Bill Text: IL SR0244 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares the month of May 2023 as Foster Care Awareness Month in the State of Illinois.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-31 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Laura M. Murphy [SR0244 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SR0244-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, National Foster Care Month in May of each year is | ||||||
| 3 | a time to place a spotlight on the important role that members | ||||||
| 4 | from all parts of child welfare play in supporting the | ||||||
| 5 | children, youth, and families who are part of the foster care | ||||||
| 6 | system; and
| ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, In 2023, Foster Care Month is focusing on | ||||||
| 8 | highlighting the need to take a holistic and culturally | ||||||
| 9 | responsive approach to supporting the mental health needs of | ||||||
| 10 | those involved with child welfare; and
| ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Mental and behavioral health is the largest unmet | ||||||
| 12 | health need for children and teens in foster care, with up to | ||||||
| 13 | 80% of children in foster care having significant mental | ||||||
| 14 | health issues when compared with approximately 18 to 22% of | ||||||
| 15 | the general population; and
| ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, A holistic approach is required to meaningfully | ||||||
| 17 | address the mental health needs of children, teens, and young | ||||||
| 18 | adults in foster care, which focuses broadly on their | ||||||
| 19 | well-being within the contexts of home, family, school, work, | ||||||
| 20 | and community; and
| ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, Investing in culturally appropriate mental health | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | services that recognize an individual's identity, culture, and | ||||||
| 2 | lived experience may significantly improve the effectiveness | ||||||
| 3 | of those services and supports, thereby improving long-term | ||||||
| 4 | outcomes for foster care youth; and
| ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Relational permanency is fundamental to the | ||||||
| 6 | well-being of children and youth in foster care, as having | ||||||
| 7 | stable, nurturing placements positively impacts their | ||||||
| 8 | resilience and long-term well-being while further allowing | ||||||
| 9 | them to develop their identity and live within or stay | ||||||
| 10 | connected to their community and cultural roots; and
| ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, There are over 391,000 children and youth in | ||||||
| 12 | foster care in the United States, and they all deserve a safe, | ||||||
| 13 | loving, accepting, stable, and nurturing home; therefore, be | ||||||
| 14 | it
| ||||||
| 15 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 16 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare the month of | ||||||
| 17 | May 2023 as Foster Care Awareness Month in the State of | ||||||
| 18 | Illinois.
| ||||||
