Volume 29

National Center for State Courts Releases Call to Action on Improving Foster Care

The National Center for State Courts has just released a report titled Changing Lives by Changing Systems. The report is the result of a first-of-its kind national judicial summit, convened in September 2005, and attended by judicial and child welfare agency leaders from across the country. At the summit, each state's team developed a comprehensive plan for improving their foster care system; the just-released report outlines these recommendations for reform.

This report is the latest in a series of state and national reform efforts underway to improve foster care, and the lives of, and outcomes for, the half a million children currently in the foster care system. The Pew Commission released its recommendations for reforming the federal financing and court oversight of foster care in May 2004. As a result of these recommendations, more than a dozen states have formed task forces or commissions on foster care to engage their child welfare and judicial leaders on improving their foster care systems. Congress recently enacted several of the Commission's court recommendations, providing $100 million to improve the dependency courts. Additionally, a number of leading child welfare and judicial organizations have passed resolutions in support of the Pew Commission's recommendations.

For more information on the Commission and progress made on implementing its recommendations, please visit: www.pewfostercare.org