was especially proud when, last year, the President signed the Adoption and
Safe Families Act of 1997, a historic step toward improving the lives of children in
SEPTEMBER 23 1998
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310
TALKING IT OVER 9/23/98
Page 2
foster care. The aim of this bill is to place this country's 500,000 foster-care children in
safe, stable, loving and permanent homes. And it will help us meet our national goal of
doubling the nation's annual adoption rate.
But, as important as this bill is, it doesn't address all the needs of the children
who "age out" of the system each year and who, like Joy Warren, have to make the
tough transition to living on their own.
Last year, at a roundtable in Berkeley, Calif., I spent an afternoon listening to
young people describe the challenges of leaving the foster-care system. A
disproportionate number are homeless and have trouble finishing school, finding jobs
and receiving adequate health care. And, often, they don't get the life skills they need
to survive in today's world.
There are many programs that work, several of which exist as a result of the
advocacy and leadership of former foster kids like Joy. One national conference,
Destination Future, where I met Joy last week, brings together older foster children and
homeless young people to teach them life skills and advocacy techniques. Programs
in Texas and Florida provide college-tuition assistance for young people in foster care.
In Los Angeles County, set-aside entry-level jobs are available for young people aging
out of foster care. Massachusetts has a teen parent transitional living program. And the
California Youth Connection has become a national model of how to bring young
foster teens together to form a network of support and advocacy.
One of the most critical challenges remaining is to make sure that children who
age out of foster care gain access to health care. It is outrageous that these young
people should find themselves among the uninsured. Some states are addressing this
issue, but there is still far to go.
We must also strengthen the Federal Independent Living Program, which
provides 85,000 young people critical assistance in their transition to independent
living. helps them earn their high school diplomas and offers access to vocational
training.
Federal legislation and state programs have put us on the right track. But we
must do better. Now is the time to make sure that the 20,000 young people who each
year become too old to remain in foster care receive the help they need to become
independent and productive members of society.
To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns, visit
the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 1998 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Creators Syndicate
310-337-7003
01/24/98
9:33 PM
2/3
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
ELEASE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1998, AND THEREAFTER
This week, I witnessed a miracle - actually 30 miracles. On Tuesday, here at the
White House, I met 30 children who woke up in the morning as foster children but went to
bed that night as members of permanent, loving families.
I met 12-year-old Charday Mays. She and her brother, Steven, who is 11, have
lived in many different foster homes. But on Tuesday, both children were adopted by
Edward and Rochelle Mays. Charday says, "This Thanksgiving, Steven and I have so
much to be thankful for. We are now officially part of a family. That makes me very, very
happy."
Ellen Wells had tears in her eyes as she described how it felt to finally adopt 8-
year-old Jessica. When she moved in with Ellen, Jessica had just turned 7 -- and had
lived in seven foster homes. That first day, Jessica sat down at the table and asked, "So,
after this house, where do I have to go?" Ellen was dumbstruck. She says, "I understood
that I was forever. Jessica did not." On Tuesday, as Jessica happily munched cookies
with the other children, her eyes told the story. Now, she knows that Ellen is her mother --
rever.
Jessica, Charday and Steven were at the White House as part of Washington,
D.C.'s 12th annual Adoption Day, a day when the city's Superior Court judges invite a
number of families to finalize their adoptions together in celebration of National Adoption
Month and as an inspiration to others to consider adopting. I was pleased to host this
year's event at the White House.
In addition to the new families, we were joined by Washington, D.C.'s Mayor-elect,
Anthony Williams, and Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's restaurant chain, both of
whom were adopted. Williams was 3 when his mother took him in. Foster-care officials
warned her that, because he had not yet spoken his first word, he would be trouble and
NOVEMBER 25 1998
never amount to anything. Today, he says with a grin, "I was some trouble, but I did
amount to something."
Thomas, adopted at 6 weeks, is one of this country's leading adoption advocates.
This week, he challenged corporate America to extend maternity benefits to adoptive
parents.
Judge Eugene Hamilton presided over the ceremony. He and his wife, Virginia,
ave cared for 40 foster children in their home over the past 20 years, adopting two of
them. He noted, "I hope the commitment we see here today will inspire many others to
come forward."
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TALKING IT OVER 11/25/98
Page 2
The President, who shares this hope, has set a national goal to double the number
of adoptions and permanent placements in this country by the year 2002. A year ago, in
rder to move toward that goal, he signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which
eformed our nation's child welfare system, making it clear that the health and safety of
children come first.
The Act shortened the time it takes to make permanent placement decisions for
children, guaranteed health insurance coverage for special-needs children, created new
financial incentives for states to increase adoptions and funded services to keep families
together when appropriate.
In addition, the President provided parents the opportunity to take time off to adopt
a child by signing the Family and Medical Leave Act. And he has worked to end
discrimination and delays based on race and ethnicity and created tax breaks to make it
easier for families to adopt.
But although adoptions in this country have increased in the last year, there are
still too many children who don't have permanent and safe families. Our job is not done.
For each of the 30 wonderful children who were adopted on Tuesday, there are
100 more just like them still in D.C.'s foster-care system. Nationwide, there are 100,000
children waiting to be adopted.
So, this week, the President asked Health and Human Services Secretary Donna
Shalala to devise a plan for a national, Internet-based registry of eligible foster children.
Simply telling their stories and showing their pictures can go far in placing children in
permanent homes. According to one advocate, this "is the single most important thing we
can do to find homes for kids."
Every child deserves a safe and permanent family. At Thanksgiving, every child
deserves to know that there is a seat waiting at the table -- in good times and in bad. And
every child deserves to know that the table will be filled not only with food but also with
laughter and with love.
I know that this Thanksgiving will be special for Charday, Jessica, Steven and
every one of the other 27 children I met this week. As I celebrate the holiday with my
family, I will pray that next Thanksgiving every other child who needs a permanent and
loving family will have one.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns, visit the
Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 1998 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Noa A. Meyer
02/03/99 08:47:25 AM
Record Type: Record
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Subject: HRC column 2/3/99
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1999, AND THEREAFTER
News that the President's budget for the year 2000 is 2,592 pages long is
enough to make most people's eyes glaze over. No matter how complicated it
may appear, though, it provides a critical blueprint for the future, laying
out his priorities for the country in the starkest of terms -- numbers that
add up to a balanced budget.
Six years ago, when my husband took office, analysts projected a $404
billion deficit for fiscal year 2000. Instead, thanks to fiscal
responsibility, strategic investments, the hard work of millions of
Americans and the President's leadership, we now anticipate a $79 billion
surplus.
What you will read and hear about in the President's budget are the big
items -- saving Social Security, guaranteeing the soundness of Medicare,
shoring up our nation's defenses, improving our children's schools and
reducing the national debt.
EBRUARY 3 1999
But there are other, smaller items that may never make it to the pages of
your newspapers but could significantly improve the lives of countless
Americans. Here are four examples that I care deeply about and highlighted
at White House events this week:
Foster Care: Last November, I wrote a column about the plight of the nearly
20,000 youngsters who each year become too old for foster care. Terry Harrak
was compelled to leave foster care when she turned 18, at the beginning of
her senior year. With no job and no place to go, Terry became homeless and
was forced to finish high school while staying with friends and teachers, in
subway terminals and even in hospital emergency rooms. Now, thanks to a
local program that helps the homeless, she has a job and is attending
community college.
