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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus |
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Shimkus foster parents bill awaits governor's signature
Legislation would give foster parents input on placement of children in their care
HARRISBURG, Oct. 8 – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus that would give foster parents a voice in court decisions regarding the children in their care has been approved by the House and Senate and is now awaiting the governor's signature into law.
House Bill 1511 would give foster parents the right to submit a report, either written or verbally, to a judge about a child in their care before the child’s permanency hearings. Permanency hearings are held every six months to determine whether a child should return to his or her natural parents, remain in foster care, or be put up for adoption.
"We have to think of the children when deciding into whose custody they will be placed," Shimkus said. "Foster parents care for these kids on a daily basis and probably understand their needs better than anyone else. Giving them the right to address a judge who is about to decide the permanent placement of a child is key in ensuring the child is placed in the best possible home and receives the best possible care."
Shimkus wrote the legislation after meeting with Carol and Tom Oleski, who have been foster parents in Lackawanna County for more than 20 years, and who have cared for more than 100 children during that time. They told him how frustrating it is that foster parents are not able to give confidential, written reports regarding the development and physical and emotional condition of the children in their care.
The bill would require county children and youth agencies to notify foster parents of their right to submit a report to the court, and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare would create a form for them to do so. The form would include descriptions of the child’s adjustment, interaction with others, physical and emotional condition, educational status, behavior, and relationship with his or her birth parents, among other factors. The reports would be submitted confidentially, but judges could use their discretion to decide whether the reports remained confidential.
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