Orrin Hatch: “this new law will also give children and youth already in foster care new protections by making sure children get the…”

“this new law will also give children and youth already in foster care new protections by making sure children get the services they need in the setting best suited for them. It creates robust standards for foster care providers operating group homes, congregate care, and residential treatment facilities. It will require these types of facilities to be equipped to meet children's needs and provide services that help address the trauma they have faced so they can return to live with family or be placed with a caring foster family as soon as possible. It will also promote a model where children are placed in these types of facilities only when they need specific services that cannot be provided in another setting. Too often, children who can and should be living in families end up in group care simply because it is what is available, not because it is the best place for the child. This law helps tip the scales toward placing more children in family settings where children do best. This new law amounts to the most significant changes to our child welfare system in decades, and it simply would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication, perseverance, education, and technical assistance of so many advocates and experts across the Nation.…”