Terry's one of the lucky ones, but no foster child should have to become
homeless to obtain help. In his budget, the President proposed funds to help
foster youth like Terry by offering them financial support while they
develop the skills they need to move into the work force and making sure
they have adequate health care until they're 21.
Asthma: Last year, I also wrote about the alarming increase in childhood
asthma. Many people don't understand how debilitating this disease can be
and that it now affects 6 million American children, double the number 15
years ago. The President's budget includes the largest ever federal
investment to fight childhood asthma through research, disease management
education and a new public-information campaign.
Children's Hospitals: I know from my own experience that children's
hospitals train 25 percent of this country's pediatricians and nearly half
of all pediatric specialists. But unlike teaching hospitals that train
doctors who treat adults, they receive very little in the way of federal
medical education support. The President's budget would provide funds for
children's hospitals to ensure that the physicians they train can meet the
special health needs of our nation's children.
Mentoring: Most of us can think back to one or two adults who encouraged,
supported and championed us as we were growing up. When I was young, the
youth minister at my church opened doors to me and my friends by arranging
worship and service opportunities with disadvantaged teens in Chicago,
exposing us to art and poetry, and taking us to hear Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. speak.
I am especially pleased that the President's budget contains two items that
support mentoring: the new GEAR UP program, which is aimed at disadvantaged
students as they prepare for college, and at-risk youth programs including
tutoring, job training, and drug and alcohol prevention.
You may have noticed that I keep referring to the "President's budget."
Many people, I have found, assume that when the President announces his
budget, the money will be forthcoming. But this is only the beginning of a
long and sometimes difficult process.
What happens is this: Once the President has announced his plan, he sends
it to Congress, where lawmakers must approve and allocate funds for
everything from the FBI and the Peace Corps to highway construction and
space exploration.
During this process, various Congressional committees and subcommittees
hold hearings. Working with members of the administration, Congress then
accepts some of the President's proposals, rejects others and changes still
others. Agreement should be reached by Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year
begins, although last year, the President couldn't sign the final budget
until Oct. 24.
Over the course of the next eight months, you will hear a lot about various
budget proposals -- proposals that have the potential to change the lives of
millions of American citizens. Let's hope that when Oct. 1 rolls around, the
President's plans for the big things like Social Security and Medicare will
have passed but also that you'll also see funding so young people like Terry
Harrak will never again sleep in subway stations, children will no longer
suffer the life-threatening symptoms of asthma, hospitals will train more
and better pediatric specialists, and every child will have a champion.
To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns,
visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 1999 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Message Sent To:
Eric E. Massey
09/29/99 08:57:44 AM
Record Type: Record
To:
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Subject: HRC Column 9/29/99
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1999, AND THEREAFTER
For more than 25 years, as an advocate and an attorney, I have worked to address the
challenges of foster care and adoption. I've represented foster children and their prospective parents in
court, and I've sought changes in laws that discourage adoptions.
I've listened to social workers,
SEPTEMBER 29 1999
judges, police officers and parents frustrated by the red tape that so often keeps them from sharing their
lives with the children who badly need their love. And I've listened to the children themselves -- children
who have spent the precious years of their childhoods feeling alone and unloved, moving from home to
home. Since my husband was elected, we have worked together to devise a strategy to reform the foster
care system in this country. Giving every child the chance to live in a stable and secure environment - to
have a permanent and loving home -- has been at the heart of our efforts.
The first bill my
husband signed into law was the Family and Medical Leave Act, which helps new parents, including
adoptive parents, carve out the time they need to care for their new children. The President also signed
and strengthened the Multiethnic Placement Act, which put an end to racial discrimination in adoption.
We have made adoptions more affordable, putting in place tax credits for new adoptive families.
And we're taking steps to use the Internet more effectively to help match waiting children with loving
homes. In 1996, we set an ambitious national goal to double the number of children adopted annually,
from 28,000 to 56,000, by the year 2002. In order to meet this goal, we worked with members of Congress
to pass bipartisan legislation that dramatically reduced the amount of time children spend in foster care.
Under this bill, for example, no child waits longer than 12 months - down from 18 months -- before a court
considers permanent placement. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 also removed barriers to
adoption, and for the first time, provided financial incentives to encourage states to increase the number
of children adopted each year. Last week, we were pleased to receive a report from the Department of
Health and Human Services indicating that our strategy - and these laws -- are working. For the first time
since the foster care program was created 20 years ago, the number of adoptions from the system has
risen dramatically. In fact, since 1996, the total number of adoptions has risen 29 percent. Last week, the
President awarded adoption incentive bonuses, totaling $20 million, to 35 states - including Illinois, where
placements more than doubled -- for their exceptional achievement.
But there's more we need to do.
Under current law, foster children who turn 18 are forced to leave the system, without the support they
might need to make the transition to independence. With broad bipartisan support, the House of
Representatives has passed a bill that would allow these young people to remain on Medicaid until the
age of 21, and give them extra help in finishing high school, going to college, and finding work and a place
to live. It's time for the Senate to pass a companion bill for the President to sign. Every time I need
inspiration for our fight to strengthen and increase adoption in America, I think of Deanna Collins. Four
years ago, with her eyes downcast and her shoulders slumped forward, Deanna stood at a podium in the
East Room of the White House. In a quiet voice, she told the audience about her dream of living in a place
she could call home, with a room of her own, and a family she could love.
Not long after that visit,
Deanna's dream came true, and it's been my privilege to watch as adoption has transformed her life. With
the love of her parents and the confidence that comes from knowing she will always have a place to call
home, she is thriving. A senior in high school, she plans to go to college next year and major in social
work. I think of Sue and Hector Badeau, who have adopted 22 children. I think of Virginia Williams who,
many years ago, opened her heart and her home to a 3-year-
old boy who had been declared unadoptable and was institutionalized by his state. Today, that boy is the
mayor of Washington, D.C., Anthony Williams. Finally, I think of Dawn Keane, who with her husband,
Steve, adopted two children last May. Last week at the White House, she said, "Families who have
adopted know that these children are special gifts from God, and that they enrich our lives in more ways
than we could ever have imagined. I know that there are more than 100,000 children in the country still
waiting to find families. Our hope is that all of these children can become someone's special gift." That is
my hope as well.
To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns, visit
the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 1999 CREATORS SYNDICATE,
INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Message Sent To:
TALKING IT OVER
BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1999, AND THEREAFTER
This week, all across the country, millions of Americans will take a moment to
count their blessings. When I sit down to our Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, I know I
NOVEMBER 24, 1999
will bow my head in gratitude for family and friends -- with special thanks for the children
who have enriched my life in ways I can't even count. I have spent most of my working
life nearly 30 years now - striving to protect and improve the well being of this
country's children. That's why I was so pleased with last week's resolution of the budget
impasse. Although long in coming, the final agreement is a clear victory for the
American people -- and for America's children. But Congress failed to enact important
initiatives, leaving much hard work still to be done.
