Rep. Davis Speaks at White House Convening on Child Welfare Transformation

Rep. Danny K. Davis Speaks at White House Convening on Child Welfare Transformation

I have dedicated my Congressional career to improving the child welfare system, and I was delighted to participate in the Child Welfare Transformation Convening by the White House this week. The speakers highlighted the Biden-Harris accomplishments in strengthening families and ignited a commitment to innovation. Please read my comments below.

Remarks by Rep. Danny K. Davis (as prepared)

White House Convening on Child Welfare Transformation

July 30, 2024

Let me thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, Director Tanden, Deputy Director Gordon, Deputy Assistant Secretary Lynch-Smith, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Hild, and Commissioner Jones Gaston for this convening focused on transforming child welfare. I also thank the philanthropy community for its investment in a coordinated focus on strengthening families to reduce foster care involvement and to increase permanency.

I am just delighted to join you today to collectively ignite a united commitment to transformation. I have dedicated my Congressional career to improving the child welfare system, and I have the privilege of serving as the most senior Democrat in the House of Representatives on the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over child welfare.

In this role, I have closely watched this administration's leadership to reform child welfare by: improving access to legal representation to strengthen families and address racial inequities in the system; promoting separate licensing standards for kin to increase stability, reduce trauma, and promote equity; supporting struggling families by discouraging states from charging parents child support when their children enter care; ensuring safe and appropriate placements for youth to put the child's needs front-and-center; and protecting foster youth assets to help them thrive.

I had the privilege of hosting an intern from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute this summer by the name of Shye. Her policy paper focused on how we can embrace the SOUL Family model from Kansas to strengthen federal policy. Both the SOUL movement and Shye's work demonstrate how lived experience and youth-driven ideas will help advance transformation.

I am proud that there is bipartisan commitment to improving child welfare, in part evidenced by our unanimous passage out of the Ways and Means Committee of a IV-B reauthorization bill just last week. We still have a lot of work to do for vulnerable children, but today's convening excites me about our commitment to innovation. Thank you for the invitation to speak today. I know it will be an exciting day.