A white building with a dome Description automatically generatedWhat are legislators currently doing to address your selected advocacy priorities for a vulnerable population? Are there current policies in place? Are there current policies proposed at either the state or federal level? What are the most obvious strengths and weaknesses of these policies as they relate to your advocacy priority? What might need to change?
identify a state or federal policy that aligns with your advocacy priority. After identifying the policy, you will consider how the policy aligns and supports your identified vulnerable population. How and why does this policy align with your advocacy priorities?
Sample Answer
Vulnerable Population: Children in foster care
Advocacy Priorities:
- Permanency: Finding stable, loving homes for children in foster care through adoption, reunification with biological families, or placement with kinship caregivers.
- Well-being: Ensuring children in foster care receive adequate physical, mental, and emotional support, including access to quality healthcare, mental health services, and educational opportunities.
- Trauma-informed care: Providing trauma-informed care that addresses the unique needs and experiences of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma.
Current Policies and Legislative Actions:
- Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA): This federal law prioritizes finding permanent homes for children in foster care and sets timelines for permanency planning.
- Foster Care Independence Act: This federal law provides funding for programs that help older youth in foster care transition to adulthood, such as independent living programs and educational support.
- State-level initiatives: Many states have implemented their own programs to improve outcomes for children in foster care, such as kinship care programs, mental health services, and educational supports.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Current Policies:
- Strengths:
- ASFA provides a framework for permanency planning and emphasizes the importance of finding permanent homes for children.
- The Foster Care Independence Act provides essential support for older youth transitioning to adulthood.
- Some state-level initiatives have successfully improved outcomes for children in foster care.
- Weaknesses:
- Implementation of ASFA can vary across states, and some children may not achieve permanency within the established timelines.
- Funding for foster care programs can be inconsistent and insufficient to meet the needs of all children.
- There is a need for continued improvement in the quality and availability of mental health services for children in foster care.
Policy Changes Needed:
- Increased funding for foster care programs: This would allow for the expansion of services and support for children in foster care, including mental health services, educational support, and independent living programs.
- Improved data collection and analysis: Better data collection and analysis would help identify areas for improvement in foster care systems and ensure that resources are being used effectively.
- Strengthening kinship care programs: Supporting kinship caregivers through financial assistance, training, and respite care can provide stable and loving homes for more children.
Alignment with Advocacy Priorities:
The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) aligns with my advocacy priorities by:
- Prioritizing permanency: ASFA emphasizes the importance of finding permanent homes for children in foster care and sets timelines for permanency planning.