Because my husband refused to turn his back on his commitment to improving
America's public schools, the budget puts education first - by funding the next
installment in his plan to hire 100,000 new teachers, reducing class size in the early
grades, and more than doubling the funding for after-school programs. In addition,
the agreement offers help to states and school districts to turn around their worst-
performing schools, while permitting families to opt out of failing programs. It provides
over $600 million for school-based drug- and violence-prevention programs. And it
increases funding for the President's GEAR UP initiative, a program designed to help
nearly 500,000 disadvantaged seventh-graders begin to prepare for college.
While House Republicans tried to deny additional children access to Head Start,
the final plan endorses the President's proposal to add 44,000 slots to this proven
preschool program, moving us closer to our goal of giving 1 million youngsters a critical
"head start" on learning, and a solid foundation for success in elementary school.
Charter schools offer the opportunity for communities to craft innovative and
high-quality educational programs to meet very specific needs. When my husband was
elected, there was only one charter school in the country. Today, there are more than
1,700, providing parents in 30 states a wide range of choices within the public school
system. Thanks to the budget bill, next year alone, school districts will receive start-up
funds to create 650 new charter schools.
The budget looks out for children in other ways as well. There are funds to
provide older foster children the support they need to make the difficult transition from
foster care to independent living. Children's hospitals across the country will receive
much-needed funding to support the training of pediatricians and pediatric specialists.
And with the passage of the bill, our children will not only enjoy better schools, they will
live in safer neighborhoods -- neighborhoods with more police on the streets, and the
resources to strengthen local law-enforcement efforts.
Thanks to the President and the Vice President, the planet we leave our children
tomorrow will be healthier than it is today. After beating back dozens of anti-
environmental riders to the bill, including several that would have benefited special
interests at the expense of public lands, Democrats won significant environmental
gains, including new resources to combat water pollution, protect wildlife, address
global warming, and preserve precious land across the country.
Finally, as a result of the President's resolve to veto irresponsible tax cuts, the
nation is on a course to pay off its debt by the year 2015 -- the first time since Andrew
Jackson was President. Despite these achievements, all of which will significantly
improve the lives of our children, members of Congress left town with many important
issues unresolved. In the face of recent shootings that should have served to reinforce
the need to protect America's families from gun violence, our lawmakers failed to enact
common-sense gun laws to require background checks on weapons sold at gun shows
and child safety locks on handguns. They also failed to ban the importation of large
capacity ammunition clips, or bar violent juveniles from owning guns.
They failed to pass a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights that would have
taken medical decisions out of the hands of accountants and put them back in the
hands of doctors, where they belong. Ignoring the clear wishes of the American people,
they left town without agreeing on meaningful campaign finance reform, a plan to
strengthen Social Security and Medicare, or comprehensive tobacco legislation to
reduce youth smoking. Furthermore, they failed to pass a straightforward increase in the
minimum wage, funding to help states and school districts build and modemize 6,000
schools nationwide, or assistance to low-income working families who need affordable
and high-quality child care.
As we bow our heads this Thanksgiving, let us remember not just the children
sitting around our own dinner tables, but less fortunate children as well. Let's be grateful
for the hard work members of this administration and Congress did to fashion a budget
agreement that works for children. But let us not forget that there is still a lot of hard
work to be done. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns, visit
the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com
COPYRIGHT 1999 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
⑈ por FC&A
ERIKA'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO REFORMING FOSTER CARE AND
PROMOTING ADOPTION
The First Lady has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to reform our nation's foster care
system and promote adoption. She has devoted her time to numerous child advocacy groups,
including the Carnegie Council on Children, the Children's Defense Fund, and Arkansas
Advocates for Children and Families, and as an attorney she has represented both prospective
parents and foster children. As First Lady, she has been the Administration's most prominent
advocate on these issues, and her leadership has been instrumental to the passage of
groundbreaking legislation to make it easier for children to move from foster care to permanent
homes and to increase the number of adoptions. Her deep commitment to children in foster care
also has been key to raising public awareness of the importance and rewards of adoption.
The First Lady's interest in foster care and adoption dates to her first year at Yale Law School.
After reading an article in Time magazine about child advocate Marian Wright Edelman and her
lobbying group, the Washington Research Project (which later evolved into the Children's
Defense Fund), Mrs. Clinton contacted Edelman and secured an internship with the organization
for the summer. Her experience there would set the stage for a lifelong commitment to a wide
range of children's and family issues.
Returning to New Haven her sophomore year, Mrs. Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study
Center and the New Haven Hospital, where she worked with the staff to draft guidelines for the
treatment of abused children. She also volunteered at Legal Services, a legal aid group that
provided free assistance to the poor.
One of Mrs. Clinton's first legal aid cases left an indelible imprint on her thinking about the
needs of children in foster care. The case involved a black child and her low-income, white
foster mother, who wanted to adopt the girl. Mrs. Clinton argued successfully that the mother
should not be denied permanent custody simply because of racial or financial reasons. She
argued that the child's best interest was to stay with her foster mother, who had provided a safe,
stable home and family for more than two years. The many foster care cases she handled at
Legal Services would give her a deep appreciation for the importance of ensuring the best
interests of the child remain paramount during placement proceedings.
During a postgraduate year at Yale's Child Study Center, Mrs. Clinton wrote a chapter for a
family law professor's book, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, that documented her
conviction that America's judicial system had failed abused and neglected children. She also
challenged deeply rooted traditions about the factors that should inform adoption decisions,
presenting a legal argument that a child's happiness should outweigh considerations such as
wealth, race or birth family.
After her husband was elected governor of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton continued to press forward to
protect children from abuse and neglect. In 1977, she founded Arkansas Advocates for Children
and Families, an organization dedicated to providing parenting skills and health and education
services for Arkansas children. She also joined the Board of Directors of the Children's Defense
Fund in 1976, and chaired the board from 1986 to 1992.
Throughout her husband's presidency, Mrs. Clinton has used her position as First Lady to
champion a host of children's and family issues, focusing on some of our nation's most
vulnerable children - those trapped in the foster care system. In the summer of 1995, she
convened a meeting of policy experts to examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding
adoption, including long-term foster care and institutional barriers within the child welfare
system, including cross-racial adoptions.
That year, Mrs. Clinton, together with the President, launched a national public awareness
campaign to promote the benefits of adoption and improvements to foster care. During National
Adoption Month in 1995, she hosted the first in a series of events on the issue at the White
House. She held numerous meetings and public events with adoptive families and children in
foster care, and devoted a significant number of speeches and writings to the cause of adoption.
Her efforts during this period would culminate in one of her most rewarding achievements,
passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, landmark legislation that reformed our
nation's child welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Throughout 1995 and 1996, Mrs. Clinton quietly convened a series of meetings with officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services, foundation leaders and other policy experts to
discuss ideas for reforming foster care and speeding up adoption procedures. Publicly, Mrs.
