Foster care bill unanimously passes NC legislature

The Fostering Care in NC Act is now on its way to Gov. Josh Stein after clearing both chambers of the General Assembly with unanimous support this week. The legislation passed the House 109-0 on Wednesday and the Senate 46-0 on Tuesday.

House Bill 612 aims to modernize and strengthen North Carolina’s child welfare system through a wide-ranging set of reforms to foster care, child protective services, juvenile procedures, and social services.

The bill has been through numerous drafts and committee substitutes, with lawmakers citing at least 30 revisions since it was first introduced.

“I think we have a good piece of work here. It is 100% a compromise bill,” said Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash, the bill’s primary sponsor, during the House floor vote. “More of the controversial parts we just took out to make sure that we had something that could gain concurrence. And I just asked that you guys stand with us for one more vote, and let’s move the needle for the children who find themselves in foster care in the state of North Carolina.”

Rep. Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, who has worked on foster care issues for over a decade, also spoke in favor.

“It was very important to me to be a part of this bill and a part of making sure we got it right. So thank you for your patience,” Stevens said.

Provisions included in the foster care bill include:

• Expands eligibility for the state’s Guardianship Assistance Program to children as young as 10
• Grants judges the ability to issue permanent no-contact orders in cases of violent offenses
• Clarifies felony child-abuse statutes for caregivers who allow or commit sexual acts on minors
• Establishes mandatory criminal background checks for city or county employees who work with children
• Requires written documentation and court oversight before unsupervised visitation or reunification with parents occurs

Gaile Osborne, executive director of Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina and foster parent of over 30 children in the last 15 years, explained in a recent op-ed that the legislation addresses critical flaws in the state’s current system that foster parents, caseworkers, and judges have struggled with for years.

The measure would streamline the path to permanency, so children aren’t left in limbo year after year, wondering what their future holds. It would give caregivers a real voice in court, recognizing that those of us walking daily with these children often understand their needs most clearly. And it would bring much-needed transparency and accountability to child welfare decisions — decisions that can change the entire course of a child’s life.

One of the most important elements of HB 612 is the strengthened accountability it would bring to the NC Department of Health and Human Services in overseeing local county social services. In my experience, the quality of child welfare services varies dramatically from county to county. The difference between a child thriving or suffering often comes down to nothing more than a ZIP code. Read more

The bill will be enrolled and presented to Gov. Josh Stein, who is likely to sign the legislation into law given its unanimous passage in the legislature.

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