Virginia, unfortunately, has one of the highest percentages in the U.S. of youths aging out of the foster care system. In other states, approximately nine percent of those reaching 18 age out of the system, whereas 20 percent of children do in the Commonwealth.
According to the results of a survey conducted by Child Trends for the Children’s Home Society of Virginia and Better Housing Coalition, the life foster kids who age out is bleak. Around 20 percent become homeless within two years, 25 percent become incarcerated, 42 percent drop out of school, and 71 percent of girls that age out of the foster care system are pregnant by age 21.
During the 2019 General Assembly session, lawmakers headed off a list of alterations to rectify the woeful conditions within the Commonwealth’s foster care network, which was spawned by the non-partisan Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission‘s (JLARC) review of the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), finding Virginia’s system one of the worst in the country in some aspects.
One issue behind the languishing results emanating from VDSS is that some children are waiting an unnecessarily long time to be adopted. Nevertheless, three GOP-led bills that passed through both the House of Delegates and State Senate during the 46-day session will assist in adoptions to ensure that children are safe and are able to live as normal of a life as possible.
H.B. 2208, patroned by Delegate Emily Brewer (R-Suffolk), who was adopted when she was just 10 days old, would expand the applicability of adoption procedures for a child’s close relatives to all of the child’s adult relatives, including stepparents, stepbrothers or stepsisters, and all other adult relatives of the child by marriage or adoption.
The legislation would work to place children with relatives without having them to go through the Commonwealth’s foster care network. This would place less stress on VDSS and provide for a better childhood and future for children in such a despondent circumstance.
Also introduced by Delegate Brewer, H.B. 1730, would require local departments with Virginia’s social services network to request the placement of a security freeze on the credit report or record of any child who has been in foster care for at least six months in order to prevent cases of identity theft and misuse of personal identifying information.
According to a report by Javelin Strategy & Research, more than one million children in the U.S. were victims of identity theft or fraud in 2017.
The bill mandates a local department to request the removal of such security freezes upon the child’s removal from foster care, if the child is at least 18 years of age, or “upon a determination that doing so would be in the best interest of the child.” Annual credit checks would also be conducted on all children within the system between the ages of 14 and 18 to mitigate identity theft.
H.B. 2108, sponsored by Delegate Richard “Dickie” Bell (R-Staunton), would direct VDSS to promote emergency regulations between local divisions and licensed child-placing agencies and foster parents. The foster care network would implement and publicize a dispute resolution process through which a foster parent may contest an alleged violation of such regulations by the local board or licensed child-placing agency.
According to the bill, before placing or arranging for the placement of a child in a foster home or independent living arrangement, a local division or licensed child-placing agency would conduct a home study to determine the suitability for the child. Moreover, the child would be visited “as often as necessary” to protect their interests, also maintaining the health and safety of the child to encourage their emotional and developmental growth.