Clinton also pressed for passage of new tax credits for those who adopt and the Multi-Ethnic
Placement Act, which would remove race or ethnicity as an obstacle to adoption. She also
strongly supported an extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to adoptive parents
who wished to take time off work to care for their children. Her vocal advocacy helped usher
these key bills through Congress.
As a result of her meetings with adoption policy experts, Mrs. Clinton and her staff in 1996
began to formulate specific proposals for legislative reforms. In November, she held a White
House forum on adoption that was broadcast live from the Oval Office. At the event, she
announced that the President would sign an Executive Order directing his administration to
develop a plan to double the number of adoptions by 2002.
Mrs. Clinton was deeply involved in the development of the report and worked closely with
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to craft policies that would ensure the
health and safety of the child remained the guiding principles during placement proceedings.
The formal report, "Adoption 2002," was unveiled on Valentines Day 1997 and included a series
of incentives for states to expedite adoption procedures and limit the amount of time children
spend in foster care. The goal was to double the number of children moving into permanent
homes from 27,000 a year in 1996 to 54,000 a year by 2002. The report was based on three key
principles; that every child deserves a safe, permanent family; that children's health and safety
should be the paramount concern; and that foster care is by definition temporary.
With the unveiling of the report, Mrs. Clinton turned to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative
reforms. The White House secured bipartisan co-sponsors in the House who introduced a bill
based on Mrs. Clinton's recommendations, and she began holding numerous private meetings
with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to generate support for the measure. The
legislation, backed by Reps. David Camp, R-Mich., and Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn., easily
passed the House that summer.
2
Throughout the fall of 1997, Mrs. Clinton continued to work quietly behind the scenes, holding
countless meetings and personally lobbying lawmakers to ensure the bill had bipartisan sponsors
in the Senate. She also continued to deliver speeches and hold other events to draw public
support for the measure. The First Lady's strong leadership on behalf of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act led to its passage on November 14, and it was signed into law four days later. The
bill took historic steps to prevent children from languishing in foster care by dramatically
speeding up adoption procedures, limiting the amount of time children can spend in foster care to
12 months, removing institutional barriers to adoption and including innovate financial
incentives for states to improve adoption rates each year.
The First Lady's most recent efforts on foster care have focused on addressing the unique
challenges faced by older, unadopted foster children as they age out of the system. She provided
key leadership in the development and enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, a
bill designed to assist older teens in foster care as they transition into independent living as
adults. She worked very closely with Republican and Democratic sponsors in the House and
Senate to shepherd the legislation through Congress. The bill, signed into law in December
1999, will help ensure that young people who leave foster care have the tools they need to
succeed, including better educational opportunities, access to health care, training and housing
assistance, counseling and other services.
Mrs. Clinton's efforts to make foster care work better, to find and assist adoptive families, and to
break down barriers to adoption have transformed our nation's child welfare system. Between
1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent and is on pace with the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. This is the first significant increase in adoptions
since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
3
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO REFORMING FOSTER CARE AND
PROMOTING ADOPTION
The First Lady has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to reform our nation's foster care
system and promote adoption. She has devoted her time to numerous child advocacy groups,
including the Carnegie Council on Children, the Children's Defense Fund, and Arkansas
Advocates for Children and Families, and as an attorney she has represented both prospective
parents and foster children. As First Lady, she has been the Administration's most prominent
advocate on these issues, and her leadership has been instrumental to the passage of
groundbreaking legislation to make it easier for children to move from foster care to permanent
homes and to increase the number of adoptions. Her deep commitment to children in foster care
also has been key to raising public awareness of the importance and rewards of adoption.
The First Lady's interest in foster care and adoption dates to her first year at Yale Law School.
After reading an article in Time magazine about child advocate Marian Wright Edelman and her
lobbying group, the Washington Research Project (which later evolved into the Children's
Defense Fund), Mrs. Clinton contacted Edelman and secured an internship with the organization
for the summer. Her experience there would set the stage for a lifelong commitment to a wide
range of children's and family issues.
Returning to New Haven her sophomore year, Mrs. Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study
Center and the New Haven Hospital, where she worked with the staff to draft guidelines for the
treatment of abused children. She also volunteered at Legal Services, a legal aid group that
provided free assistance to the poor.
One of Mrs. Clinton's first legal aid cases left an indelible imprint on her thinking about the
needs of children in foster care. The case involved a black child and her low-income, white
foster mother, who wanted to adopt the girl. Mrs. Clinton argued successfully that the mother
should not be denied permanent custody simply because of racial or financial reasons. She
argued that the child's best interest was to stay with her foster mother, who had provided a safe,
stable home and family for more than two years. The many foster care cases she handled at
Legal Services would give her a deep appreciation for the importance of ensuring the best
interests of the child remain paramount during placement proceedings.
During a postgraduate year at Yale's Child Study Center, Mrs. Clinton wrote a chapter for a
family law professor's book, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, that documented her
conviction that America's judicial system had failed abused and neglected children. She also
challenged deeply rooted traditions about the factors that should inform adoption decisions,
presenting a legal argument that a child's happiness should outweigh considerations such as
wealth, race or birth family.
After her husband was elected governor of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton continued to press forward to
protect children from abuse and neglect. In 1977, she founded Arkansas Advocates for Children
and Families, an organization dedicated to providing parenting skills and health and education
services for Arkansas children. She also joined the Board of Directors of the Children's Defense
Fund in 1976, and chaired the board from 1986 to 1992.
Throughout her husband's presidency, Mrs. Clinton has used her position as First Lady to
champion a host of children's and family issues, focusing on some of our nation's most
vulnerable children - those trapped in the foster care system. In the summer of 1995, she
convened a meeting of policy experts to examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding
adoption, including long-term foster care and institutional barriers within the child welfare
system, including cross-racial adoptions.
That year, Mrs. Clinton, together with the President, launched a national public awareness
campaign to promote the benefits of adoption and improvements to foster care. During National
Adoption Month in 1995, she hosted the first in a series of events on the issue at the White
House. She held numerous meetings and public events with adoptive families and children in
foster care, and devoted a significant number of speeches and writings to the cause of adoption.
Her efforts during this period would culminate in one of her most rewarding achievements,
passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, landmark legislation that reformed our
nation's child welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Throughout 1995 and 1996, Mrs. Clinton quietly convened a series of meetings with officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services, foundation leaders and other policy experts to
discuss ideas for reforming foster care and speeding up adoption procedures. Publicly, Mrs.
Clinton also pressed for passage of new tax credits for those who adopt and the Multi-Ethnic
Placement Act, which would remove race or ethnicity as an obstacle to adoption. She also
strongly supported an extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to adoptive parents
who wished to take time off work to care for their children. Her vocal advocacy helped usher
these key bills through Congress.
As a result of her meetings with adoption policy experts, Mrs. Clinton and her staff in 1996
began to formulate specific proposals for legislative reforms. In November, she held a White
House forum on adoption that was broadcast live from the Oval Office. At the event, she
announced that the President would sign an Executive Order directing his administration to
develop a plan to double the number of adoptions by 2002.
