Pennsylvania's implementation of federal law allows youth to remain ...

BY CLARA RITGER, For The Patriot-News

Pennsylvania?s implementation of a federal law will provide financial incentive for adoption, saving the state millions of dollars in foster-care expenses each year and cementing a home for thousands of foster youth statewide.

Gov. Tom Corbett, at the recommendation of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, included in the 2012-2013 budget the full adoption of the 2008 Fostering Connections Act. Full implementation will save the state $5.5 million in 2012-2013 and an estimated $26.3 million in 2016-2017, PPC figures report.

?The administrative costs involved with foster care don?t exist with adoption or guardianship,? PPC Spokesman Michael Race said. He listed personal attorneys, court appearances, caseworkers and private provider agencies among the foster-care costs not associated with adoption or legal guardianship.

Fostering Connections extends adoption and guardianship subsidies until age 21, expands the eligibility criteria for youth who can remain in care until age 21, and allows youth to re-enter foster care between the ages of 18 and 21. Only 15 states have enacted some of the provisions for older youth in Fostering Connections, Race said.

For nearly 28,000 foster youth in Pennsylvania, these changes can result in full adoption, a fix for family budgets, and a positive financial result for the state.

?If we were to get a boy who needed legal guardianship or adoption, we definitely would consider it now,? said Gary and Susan Fox, foster parents in Adams County.

The couple has provided a home for more than 25 foster children. They have children of their own but started bringing in foster children after theirs had moved out.

?One of our [foster] kids said to me, ?I didn?t realize what you did for me and what a big influence you had on me.? It?s very rewarding,? Gary Fox said.

Gary and Susan Fox spoke warmly about their foster children, telling stories about Amy, now a registered nurse and Jimmy, an army veteran who recently married. Because many of their foster children grew up and moved out prior to the Fostering Connections law, the Foxes paid out of pocket to cover four years worth of expenses when the children stayed past 18.

?At 18, no matter where they were in school, the funds would stop coming,? Gary Fox said. ?Most kids at 18 aren?t ready to be on their own.?

Susan Fox explained that often foster children are emotionally underdeveloped and sometimes leave care before they?re ready. At 18, foster children are allowed to sign themselves out of care. Before Fostering Connections, that meant they could never come back.

One solution is for the family to adopt or assume legal guardianship of the youth. With Pennsylvania?s decision to continue subsidies for families who pursue that course, the incentive is there.

?An estimated 1,200 additional youth could be adopted or supported through legal guardianship within the next 5 years, according to our analysis,? Race said. He said that 9.9 percent of all Pennsylvania foster youth, around 2,700 young adults, are over the age of 18.

The changes also allow foster youth to re-sign themselves into care.

?That magic 18 isn?t for me,? said Scott Swartz, a foster parent who said he wasn?t as concerned about losing the subsidy as he was about the child?s ability to stay in care. ?It?s for them. I?ve seen kids sign out and then realize that it?s a mistake. But before the full-adoption of federal law that would mean it?s too late.?

Swartz lives in York County as a full-time, single foster parent. He has provided a home for close to 100 boys over a 14-year period. Although he has not adopted any, he is their father.

?Do you want to talk to Dad?? Steven asked. He is 18 years old and has lived with Scott for about five years.

Steven has been in the foster-care system for seven years. He was with Scott when his biological father passed away.

?He told Scott to take good care of me,? Steven said. ?Scott is more like a father figure to me. If I wasn?t in care, I?d probably be in a lot more trouble because I wouldn?t learn how to stay out of it.?

Swartz currently cares for 8 boys. James, age 14, has been with Scott for a year and a half.

?Scott?s my favorite,? James said. ?I get to do a lot more here. He?s like a dad to me.?

Swartz said he believes the law will influence more people to become foster parents and eventually adopt.

?It is going to make it easier for more people who want to to step up to the plate,? he said. ?It?s about longevity -- building a long-term relationship with these kids and giving them a place to come back to, when they need it most.?

Clara Ritger is an intern with the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents? Association.

Source: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/07/states_implementation_of_a_fed.html

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