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
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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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
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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
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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
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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
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21 | WHEREAS, Investing in culturally appropriate mental health |
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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