Mrs. Clinton was deeply involved in the development of the report and worked closely with
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to craft policies that would ensure the
health and safety of the child remained the guiding principles during placement proceedings.
The formal report, "Adoption 2002," was unveiled on Valentines Day 1997 and included a series
of incentives for states to expedite adoption procedures and limit the amount of time children
spend in foster care. The goal was to double the number of children moving into permanent
homes from 27,000 a year in 1996 to 54,000 a year by 2002. The report was based on three key
principles; that every child deserves a safe, permanent family; that children's health and safety
should be the paramount concern; and that foster care is by definition temporary.
With the unveiling of the report, Mrs. Clinton turned to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative
reforms. The White House secured bipartisan co-sponsors in the House who introduced a bill
based on Mrs. Clinton's recommendations, and she began holding numerous private meetings
with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to generate support for the measure. The
legislation, backed by Reps. David Camp, R-Mich., and Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn., easily
passed the House that summer.
2
Throughout the fall of 1997, Mrs. Clinton continued to work quietly behind the scenes, holding
countless meetings and personally lobbying lawmakers to ensure the bill had bipartisan sponsors
in the Senate. She also continued to deliver speeches and hold other events to draw public
support for the measure. The First Lady's strong leadership on behalf of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act led to its passage on November 14, and it was signed into law four days later. The
bill took historic steps to prevent children from languishing in foster care by dramatically
speeding up adoption procedures, limiting the amount of time children can spend in foster care to
12 months, removing institutional barriers to adoption and including innovate financial
incentives for states to improve adoption rates each year.
The First Lady's most recent efforts on foster care have focused on addressing the unique
challenges faced by older, unadopted foster children as they age out of the system. She provided
key leadership in the development and enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, a
bill designed to assist older teens in foster care as they transition into independent living as
adults. She worked very closely with Republican and Democratic sponsors in the House and
Senate to shepherd the legislation through Congress. The bill, signed into law in December
1999, will help ensure that young people who leave foster care have the tools they need to
succeed, including better educational opportunities, access to health care, training and housing
assistance, counseling and other services.
Mrs. Clinton's efforts to make foster care work better, to find and assist adoptive families, and to
break down barriers to adoption have transformed our nation's child welfare system. Between
1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent and is on pace with the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. This is the first significant increase in adoptions
since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
3
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO REFORMING FOSTER CARE AND
PROMOTING ADOPTION
The First Lady has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to reform our nation's foster care
system and promote adoption. She has devoted her time to numerous child advocacy groups,
including the Carnegie Council on Children, the Children's Defense Fund, and Arkansas
Advocates for Children and Families, and as an attorney she has represented both prospective
parents and foster children. As First Lady, she has been the Administration's most prominent
advocate on these issues, and her leadership has been instrumental to the passage of
groundbreaking legislation to make it easier for children to move from foster care to permanent
homes and to increase the number of adoptions. Her deep commitment to children in foster care
also has been key to raising public awareness of the importance and rewards of adoption.
The First Lady's interest in foster care and adoption dates to her first year at Yale Law School.
After reading an article in Time magazine about child advocate Marian Wright Edelman and her
lobbying group, the Washington Research Project (which later evolved into the Children's
Defense Fund), Mrs. Clinton contacted Edelman and secured an internship with the organization
for the summer. Her experience there would set the stage for a lifelong commitment to a wide
range of children's and family issues.
Returning to New Haven her sophomore year, Mrs. Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study
Center and the New Haven Hospital, where she worked with the staff to draft guidelines for the
treatment of abused children. She also volunteered at Legal Services, a legal aid group that
provided free assistance to the poor.
One of Mrs. Clinton's first legal aid cases left an indelible imprint on her thinking about the
needs of children in foster care. The case involved a black child and her low-income, white
foster mother, who wanted to adopt the girl. Mrs. Clinton argued successfully that the mother
should not be denied permanent custody simply because of racial or financial reasons. She
argued that the child's best interest was to stay with her foster mother, who had provided a safe,
stable home and family for more than two years. The many foster care cases she handled at
Legal Services would give her a deep appreciation for the importance of ensuring the best
interests of the child remain paramount during placement proceedings.
During a postgraduate year at Yale's Child Study Center, Mrs. Clinton wrote a chapter for a
family law professor's book, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, that documented her
conviction that America's judicial system had failed abused and neglected children. She also
challenged deeply rooted traditions about the factors that should inform adoption decisions,
presenting a legal argument that a child's happiness should outweigh considerations such as
wealth, race or birth family.
After her husband was elected governor of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton continued to press forward to
protect children from abuse and neglect. In 1977, she founded Arkansas Advocates for Children
and Families, an organization dedicated to providing parenting skills and health and education
services for Arkansas children. She also joined the Board of Directors of the Children's Defense
Fund in 1976, and chaired the board from 1986 to 1992.
Throughout her husband's presidency, Mrs. Clinton has used her position as First Lady to
champion a host of children's and family issues, focusing on some of our nation's most
vulnerable children - those trapped in the foster care system. In the summer of 1995, she
convened a meeting of policy experts to examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding
adoption, including long-term foster care and institutional barriers within the child welfare
system, including cross-racial adoptions.
That year, Mrs. Clinton, together with the President, launched a national public awareness
campaign to promote the benefits of adoption and improvements to foster care. During National
Adoption Month in 1995, she hosted the first in a series of events on the issue at the White
House. She held numerous meetings and public events with adoptive families and children in
foster care, and devoted a significant number of speeches and writings to the cause of adoption.
Her efforts during this period would culminate in one of her most rewarding achievements,
passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, landmark legislation that reformed our
nation's child welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Throughout 1995 and 1996, Mrs. Clinton quietly convened a series of meetings with officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services, foundation leaders and other policy experts to
discuss ideas for reforming foster care and speeding up adoption procedures. Publicly, Mrs.
Clinton also pressed for passage of new tax credits for those who adopt and the Multi-Ethnic
Placement Act, which would remove race or ethnicity as an obstacle to adoption. She also
strongly supported an extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to adoptive parents
who wished to take time off work to care for their children. Her vocal advocacy helped usher
these key bills through Congress.
As a result of her meetings with adoption policy experts, Mrs. Clinton and her staff in 1996
began to formulate specific proposals for legislative reforms. In November, she held a White
House forum on adoption that was broadcast live from the Oval Office. At the event, she
announced that the President would sign an Executive Order directing his administration to
develop a plan to double the number of adoptions by 2002.
Mrs. Clinton was deeply involved in the development of the report and worked closely with
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to craft policies that would ensure the
health and safety of the child remained the guiding principles during placement proceedings.
The formal report, "Adoption 2002," was unveiled on Valentines Day 1997 and included a series
of incentives for states to expedite adoption procedures and limit the amount of time children
spend in foster care. The goal was to double the number of children moving into permanent
homes from 27,000 a year in 1996 to 54,000 a year by 2002. The report was based on three key
principles; that every child deserves a safe, permanent family; that children's health and safety
should be the paramount concern; and that foster care is by definition temporary.
