Overview of Policy Under Analysis
Policy Description
The Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022 is a federal policy that aims to incorporate foster care programs for children and juveniles in mental facilities into the government agenda, providing funding and regulation. The Act intends to regulate foster care programs by overseeing and funding agencies involved in the program. The foster children targeted by the policy are mainly the ones who have had traumatic situations in their families, such as abusive parents, homelessness, neglect, domestic violence, and early exposure to drug abuse from the environment or parents.
Consequently, they experience physical, cognitive, academic, and emotional difficulties, which may impact their proper development in their future lives, both during and after placement programs. The initiative is thus aiming to provide grants to empower agencies that offer foster care for these estranged children as they gradually recover from developmental issues while awaiting placement. In the past, the agencies provided basic needs such as clothes, food, accommodation, and professional services to the group; thus, the grant will strengthen and facilitate their services.
Nature of the Problem Being Targeted by the Policy
Every child deserves a safe and favorable home environment as they grow. However, due to economic and social problems characterizing some homes, several children are not lucky enough to have homes that provide the same, and as such, turn to foster programs for help. Government reports show that one out of every 17 children joins foster care programs to provide a safe and stable environment.
The majority of children joining the foster care system have a traumatic family history attributed to the experiences they encounter in the course of their growth. Some youths are exposed to drug abuse or criminal activity during childhood, while others witness domestic violence between their parents and guardians (NASW Press, 2023). These traumatic experiences cause the group to suffer physical, academic, mental, and emotional problems, which affect their developmental patterns and may inhibit them from realizing their full potential during and after placement programs (Miller, 2022). Due to their socio-economic situation, the victims require support for basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter for survival and professional services before placement.
Context of the Policy
The Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022 is a social program that supports child care and juvenile mental health facilities, aiming to fund and oversee foster care programs. It will work in unison with agencies that provide pre-placement services and foster care programs in general. Several children who turn to the foster care system require supplies for necessities such as clothing, shelter, and personal care items, which they often find difficult to access on their own (Leffler et al., 2022).
Agencies such as the State Employee Credit Union (SECU) Youth Crisis Center, a Monarch program in Mecklenburg County, have been coming in to assist victims with the necessities and professional services to keep them in good condition as they await placement (Bald et al., 2022). The policy thus aims to empower agencies and like-minded individuals by providing funds that can facilitate their operations as they offer services. If successful, the program will ensure that the bodies providing foster care programs receive $100,000 in grants to enhance their activities.
Historical Analysis
Policies and Programs Previously Developed
The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) is one of the policies that preceded the passage of the Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022. Signed into law in December 2022, CAA was a social program developed to assist families in response to COVID-19 and a foster care program to oversee the successful transition of children to adulthood (Huntington, 2022). While the program was created during a pandemic, it managed to facilitate foster care programs to some level, providing grants to the responsible agencies.
Organizations such as the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program benefited from this initiative. Despite achieving some success, it showed the need for a specific policy for foster care programs. Mixing children’s affairs with other affairs proved ineffective since most attention was given to the other programs, leaving children’s affairs and foster care programs, in particular, unattended.
How the Policy Has Developed Over Time
The Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022 was proposed and created in the fiscal year 2021-2022 by members of Congress under the Congress Act. The new policy will allocate national funds from the government budget to manage and support foster youth and children. Unlike previous policies, such as the CAA, which were developed as emergency measures and combined with other affairs, this new policy will be a long-term program to address children’s affairs and foster care programs independently. The new policy will have an independent budget of 100000 dollars from the federal government to facilitate foster care programs.
Similarly, private agencies providing foster care, such as the SECU, must obtain government licenses before conducting the programs. This will restore sanity and enhance service delivery to the victims (Huntington, 2022). Developing the policy through the Congress Act and making it a federal government-sponsored program will enhance the welfare of children in foster care and the program as a whole.
