CONNECT Act
Sponsored By: Senator Husted, Jon [R-OH]
Introduced
Summary
Expand support for lifelong connections and youth participation in permanency planning. This bill would rewrite the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood to focus on youth who experienced foster care at age 14 or older, emphasizing sustained relationships with adults, kin, mentors, and peers and stronger participation in permanency planning.
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- Youth who experienced foster care at age 14 or older: Would prioritize helping them develop and maintain sustained supportive relationships with adults, kin, mentors, and peers to reduce isolation and build lifelong connections.
- Youth still in foster care who experienced foster care at age 14 or older: Would strengthen their ability to participate in creating their permanency plan, require written information on available services and agency steps, and promote pre- and post-permanency peer support, mentoring, kin connections, and referrals to other programs.
- State and Tribal child welfare agencies: Would receive HHS guidance within 1 year that provides examples of services eligible for federal funding, best practices for peer support and mentoring including minimum qualifications and training, outreach and notification standards, and documentation protocols for case plans to allow review.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More support for older foster youth
If enacted, this bill would expand the Chafee program to help youth who experienced foster care at age 14 or older. It would add two purposes: help these youth develop and keep lasting adult and peer connections (including kin, fictive kin, mentors, and peers with foster care experience); and support youth still in foster care to take part in their permanency plan, get written information about available services and agency steps, and get peer support, mentoring, kin connections, and referrals. If enacted, these changes would take effect one year after enactment.
HHS guidance to help child welfare agencies
If enacted, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to issue guidance to State and Tribal child welfare agencies within one year. HHS would consult youth with foster care experience first. The guidance would include examples of services eligible for federal funding, best practices and minimum training for mentoring and peer support, standards for outreach and notification to eligible youth, and protocols to document relationship-building in case plans so case reviews are possible.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Husted, Jon [R-OH]
OH • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov