Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025

Senate Bill

S. 162

119th Congress

Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 21, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Charles E. Grassley

Senator

Republican

IA

Cosponsors

4

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Families

Summary

This bill requires state child welfare plans to include family partnership plans for improving foster care placement stability, increasing kinship placements, and aligning foster and adoptive families with children needs. The Children Bureau must include foster family data in annual reports.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires state child welfare plans to include family partnership plans for improving foster care placement stability, increasing kinship placements, and aligning foster and adoptive families with children needs. The Children Bureau must include foster family data in annual reports.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025This bill requires state plans for child welfare services to provide for the development and implementation of a family partnership plan to improve foster care placement stability, increase rates of kinship placements, and align the composition of foster and adoptive families with the needs of children in or entering foster care.The Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families also must include in its annual report information from states about the number, demographics, and characteristics of foster and adoptive families as well as a summary of the challenges related to recruiting and being foster or adoptive parents.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires state family partnership plans for foster care
Aims to improve placement stability for foster children
Increases focus on kinship placements
Aligns foster families with children needs
Requires annual reporting on foster family demographics

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Foster children would benefit from better matching with families and more stable placements. Using data to recruit foster and adoptive families could reduce the challenges of finding appropriate homes for children in care.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Families

Related Subjects

Adoption and foster care

Child safety and welfare

Congressional oversight

Family relationships

Family services

Government information and archives

State and local government operations

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

162, 119th Congress (2025). "Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-162