INDIANA – Foster Success program participants and leaders met with members of the Indiana General Assembly today for the organization’s Fourth Annual Day at the Statehouse.
The event, sponsored by The Corydon Group with support from the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation, included young people with lived experience in foster care leading policy pitches and sharing personal stories with lawmakers, highlighting barriers they face and offering solutions to improve outcomes for older foster youth.
Foster Success youth focused on three key policy priorities:
- Foster Parent Training and Review Hours – Advocating to increase required foster parent training by 20 hours and to include two young people with lived experience in foster care on the board that reviews foster parent training and informational materials. Youth say their perspectives are essential to ensuring foster parents are well-prepared to meet the real needs of children in care.
- Access to Accurate Medical Records – Encouraging standardized tracking guidelines of youths in care, “Medical Passport”, a 34-page document which tracks the youth’s medical records. Many young people in care receive incomplete or inaccurate medical documentation, making it difficult to receive consistent and appropriate healthcare as they move between placements.
- Codifying the Foster Youth Bill of Rights – Supporting legislation that would formally establish the Foster Youth Bill of Rights in Indiana law and urging lawmakers to vote in favor of SB 15 to ensure these rights are protected statewide.
“Foster Success’ Day at the Statehouse gives young people the opportunity to directly inform policymakers about what is and isn’t working in the system,” said Foster Success President and CEO, Dr. Maggie Stevens. “Their voices are powerful, and their lived experience brings clarity and urgency to policy discussions that can shape better outcomes for current and future foster youth.”
Foster Success works to ensure that older foster youth have the resources, relationships, and advocacy needed to successfully transition to adulthood. The organization believes meaningful policy change must include the voices of those most impacted by the foster care system.
For more information about Foster Success, visit www.fostersuccess.org.
