- Home
- » Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351)
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351)
The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions ActThe Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (H.R. 6893) (the FCA or Fostering Connections Act) was signed into law on October 7, 2008, as Public Law 110-351. FCA amended parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act to connect and support relative caregivers, improve outcomes for children in foster care, provide for Tribal foster care and adoption access, improve incentives for adoption, and for other purposes. was signed into law on October 7, 2008. This page features links to a legislative overview, implementation guidance from the Children's Bureau, and other resources providing additional information on the Fostering Connections Act.
Legislation overview
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351) (PDF - 100 KB)
Includes the full text of the Fostering Connections Act.
ACYF-CB-PI-08-05
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008)
Outlines basic information about the provisions of the Fostering Connections Act for States, Tribes, and territories. This summary is intended to introduce the enacted provisions rather than provide substantive guidance on implementing the law.
Compilation of Titles IV-B, IV-E and Related Sections of the Social Security Act - Draft
Includes the Social Security Act with changes from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) enacted March 23, 2010, and the Fostering Connections Act. (PDF - 291 KB)
Major Provisions of the Act
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2009)
In Major Federal Legislation Concerned with Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption
Describes in brief the major provisions of the Fostering Connections Act.
Implementation
Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008: Working Document
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Provides a reference for stakeholders interested in locating Children's Bureau policy, guidance, and other implementation activities related to the Fostering Connections Act.
Fostering Connections to Success Act: Moving From Act to Action (PDF - 1,313 KB)
Everett
Children's Rights, 11(3), 2009
Discusses how lawyers and judges could use the Fostering Connections Act to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system.
Fostering Connections Implementation State Survey
National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators
Presents survey results on how all 50 States and the District of Columbia are implementing the Fostering Connections Act.
Judicial Guide to Implementing the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (PL 110-351) (PDF - 183 KB)
American Bar Association, Children's Rights Litigation Committee (2009)
Presents an overview of each section of Fostering Connections, outlines general judicial considerations for implementation, and provides questions to be asked from the bench to help ensure compliance with the law and best practice.
Additional resources
ACYF-CB-PI-10-11: An Overview of the Comprehensive Fostering Connections PI(PDF – 1129 KB)
Sharp (2010)
Presents an overview of the Fostering Connections Act. This PowerPoint was presented by Elizabeth Sharp, Program Specialist, Policy Division, Children's Bureau, at the 2010 Policy to Practice Dialogue Conference in Washington, DC.
Fostering Connections
National Resource Center for Youth Development
Details the key elements in the Fostering Connections Act of importance to older youth.
Fostering Connections Act
Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
Reviews the education provisions of the Fostering Connections Act, provides a State Implementation Toolkit around the education provisions, and addresses the overlap between Fostering Connections and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Fostering Connections: From Vision to Implementation
National CASA Association
Judges Page Newsletter, July 2011
Includes a series of articles addressing many of the child welfare issues targeted by the Fostering Connections Act, including maintaining sibling connections and improving educational outcomes for children in foster care, extending foster care beyond age 18, the impact of the law on American Indian families in the child welfare system, and more.
Fostering Connections: New Notification Requirements May Help Fathers and Paternal Relatives Become Involved With Their Children (PDF - 672)
National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System
QIC News, Winter 2010
Explains how the Fostering Connections Act will help preserve familial relationships involving nonresident fathers and paternal kin at critical points in the child welfare process, including investigation of a complaint, placement, and permanency goal determination.
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act Resources
Center for Law and Social Policy
Offers resources detailing the Fostering Connections provisions, including answers to questions about how the law will help children raised by grandparents and other relatives, sample State legislation to implement the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program, and more.