For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 7, 2003
Contact: Gina Russo, The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, 202.687.0697

Related Materials Media Advisory issued May 1, 2003 Statement Regarding the Formation of the Commission, Rebecca W. Rimel, President and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts National Survey Results released May 7, 2003 Powerpoint Slides from May 7 release of national survey results Event Transcript from May 7 launch News coverage of the launch

Washington, D.C. – Amid high-profile reports of children missing from foster care, overlooked by child protective services, and bounced from one foster home to another, a new commission went to work today to develop practical, bipartisan recommendations to improve outcomes for children in foster care. Led by two prominent former members of Congress – Republican Bill Frenzel and Democrat William H. Gray, III – the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care will address the thorny issues of federal financing of child welfare services and court oversight of children in foster care.

"The foster care system is a complicated, bureaucratic snarl, and children are the victims," states Commission Chairman Bill Frenzel, a twenty-year veteran of Congress and former Ranking Minority Member of the House Budget Committee. "The Pew Commission will develop very specific policy recommendations to improve foster care and related services, so that these vulnerable children can live safely in permanent homes and have a better chance to grow to be successful adults." Frenzel is currently a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution.

A new, nationwide survey released today by the Pew Commission suggests that Americans understand that foster care is critical to protecting abused and neglected children. But it also reveals a public doubtful of the system’s ability to meet children’s needs.

Three in four Americans (73%) say that they are at least somewhat familiar with the issue of foster care. While more than half (56%) favorably describe foster care in their own community, a nearly equal percentage (53%) think the foster care system overall needs a "complete overhaul" or "quite a few changes and improvements."

"Public unease about the safety and well-being of children in foster care is one of many compelling reasons for the Commission’s work," states Pew Commission Vice Chairman William H. Gray, III, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of The United Negro College Fund, and former Chairman of the House Budget Committee. "This concern cuts across political, economic, racial, and ethnic lines – and so will our recommendations."

In addition to Frenzel and Gray, the newly convened Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care includes some of the nation’s leading child welfare experts. Additional members of the Commission include heads of state and local child welfare agencies, prominent judges, social workers, foster and adoptive parents, former foster youth, and others.

The Commission will develop and promote recommendations targeted at two areas which are at the root of many of the problems that plague the foster care system: the way the federal government finances foster care and related services, and court oversight of children in foster care. With their extensive legislative and budget experience, Frenzel and Gray are confident in the Commission’s ability to develop and promote recommendations that will result in real change in these targeted areas and better outcomes for children in foster care.

"Foster care is intended to be a short-term arrangement," says Vice Chairman Gray. "In reality, children stay in foster care for an average of three years and have an average of three different foster homes. The Pew Commission intends to develop recommendations that will help move children more quickly into safe and permanent homes and help prevent children from being placed in foster care unnecessarily. "

"The Commission is committed to reaching consensus on a set of achievable recommendations in these targeted areas and promoting their implementation," Chairman Frenzel states. "We believe that improvements in federal financing and court oversight will enable states and communities to take the steps necessary to improve outcomes for children in foster care. We are encouraged by consistent bipartisan interest in this issue, and by the innovative work of courts and communities across the country that demonstrate that real change is possible."

Read more about the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care

About the Survey
The nationwide telephone survey was conducted April 14 and April 15, 2003, among 812 registered voters by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 3.44 percentage points.