River Region Times

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL) and Congresswoman Susan Wild (D-PA) introduced the Advocates for Families Act of 2024. This legislation aims to ensure families have access to a family advocate throughout all levels of administrative and legal proceedings to facilitate smoother and expedited navigation of the child welfare system.

By allowing the participation of a family advocate, this bill intends to reduce the trauma and instability experienced by children who are temporarily removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Additionally, it aims to decrease the duration of out-of-home placements and ultimately reunite children with their parents or relatives in a timely manner. The bill is supported by the Family Forward Project.

“More than 600,000 children each year enter the United States Foster Care System, and it's vital that these children and their families have legal guidance during this process,” said Moore. “This legislation will improve negotiations between families and the system, streamline and expedite the process, reduce stress on foster children, parents, and families, and save taxpayer dollars by decreasing reliance on federal funding."

“Every family deserves support when navigating through the complex and stressful child welfare system,” said Rep. Wild. “This bipartisan legislation would close lengthy and expensive loopholes, provide critical legal assistance to individuals wishing to exercise their rights, and most importantly, reduce the stress and trauma felt by hundreds of thousands of children who must navigate this system every year. I’m proud to support any legislation that prioritizes the wellbeing of the most vulnerable among us, and I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in advocating for its swift passage.”

"Family Forward is proud and enthusiastic about introducing the Advocates for Families Act of 2024. The child welfare and foster care system has faced many challenges in providing resources and continuity for children brought to state agencies' attention due to allegations of abuse or neglect," stated Family Forward Project. "Family Forward’s grassroots efforts to identify families' needs, support rehabilitation when possible, encourage kinship involvement are catalysts for developing this legislation. This law will permit families to engage with an advocate at all levels of state child welfare involvement to facilitate better outcomes for children and families. Family Forward’s national outreach involving more than 19,000 families looks forward to expanding their ability to reduce foster care need while building stronger families with this law's passage."