Historical Insights on Effective/Ineffective Approaches to the Problem
Experience from previous policies, such as CAA, shows that children’s affairs and foster care programs require an independent body with an independent budget to achieve success. Mixing children’s issues with other affairs makes it challenging to regulate the foster care program. With a lack of regulation, the foster care department has made the sector inefficient and has experienced breakdowns.
Youths undergoing foster care have been forced to withdraw from the programs after facing abuse from the caregivers, which interferes with the initial objectives. Past statistics show that the programs are only successful in the first few months but collapse in the middle due to factors attributed to a lack of regulation. Since the government has not previously given the sector attention through funding or regulation, individuals with malicious intentions have used the opportunity to advance their evil practices, such as sexually abusing the victims.
How the Current Program Incorporates Lessons of History
Developing an independent body with its own budget has enhanced the care and service provision for children in the foster care sector. The Act’s budget will create sustainability by empowering agencies in the program. In addition, the new policy will introduce laws and regulations to ensure that only the licensed bodies and persons will receive part of the grant and participate in the program. The changes by the new policy will enhance service in the sector and facilitate efficiency.
Social Analysis
The traumatic experiences in some family setups, such as parental drug abuse, criminal activities, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, and homelessness, have made life unbearable for some children and affected their development. These children become traumatized in their youth, which prevents them from realizing their full potential (“Text – H.R.6656 – 117th Congress,” n.d.). For some, the environment affects their physical, academic, and mental development (“H.R. 6656,” n.d.). To help the children recover and overcome problems such as homelessness, foster care is always provided by some private agencies, such as SECU, and volunteer individuals who offer necessities such as clothing, shelter, food, and provisional services, including counseling, mental therapy, and behavioral training. At the same time, they await placement (Hindt et al., 2022).
Since there has never been a government body responsible for foster care for youth or young children, the program has always been left to well-wishers without funding or regulation. This has made service provision inefficient for the ever-increasing number of youth entering the system. Additionally, the absence of regulation and government active participation has allowed the noble cause to be intruded upon by persons with malicious intentions.
Economic Analysis
Effect of the Policy on the Economy
Unemployment
The Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022 will have a massive impact on the economy, including employment, income, and inflation. Starting with employment, the policy aims to improve foster care programs for youth, ensuring the victims realize their potential during and after placement. Through proper education, the beneficiary will be skilled and absorbed in the labor sector. Unemployment has always been encouraged by youth lacking labor force skills.
Income
The policy will increase income by increasing the labor force. An efficient foster care program will ensure that most youths undergo placement, imparting them with the necessary skills for the labor force. With enough skills to compete for the available opportunities, income will increase. Additionally, extensively skilled labor will increase general economic productivity and income.
Inflation
Inflation is influenced by factors such as income and employment level. The policy, as seen, will increase employment by increasing the number of skilled laborers. This will, in turn, increase both individual and general income. With increased disposable income, the inflation rate will rise because the demand will rise.
Opportunity Cost
Since the majority of children joining foster care programs are from homeless families, the government should have used the budget for the policy to solve homelessness. The fund could have facilitated families that became homeless for economic reasons, and part of the funds could have been used to erect more homes. To a larger extent, this would solve homelessness and reduce the number of cases of foster children.
Cost-Benefit
The Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022 intends to roll out $100,000 in grants for foster care programs. The amount will be divided among the various agencies offering foster care services. The federal government will deduct the amount from its budget every financial year. While the amount is enormous, it is worth the benefits because it will help sustain over 400000 children in foster care and save their future.
Effect of the Problem on Behavior
In addition to the larger economy, the policy will affect the behavior of individuals, firms, and market motivation concerning work motivation, cost of rent, and supply through skills and income. When a larger fraction of the population is skilled, there will be high competition for opportunities and, thus, high work motivation. On the other hand, firms will benefit from the vast labor supply and work motivation to increase their production. The market supply will also increase due to high production and demand.