With the unveiling of the report, Mrs. Clinton turned to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative
reforms. The White House secured bipartisan co-sponsors in the House who introduced a bill
based on Mrs. Clinton's recommendations, and she began holding numerous private meetings
with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to generate support for the measure. The
legislation, backed by Reps. David Camp, R-Mich., and Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn., easily
passed the House that summer.
2
Throughout the fall of 1997, Mrs. Clinton continued to work quietly behind the scenes, holding
countless meetings and personally lobbying lawmakers to ensure the bill had bipartisan sponsors
in the Senate. She also continued to deliver speeches and hold other events to draw public
support for the measure. The First Lady's strong leadership on behalf of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act led to its passage on November 14, and it was signed into law four days later. The
bill took historic steps to prevent children from languishing in foster care by dramatically
speeding up adoption procedures, limiting the amount of time children can spend in foster care to
12 months, removing institutional barriers to adoption and including innovate financial
incentives for states to improve adoption rates each year.
The First Lady's most recent efforts on foster care have focused on addressing the unique
challenges faced by older, unadopted foster children as they age out of the system. She provided
key leadership in the development and enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, a
bill designed to assist older teens in foster care as they transition into independent living as
adults. She worked very closely with Republican and Democratic sponsors in the House and
Senate to shepherd the legislation through Congress. The bill, signed into law in December
1999, will help ensure that young people who leave foster care have the tools they need to
succeed, including better educational opportunities, access to health care, training and housing
assistance, counseling and other services.
Mrs. Clinton's efforts to make foster care work better, to find and assist adoptive families, and to
break down barriers to adoption have transformed our nation's child welfare system. Between
1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent and is on pace with the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. This is the first significant increase in adoptions
since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
3
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO REFORMING FOSTER CARE AND
PROMOTING ADOPTION
The First Lady has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to reform our nation's foster care
system and promote adoption. She has devoted her time to numerous child advocacy groups,
including the Carnegie Council on Children, the Children's Defense Fund, and Arkansas
Advocates for Children and Families, and as an attorney she has represented both prospective
parents and foster children. As First Lady, she has been the Administration's most prominent
advocate on these issues, and her leadership has been instrumental to the passage of
groundbreaking legislation to make it easier for children to move from foster care to permanent
homes and to increase the number of adoptions. Her deep commitment to children in foster care
also has been key to raising public awareness of the importance and rewards of adoption.
The First Lady's interest in foster care and adoption dates to her first year at Yale Law School.
After reading an article in Time magazine about child advocate Marian Wright Edelman and her
lobbying group, the Washington Research Project (which later evolved into the Children's
Defense Fund), Mrs. Clinton contacted Edelman and secured an internship with the organization
for the summer. Her experience there would set the stage for a lifelong commitment to a wide
range of children's and family issues.
Returning to New Haven her sophomore year, Mrs. Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study
Center and the New Haven Hospital, where she worked with the staff to draft guidelines for the
treatment of abused children. She also volunteered at Legal Services, a legal aid group that
provided free assistance to the poor.
One of Mrs. Clinton's first legal aid cases left an indelible imprint on her thinking about the
needs of children in foster care. The case involved a black child and her low-income, white
foster mother, who wanted to adopt the girl. Mrs. Clinton argued successfully that the mother
should not be denied permanent custody simply because of racial or financial reasons. She
argued that the child's best interest was to stay with her foster mother, who had provided a safe,
stable home and family for more than two years. The many foster care cases she handled at
Legal Services would give her a deep appreciation for the importance of ensuring the best
interests of the child remain paramount during placement proceedings.
During a postgraduate year at Yale's Child Study Center, Mrs. Clinton wrote a chapter for a
family law professor's book, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, that documented her
conviction that America's judicial system had failed abused and neglected children. She also
challenged deeply rooted traditions about the factors that should inform adoption decisions,
presenting a legal argument that a child's happiness should outweigh considerations such as
wealth, race or birth family.
After her husband was elected governor of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton continued to press forward to
protect children from abuse and neglect. In 1977, she founded Arkansas Advocates for Children
and Families, an organization dedicated to providing parenting skills and health and education
services for Arkansas children. She also joined the Board of Directors of the Children's Defense
Fund in 1976, and chaired the board from 1986 to 1992.
Throughout her husband's presidency, Mrs. Clinton has used her position as First Lady to
champion a host of children's and family issues, focusing on some of our nation's most
vulnerable children - those trapped in the foster care system. In the summer of 1995, she
convened a meeting of policy experts to examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding
adoption, including long-term foster care and institutional barriers within the child welfare
system, including cross-racial adoptions.
That year, Mrs. Clinton, together with the President, launched a national public awareness
campaign to promote the benefits of adoption and improvements to foster care. During National
Adoption Month in 1995, she hosted the first in a series of events on the issue at the White
House. She held numerous meetings and public events with adoptive families and children in
foster care, and devoted a significant number of speeches and writings to the cause of adoption.
Her efforts during this period would culminate in one of her most rewarding achievements,
passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, landmark legislation that reformed our
nation's child welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Throughout 1995 and 1996, Mrs. Clinton quietly convened a series of meetings with officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services, foundation leaders and other policy experts to
discuss ideas for reforming foster care and speeding up adoption procedures. Publicly, Mrs.
Clinton also pressed for passage of new tax credits for those who adopt and the Multi-Ethnic
Placement Act, which would remove race or ethnicity as an obstacle to adoption. She also
strongly supported an extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to adoptive parents
who wished to take time off work to care for their children. Her vocal advocacy helped usher
these key bills through Congress.
As a result of her meetings with adoption policy experts, Mrs. Clinton and her staff in 1996
began to formulate specific proposals for legislative reforms. In November, she held a White
House forum on adoption that was broadcast live from the Oval Office. At the event, she
announced that the President would sign an Executive Order directing his administration to
develop a plan to double the number of adoptions by 2002.
Mrs. Clinton was deeply involved in the development of the report and worked closely with
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to craft policies that would ensure the
health and safety of the child remained the guiding principles during placement proceedings.
The formal report, "Adoption 2002," was unveiled on Valentines Day 1997 and included a series
of incentives for states to expedite adoption procedures and limit the amount of time children
spend in foster care. The goal was to double the number of children moving into permanent
homes from 27,000 a year in 1996 to 54,000 a year by 2002. The report was based on three key
principles; that every child deserves a safe, permanent family; that children's health and safety
should be the paramount concern; and that foster care is by definition temporary.
With the unveiling of the report, Mrs. Clinton turned to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative
reforms. The White House secured bipartisan co-sponsors in the House who introduced a bill
based on Mrs. Clinton's recommendations, and she began holding numerous private meetings
with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to generate support for the measure. The
legislation, backed by Reps. David Camp, R-Mich., and Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn., easily
passed the House that summer.
