National Foster Care Month, 2012

Proclamation 8814 of May 2, 2012

National Foster Care Month, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Childhood is a time for our young people to grow and
learn, protected by their families and safe in their
homes. But for almost half a million children who are
unable to remain at home through no fault of their own,
childhood can be a time of sadness, pain, and
separation. These children need and deserve safe,
loving, and permanent families who can help restore
their sense of well-being and give them hope for the
future.

During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the
promise of America's children and youth in foster care,
and we commend the devotion and selflessness of the
foster parents who step in to care for them. We also
pay tribute to the professionals nationwide who work to
improve the safety of our most vulnerable children and
assist their families in addressing the issues that
brought them into the child welfare system. In
communities across America, dedicated men and women--in
schools, faith-based and community organizations,
parent and advocacy groups--volunteer their time as
mentors, tutors, and advocates for children in foster
care. We all have a role to play in ensuring our
children and youth grow up with the rich opportunities
and support they need to reach their full potential.

My Administration is committed to increasing positive
outcomes for every infant and child in foster care, and
to promoting a successful transition to adulthood for
older youth. We are working to increase permanency
through reunification, adoption, and guardianship; to
prevent maltreatment; to reduce rates of re-entry into
foster care; and to ensure all qualified caregivers
have the opportunity to serve as foster parents.
Through the Child and Family Services Improvement and
Innovation Act, we are granting States more flexibility
in supporting a range of services for children in
foster care, including health care and treatment of
emotional trauma. And through the Affordable Care Act,
beginning in 2014, every State will be required to
extend Medicaid coverage up to age 26 for former foster
youth.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the
Children's Bureau, an agency within the Department of
Health and Human Services that carries forward a legacy
of protecting our Nation's children and strengthening
families through programs like the Permanency
Innovations Initiative. Over 5 years, this initiative
is investing $100 million in new strategies to identify
permanent homes for youth in long-term foster care,
including more than 100,000 children awaiting adoption,
and to reducing time spent in foster care placements.

National Foster Care Month is a time to reflect on the
many ways government, social workers, foster families,
religious institutions, and others are helping improve
the lives of children in foster care, and it also
serves as a reminder that we cannot rest until every
child has a safe, loving, and permanent home. Together,
we give thanks to those individuals from all walks of
life who have opened their hearts and their homes to a
child, and we rededicate ourselves to ensuring a bright
and hopeful future for America's foster youth.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 2012 as National
Foster Care Month. I encourage all Americans to observe
this month by dedicating their time, love, and
resources to helping youth in foster care, whether by
taking time to mentor, lending a hand to a foster
family, or taking an active role in their communities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand
twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.