Political Analysis
Major Stakeholders
The policy has several stakeholders, ranging from Congress, which will be required to pass the Bill to make the act legal and complete, to the federal government, which will implement the program after becoming a Bill. In addition, various agencies, such as the SECU, which has been undertaking the foster care program, and volunteer individuals will form part of the interested groups. The foster youth entering the foster care system will summarize the stakeholders.
How the Program Has Been Legitimized
The Act was introduced in the US Senate by Mrs. Fischer and Mr. Hickenlooper, who had proposed the amendment of title IV of the Social Act to establish a grant program to provide emergency relief to foster youth and improve pre-placement services offered by foster care stabilization agencies, and for other purposes. The proposed Bill was read twice and referred to the Committee per the law’s requirement. The Bill was then voted for by the Senate and House of Representatives and enacted. The basis of legitimization for the policy remains the same for current and future policies.
How the Program Is a Rational Decision-Making
The Act represents an incremental change in the foster care program by empowering the agencies participating. By providing emergency relief in the form of grants, the policy, in the bigger picture, is trying to shape the future of the foster youth and help them realize their full potential. Services provided by the various agencies are cost-oriented and require funds to facilitate. In addition, the policy will help regulate the program through laws.
Political Aspects of the Implementation of the Policy
Opposition
Little opposition was faced during implementation at the voting stage in the US Congress by the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, in which the politics of Democrats and Republicans played out. However, the opposition was managed correctly, and the Bill passed. While the Bill was not political, it attracted hot governmental debate, dividing the two houses.
Policy Evaluation
Outcomes in Relation To Objectives
The Act has created sustainability in the foster care program by incorporating it into the federal government budget. It thus achieved its goal of managing the problem of homeless children and juveniles in mental health facilities. By providing emergency relief through grants totaling 100000 dollars, the relevant bodies became properly funded to offer foster care services. Necessities like clothing, shelter, food, and personal needs became easily affordable to the agencies and the volunteer individuals (Leffer et al., 2022). Besides funding, the Act introduced laws and guidelines that regulated the program.
The bodies participating in the program were required to register and obtain a license from the government to benefit from the provided emergency relief, which promotes sanity and order. Challenges, such as breakdowns caused by a lack of clear policies and laws, have been massively reduced. Individuals who took advantage of the foster care program to exploit youth through sexual abuse and other forms of abuse have been blocked.
Unintended Consequences
The unintended consequence of the policy could be the emergence of many agencies that might apply the provided grants for other uses. Since the government is allocating a significant figure for emergency relief, agencies might use the cover of foster care programs to extort money for other objectives.
Cost-Effective Aspect
The new policy is cost-effective because it has a clear roadmap and regulations for the program. Unlike in the past, when the amount channeled to the program could not be accounted for, the Act enables the government to review the funds used in the program and evaluate the outcome.
References
Bald, A., Doyle Jr, J. J., Gross, M., & Jacob, B. A. (2022). Economics of foster care. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 36(2), 223-46. Web.
H.R. 6656: Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022. (n.d.). GovTrack.us. Web.
Hindt, L. A., & Leon, S. C. (2022). Ecological disruptions and well-being among children in foster care. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92(1), 39. Web.
Huntington, C. (2022). The restatement of the law, children and the law: A blueprint for reforming the child welfare system. Family Court Review, 60(1), 32-39. Web.
Leffler, K., & Ahn, H. (2022). Foster parent perspectives and experiences with public child welfare. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 16(2), 233-248. Web.
Miller, E. (2022). From neglected to nurtured: The crisis of the foster care system and the crucial impact of stability. Digital Commons Liberty. Web.
NASW Press. (2021). Social Work Speaks, 12th Edition: National Association of Social.
Text – H.R.6656 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Foster Care Stabilization Act of 2022. (n.d.). Workers Policy Statements 2021-2023 (12th Ed.).