2
Throughout the fall of 1997, Mrs. Clinton continued to work quietly behind the scenes, holding
countless meetings and personally lobbying lawmakers to ensure the bill had bipartisan sponsors
in the Senate. She also continued to deliver speeches and hold other events to draw public
support for the measure. The First Lady's strong leadership on behalf of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act led to its passage on November 14, and it was signed into law four days later. The
bill took historic steps to prevent children from languishing in foster care by dramatically
speeding up adoption procedures, limiting the amount of time children can spend in foster care to
12 months, removing institutional barriers to adoption and including innovate financial
incentives for states to improve adoption rates each year.
The First Lady's most recent efforts on foster care have focused on addressing the unique
challenges faced by older, unadopted foster children as they age out of the system. She provided
key leadership in the development and enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, a
bill designed to assist older teens in foster care as they transition into independent living as
adults. She worked very closely with Republican and Democratic sponsors in the House and
Senate to shepherd the legislation through Congress. The bill, signed into law in December
1999, will help ensure that young people who leave foster care have the tools they need to
succeed, including better educational opportunities, access to health care, training and housing
assistance, counseling and other services.
Mrs. Clinton's efforts to make foster care work better, to find and assist adoptive families, and to
break down barriers to adoption have transformed our nation's child welfare system. Between
1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent and is on pace with the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. This is the first significant increase in adoptions
since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
3
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO REFORMING FOSTER CARE AND
PROMOTING ADOPTION
The First Lady has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to reform our nation's foster care
system and promote adoption. She has devoted her time to numerous child advocacy groups,
including the Carnegie Council on Children, the Children's Defense Fund, and Arkansas
Advocates for Children and Families, and as an attorney she has represented both prospective
parents and foster children. As First Lady, she has been the Administration's most prominent
advocate on these issues, and her leadership has been instrumental to the passage of
groundbreaking legislation to make it easier for children to move from foster care to permanent
homes and to increase the number of adoptions. Her deep commitment to children in foster care
also has been key to raising public awareness of the importance and rewards of adoption.
The First Lady's interest in foster care and adoption dates to her first year at Yale Law School.
After reading an article in Time magazine about child advocate Marian Wright Edelman and her
lobbying group, the Washington Research Project (which later evolved into the Children's
Defense Fund), Mrs. Clinton contacted Edelman and secured an internship with the organization
for the summer. Her experience there would set the stage for a lifelong commitment to a wide
range of children's and family issues.
Returning to New Haven her sophomore year, Mrs. Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study
Center and the New Haven Hospital, where she worked with the staff to draft guidelines for the
treatment of abused children. She also volunteered at Legal Services, a legal aid group that
provided free assistance to the poor.
One of Mrs. Clinton's first legal aid cases left an indelible imprint on her thinking about the
needs of children in foster care. The case involved a black child and her low-income, white
foster mother, who wanted to adopt the girl. Mrs. Clinton argued successfully that the mother
should not be denied permanent custody simply because of racial or financial reasons. She
argued that the child's best interest was to stay with her foster mother, who had provided a safe,
stable home and family for more than two years. The many foster care cases she handled at
Legal Services would give her a deep appreciation for the importance of ensuring the best
interests of the child remain paramount during placement proceedings.
During a postgraduate year at Yale's Child Study Center, Mrs. Clinton wrote a chapter for a
family law professor's book, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, that documented her
conviction that America's judicial system had failed abused and neglected children. She also
challenged deeply rooted traditions about the factors that should inform adoption decisions,
presenting a legal argument that a child's happiness should outweigh considerations such as
wealth, race or birth family.
After her husband was elected governor of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton continued to press forward to
protect children from abuse and neglect. In 1977, she founded Arkansas Advocates for Children
and Families, an organization dedicated to providing parenting skills and health and education
services for Arkansas children. She also joined the Board of Directors of the Children's Defense
Fund in 1976, and chaired the board from 1986 to 1992.
Throughout her husband's presidency, Mrs. Clinton has used her position as First Lady to
champion a host of children's and family issues, focusing on some of our nation's most
vulnerable children - those trapped in the foster care system. In the summer of 1995, she
convened a meeting of policy experts to examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding
adoption, including long-term foster care and institutional barriers within the child welfare
system, including cross-racial adoptions.
That year, Mrs. Clinton, together with the President, launched a national public awareness
campaign to promote the benefits of adoption and improvements to foster care. During National
Adoption Month in 1995, she hosted the first in a series of events on the issue at the White
House. She held numerous meetings and public events with adoptive families and children in
foster care, and devoted a significant number of speeches and writings to the cause of adoption.
Her efforts during this period would culminate in one of her most rewarding achievements,
passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, landmark legislation that reformed our
nation's child welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Throughout 1995 and 1996, Mrs. Clinton quietly convened a series of meetings with officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services, foundation leaders and other policy experts to
discuss ideas for reforming foster care and speeding up adoption procedures. Publicly, Mrs.
Clinton also pressed for passage of new tax credits for those who adopt and the Multi-Ethnic
Placement Act, which would remove race or ethnicity as an obstacle to adoption. She also
strongly supported an extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to adoptive parents
who wished to take time off work to care for their children. Her vocal advocacy helped usher
these key bills through Congress.
As a result of her meetings with adoption policy experts, Mrs. Clinton and her staff in 1996
began to formulate specific proposals for legislative reforms. In November, she held a White
House forum on adoption that was broadcast live from the Oval Office. At the event, she
announced that the President would sign an Executive Order directing his administration to
develop a plan to double the number of adoptions by 2002.
Mrs. Clinton was deeply involved in the development of the report and worked closely with
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to craft policies that would ensure the
health and safety of the child remained the guiding principles during placement proceedings.
The formal report, "Adoption 2002," was unveiled on Valentines Day 1997 and included a series
of incentives for states to expedite adoption procedures and limit the amount of time children
spend in foster care. The goal was to double the number of children moving into permanent
homes from 27,000 a year in 1996 to 54,000 a year by 2002. The report was based on three key
principles; that every child deserves a safe, permanent family; that children's health and safety
should be the paramount concern; and that foster care is by definition temporary.
With the unveiling of the report, Mrs. Clinton turned to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative
reforms. The White House secured bipartisan co-sponsors in the House who introduced a bill
based on Mrs. Clinton's recommendations, and she began holding numerous private meetings
with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to generate support for the measure. The
legislation, backed by Reps. David Camp, R-Mich., and Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn., easily
passed the House that summer.
2
Throughout the fall of 1997, Mrs. Clinton continued to work quietly behind the scenes, holding
countless meetings and personally lobbying lawmakers to ensure the bill had bipartisan sponsors
in the Senate. She also continued to deliver speeches and hold other events to draw public
support for the measure. The First Lady's strong leadership on behalf of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act led to its passage on November 14, and it was signed into law four days later. The
bill took historic steps to prevent children from languishing in foster care by dramatically
speeding up adoption procedures, limiting the amount of time children can spend in foster care to
12 months, removing institutional barriers to adoption and including innovate financial
incentives for states to improve adoption rates each year.
The First Lady's most recent efforts on foster care have focused on addressing the unique
challenges faced by older, unadopted foster children as they age out of the system. She provided
key leadership in the development and enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, a
bill designed to assist older teens in foster care as they transition into independent living as
adults. She worked very closely with Republican and Democratic sponsors in the House and
Senate to shepherd the legislation through Congress. The bill, signed into law in December
1999, will help ensure that young people who leave foster care have the tools they need to
succeed, including better educational opportunities, access to health care, training and housing
assistance, counseling and other services.
