Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Applauds House Passage of Find and Protect Foster Youth Act

The Find and Protect Foster Youth Act (S. 1146) would provide states with guidance along with technical and educational resources to help them improve their ability to identify and locate youth who have run away from or otherwise gone missing from foster care. The bill would require a federal review of the protocol’s states have in place to locate missing foster youth and identify best practices.

Additionally, the bill would attempt to strengthen states’ compliance with existing requirements for reporting missing foster youth. It would also increase federal government efforts to support states in screening and assisting children who were missing and returned and are at risk for sex trafficking and call for a GAO report on the reasons why youth may run away or go missing from foster care, including identifying best practices for making foster care safe for youth and reducing the number of foster youth runaways.

The House Ways and Means Committee approved the House version (H.R. 2426) of this legislation in November 2023.  The Senate passed S. 1146 last week. Following House passage, S. 1146 will now head to President Biden’s desk for signature.

“I am pleased to join my Co-Chairs in supporting this legislation.  It is my priority as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth to ensure that all foster youth are protected, safe and healthy. And it is critical that we do more to strengthen efforts to address missing foster youth who can be especially vulnerable. 

That’s why we need this critical bipartisan legislation put forward by Caucus Members to better understand current shortcomings at the state level, improve reporting compliance for missing foster youth, and support stronger state-federal coordination,” said Co-Chair Gwen Moore (D-WI).

"Our nation's foster youth are amongst our most vulnerable populations,” said Co-Chair Don Bacon (R-NE). “This bill will ensure we don't turn a blind eye to reports of thousands of foster children that go missing from the child welfare system. The Find and Protect Foster Youth Act will help states improve their feedback with the federal government to protect our nation's children. As a former foster parent, I am pleased to see this bill is heading to the President's desk.”

“Far too many foster children have gone missing in Texas and across the country,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX). “The Find and Protect Foster Youth Act will improve communication between state and federal agencies to help find missing foster children, strengthen reporting standards, and investigate if missing foster youth were victims of abuse, sex trafficking, and other forms of harm. This bipartisan legislation will soon be sent to the President’s desk to be signed into law—this is an important step forward in protecting the most vulnerable children among us.”

“Before coming to Congress, I spent decades working as a child advocate, seeing firsthand the challenges that young people and those who serve them face in finding permanent homes and connections,” said Co-Chair Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA). “As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I'm proud to support the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act to ensure that we properly identify children who are missing from foster care and respond to their needs."

“As a father of six and co-chair of the Congressional Youth Foster Caucus, I’m committed to helping every child grow up in a safe and secure environment,” said Co-Chair Zach Nunn (R-IA). “The foster system has failed some at-risk young people. The Find and Protect Foster Youth Act will improve services and keep kids safe.” 

“All children deserve safe environments where they can learn, grow, and succeed,” said Co-Chair Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA). “Tragically, thousands of foster youth go missing each year–often without the knowledge of relevant agencies. The Find and Protect Foster Youth Act will improve communication between states and the Administration of Children and Families regarding the status of missing foster youth and direct agencies to investigate whether missing foster youth were victims of sex trafficking. Today’s passage of this legislation reaffirms Congress’ bipartisan commitment to the well-being of our nation’s foster youth–as a co-chair of the Foster Youth Caucus, I will continue working across the aisle to uplift foster youth in Los Angeles and nationwide.”

“With around 3,300 children in South Carolina’s foster care system and tens of thousands missing nationwide, one child missing is one too many, and it’s crucial we take action to protect these vulnerable kids,” said Co-Chair Nancy Mace (R-SC).

Federal law requires that state agencies report missing foster youth to law enforcement for entry into the National Crime Information Center database. A report from the Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General found that state agencies did not meet federal reporting requirements for an estimated 19 percent of missing foster youth cases. Improve reporting compliance can support critical interventions to help recover and find missing foster youth.

The Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth is a bipartisan caucus that is committed to addressing the needs of foster youth and making improvements to the child welfare system.