Bipartisan Bill Would Promote Peer Mentorship to Help Parents & Caregivers of Children Receiving Child Welfare Services, Foster Parents & Adoptive Parents

WASHINGTON(July 25, 2024) - Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA) has introduced a bipartisan bill that would promote peer mentorship across the child-welfare system to help parents and caregivers of youth receiving services, foster parents and adoptive parents. The House Ways and Means Committee approved substantially similar legislation Wednesday.

Evans, a member of the committee, introduced the PEER (Parents Engaging with Experienced Resilient) Mentors Act (H.R. 9041) with four co-lead sponsors: Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE); Ways and Means colleagues Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Gwen Moore (D-WI); and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA). The legislation also has the support of several stakeholder groups.

Evanssaid, "This would help more parents of vulnerable young people to get vital assistance, and I believe that starting out with bipartisan support increases the chance of passing this type of legislation in the full House. I want to thank all four co-lead sponsors for coming together to help parents and kids!"

"Navigating the child welfare system as a foster care parent can be challenging," said Rep. Bacon. "Stability in a safe-loving environment is critical for children who have been in the foster care system. The PEER Mentors Act will help provide support for new foster care parents as they step up to care for kids in foster care."

"Washington's Department of Children, Youth, and Families provides hope to families and children, offering mentoring programs to foster parents and caregivers navigating the child welfare system. We should be doing all that we can to ensure every child receives the best care possible, regardless of their background or where they call home," said Rep. DelBene. "That's why we must pass the PEER Mentors Act to expand these essential services nationwide and build on Washington state's model. By providing families with resources they need, we can ensure every child not only survives but thrives."

The PEER Mentors Act would amend the Social Security Act to include peer mentorship services as eligible for funding as part of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program. The legislation would promote mentorship from:

● parents who have received family preservation services with positive child and family outcomes to parents who are currently receiving family preservation services to best navigate the child welfare system;

● experienced foster parents to current foster parents to support and retain foster parents;

● both former foster parents and parents who have received family reunification services and sustained reunification to current foster parents and parents receiving family reunification services to promote constructive relationships between birth and foster parents that can promote stability for the child and lead to reunification; and

● mentors who can support parents receiving adoption promotion and support services.

Endorsing organizations include Voice for Adoption, the National Foster Parent Association, the National Foster Youth Institute, the Child Welfare League of America, Foster Club and the Children's Trust Fund Alliance.

"Peer-to-peer supports are an essential component of the Core Supports that provide the foundation for successful Family Based Care," said Arnie Eby, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA). "NFPA is proud to endorse the PEER Mentors Act and is grateful to Representative Evans and the co-lead sponsors for their attention to this critical need."

"Mentoring provides an important source of trusted, critical information for adoptive parents. Greater use of such peer supports could help reduce adoption disruption and dissolution," said Patrick Lester, executive director of Voice for Adoption. "Voice for Adoption supports the PEER Mentors Act and thanks Representative Evans and the co-lead sponsors for introducing this important legislation."

The National Foster Youth Institute provided this statement in support: "NFYI strongly supports efforts to build mentorship opportunities within the child welfare system. The Parents Engaging with Experienced Resilient (PEER) Mentors Act of 2024 provides an opportunity for collaboration between former and current foster parents and those involved in reunification services to help create a stable environment for children."

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