The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 02, 2012
Presidential
Proclamation -- National Foster Care Month
NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH, 2012
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Childhood is a time for our young people to grow and learn, protected by
their families and safe in their homes. But for almost half a million children
who are unable to remain at home through no fault of their own, childhood can
be a time of sadness, pain, and separation. These children need and deserve
safe, loving, and permanent families who can help restore their sense of
well-being and give them hope for the future.
During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the promise of America's
children and youth in foster care, and we commend the devotion and selflessness
of the foster parents who step in to care for them. We also pay tribute to the
professionals nationwide who work to improve the safety of our most vulnerable
children and assist their families in addressing the issues that brought them
into the child welfare system. In communities across America, dedicated men and
women -- in schools, faith-based and community organizations, parent and
advocacy groups -- volunteer their time as mentors, tutors, and advocates for
children in foster care. We all have a role to play in ensuring our children
and youth grow up with the rich opportunities and support they need to reach
their full potential.
My Administration is committed to increasing positive outcomes for every
infant and child in foster care, and to promoting a successful transition to
adulthood for older youth. We are working to increase permanency through
reunification, adoption, and guardianship; to prevent maltreatment; to reduce
rates of re-entry into foster care; and to ensure all qualified caregivers have
the opportunity to serve as foster parents. Through the Child and Family
Services Improvement and Innovation Act, we are granting States more
flexibility in supporting a range of services for children in foster care,
including health care and treatment of emotional trauma. And through the
Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014, every State will be required to extend
Medicaid coverage up to age 26 for former foster youth.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Children's Bureau, an
agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that carries forward
a legacy of protecting our Nation's children and strengthening families through
programs like the Permanency Innovations Initiative. Over 5 years, this
initiative is investing $100 million in new strategies to identify permanent
homes for youth in long-term foster care, including more than 100,000 children
awaiting adoption, and to reducing time spent in foster care placements.
National Foster Care Month is a time to reflect on the many ways
government, social workers, foster families, religious institutions, and others
are helping improve the lives of children in foster care, and it also serves as
a reminder that we cannot rest until every child has a safe, loving, and
permanent home. Together, we give thanks to those individuals from all walks of
life who have opened their hearts and their homes to a child, and we rededicate
ourselves to ensuring a bright and hopeful future for America's foster youth.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America,
by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 2012 as National Foster Care Month. I
encourage all Americans to observe this month by dedicating their time, love,
and resources to helping youth in foster care, whether by taking time to
mentor, lending a hand to a foster family, or taking an active role in their
communities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of May, in
the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
BARACK OBAMA