Mrs. Clinton's efforts to make foster care work better, to find and assist adoptive families, and to
break down barriers to adoption have transformed our nation's child welfare system. Between
1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent and is on pace with the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. This is the first significant increase in adoptions
since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
3
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO REFORMING FOSTER CARE AND
PROMOTING ADOPTION
The First Lady has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to reform our nation's foster care
system and promote adoption. She has devoted her time to numerous child advocacy groups,
including the Carnegie Council on Children, the Children's Defense Fund, and Arkansas
Advocates for Children and Families, and as an attorney she has represented both prospective
parents and foster children. As First Lady, she has been the Administration's most prominent
advocate on these issues, and her leadership has been instrumental to the passage of
groundbreaking legislation to make it easier for children to move from foster care to permanent
homes and to increase the number of adoptions. Her deep commitment to children in foster care
also has been key to raising public awareness of the importance and rewards of adoption.
The First Lady's interest in foster care and adoption dates to her first year at Yale Law School.
After reading an article in Time magazine about child advocate Marian Wright Edelman and her
lobbying group, the Washington Research Project (which later evolved into the Children's
Defense Fund), Mrs. Clinton contacted Edelman and secured an internship with the organization
for the summer. Her experience there would set the stage for a lifelong commitment to a wide
range of children's and family issues.
Returning to New Haven her sophomore year, Mrs. Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study
Center and the New Haven Hospital, where she worked with the staff to draft guidelines for the
treatment of abused children. She also volunteered at Legal Services, a legal aid group that
provided free assistance to the poor.
One of Mrs. Clinton's first legal aid cases left an indelible imprint on her thinking about the
needs of children in foster care. The case involved a black child and her low-income, white
foster mother, who wanted to adopt the girl. Mrs. Clinton argued successfully that the mother
should not be denied permanent custody simply because of racial or financial reasons. She
argued that the child's best interest was to stay with her foster mother, who had provided a safe,
stable home and family for more than two years. The many foster care cases she handled at
Legal Services would give her a deep appreciation for the importance of ensuring the best
interests of the child remain paramount during placement proceedings.
During a postgraduate year at Yale's Child Study Center, Mrs. Clinton wrote a chapter for a
family law professor's book, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, that documented her
conviction that America's judicial system had failed abused and neglected children. She also
challenged deeply rooted traditions about the factors that should inform adoption decisions,
presenting a legal argument that a child's happiness should outweigh considerations such as
wealth, race or birth family.
After her husband was elected governor of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton continued to press forward to
protect children from abuse and neglect. In 1977, she founded Arkansas Advocates for Children
and Families, an organization dedicated to providing parenting skills and health and education
services for Arkansas children. She also joined the Board of Directors of the Children's Defense
Fund in 1976, and chaired the board from 1986 to 1992.
Throughout her husband's presidency, Mrs. Clinton has used her position as First Lady to
champion a host of children's and family issues, focusing on some of our nation's most
vulnerable children - those trapped in the foster care system. In the summer of 1995, she
convened a meeting of policy experts to examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding
adoption, including long-term foster care and institutional barriers within the child welfare
system, including cross-racial adoptions.
That year, Mrs. Clinton, together with the President, launched a national public awareness
campaign to promote the benefits of adoption and improvements to foster care. During National
Adoption Month in 1995, she hosted the first in a series of events on the issue at the White
House. She held numerous meetings and public events with adoptive families and children in
foster care, and devoted a significant number of speeches and writings to the cause of adoption.
Her efforts during this period would culminate in one of her most rewarding achievements,
passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, landmark legislation that reformed our
nation's child welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Throughout 1995 and 1996, Mrs. Clinton quietly convened a series of meetings with officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services, foundation leaders and other policy experts to
discuss ideas for reforming foster care and speeding up adoption procedures. Publicly, Mrs.
Clinton also pressed for passage of new tax credits for those who adopt and the Multi-Ethnic
Placement Act, which would remove race or ethnicity as an obstacle to adoption. She also
strongly supported an extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to adoptive parents
who wished to take time off work to care for their children. Her vocal advocacy helped usher
these key bills through Congress.
As a result of her meetings with adoption policy experts, Mrs. Clinton and her staff in 1996
began to formulate specific proposals for legislative reforms. In November, she held a White
House forum on adoption that was broadcast live from the Oval Office. At the event, she
announced that the President would sign an Executive Order directing his administration to
develop a plan to double the number of adoptions by 2002.
Mrs. Clinton was deeply involved in the development of the report and worked closely with
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to craft policies that would ensure the
health and safety of the child remained the guiding principles during placement proceedings.
The formal report, "Adoption 2002," was unveiled on Valentines Day 1997 and included a series
of incentives for states to expedite adoption procedures and limit the amount of time children
spend in foster care. The goal was to double the number of children moving into permanent
homes from 27,000 a year in 1996 to 54,000 a year by 2002. The report was based on three key
principles; that every child deserves a safe, permanent family; that children's health and safety
should be the paramount concern; and that foster care is by definition temporary.
With the unveiling of the report, Mrs. Clinton turned to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative
reforms. The White House secured bipartisan co-sponsors in the House who introduced a bill
based on Mrs. Clinton's recommendations, and she began holding numerous private meetings
with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to generate support for the measure. The
legislation, backed by Reps. David Camp, R-Mich., and Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn., easily
passed the House that summer.
2
Throughout the fall of 1997, Mrs. Clinton continued to work quietly behind the scenes, holding
countless meetings and personally lobbying lawmakers to ensure the bill had bipartisan sponsors
in the Senate. She also continued to deliver speeches and hold other events to draw public
support for the measure. The First Lady's strong leadership on behalf of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act led to its passage on November 14, and it was signed into law four days later. The
bill took historic steps to prevent children from languishing in foster care by dramatically
speeding up adoption procedures, limiting the amount of time children can spend in foster care to
12 months, removing institutional barriers to adoption and including innovate financial
incentives for states to improve adoption rates each year.
The First Lady's most recent efforts on foster care have focused on addressing the unique
challenges faced by older, unadopted foster children as they age out of the system. She provided
key leadership in the development and enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, a
bill designed to assist older teens in foster care as they transition into independent living as
adults. She worked very closely with Republican and Democratic sponsors in the House and
Senate to shepherd the legislation through Congress. The bill, signed into law in December
1999, will help ensure that young people who leave foster care have the tools they need to
succeed, including better educational opportunities, access to health care, training and housing
assistance, counseling and other services.
Mrs. Clinton's efforts to make foster care work better, to find and assist adoptive families, and to
break down barriers to adoption have transformed our nation's child welfare system. Between
1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent and is on pace with the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. This is the first significant increase in adoptions
since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
3
FC&A
ERIC'S ACCOMPLISMENTS
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do SO.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do SO.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do SO.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do SO.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21st birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.