Bill adds mentoring goals to federal foster care program

What does this do?

This bill adds two new goals to an existing federal program for foster youth: helping young people aged 14 and older build and keep lasting relationships with supportive adults, mentors, and peers, and helping those same youth stay involved in decisions about their own care. Within one year of passage, the Department of Health and Human Services must release guidance to states and tribal agencies covering what services qualify for federal funding, best practices for mentoring and peer support, how to notify eligible youth about available services, and how to document these activities in case plans. That guidance must be developed with input from people who have personally been in foster care.

Who does it affect?

This bill primarily affects youth aged 14 and older who are in or have aged out of the foster care system. It also affects the state and tribal child welfare agencies that serve them.

Why does it matter?

Without this bill, relationship-building and peer support services for older foster youth have no formal place in this program's stated goals. Adding these goals means agencies have clearer federal direction on supporting these youth and documenting that support.

Where does it stand?