To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require States to administer qualifying examinations to all State employees with new authority to make decisions regarding child welfare services, to expedite the permanent placement of foster children, to facilitate the placement of foster children in permanent kinship care arrangements, and to require State agencies, in considering applications to adopt certain foster children, to give preference to applications of a foster parent or caretaker relative of the child.
Omnibus Foster Care Improvement Act of 1997 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require States to administer qualifying examinations to all State employees with new authority to make decisions regarding child welfare services.
Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from making a child welfare assistance payment to a State unless the State has in effect procedures requiring the State agency, at the time a child is removed from a home and placed in foster care under State supervision, to locate any parent of the child who is not living at the home and evaluate that parent's ability to provide a suitable home for the child.
Gives States the option of deeming as adoption the placement of a child who was under State-supervised foster care with a blood relative given legal custody of the child.
Prohibits the Secretary, after a five-year interim period, from making a child welfare assistance payment to a State unless the State requires a State agency to give preference to applications of a foster parent or caretaker relative of the child in considering applications to adopt certain foster children.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
checking server…
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line