Fostering Connections Act Elements and Efforts for Improved Foster Care Outcomes

Approximately 400,000 children were living in foster care in fiscal year 2012, according to the most recent data available. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 is an omnibus child welfare bill designed to ensure greater permanence and improve the well-being of children served by public child welfare agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees states' implementation of federal child welfare requirements. This book examines steps states have taken to implement selected provisions of the act and challenges they have faced, and the extent to which HHS has monitored states' efforts.