SB162 amends parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act to strengthen recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive families by requiring a family partnership plan developed in consultation with families, providers, and youth. The plan must describe how relatives and other potential placement resources will be identified, notified, engaged, and supported; how child-specific recruitment will occur for every child in or entering foster care; and how data will be used to set goals, assess needs, measure progress, reduce congregate care, and improve placement stability and kinship placements.
The bill also requires annual updates and reporting on foster family capacity, licensed families, and the barriers families face, plus mechanisms for feedback from foster parents and youth. It takes effect in 2026, with a potential delay if state legislation is required to meet the new requirements.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill amends Section 422(b)(7) to require a new family partnership plan and adds a detailed set of plan requirements (1–6), including stakeholder consultation, recruitment strategies, data use, and support structures. It also mandates annual reporting on foster family capacity and congregate care. Section 3 adds state-by-state data on foster/adoptive families to the annual welfare outcomes report.
Who It Affects
State child welfare agencies, licensed foster and adoptive families, kinship networks, youth with lived experience, and service providers involved in recruitment, licensure, and support.
Why It Matters
The measure creates a data-informed path to expand and diversify the foster/adoptive family pool, improve placement stability, and reduce reliance on congregate care by making recruitment, licensing, and support more systematic and accountable.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill would require each state to adopt a formal family partnership plan as part of its child welfare program. This plan is to be developed with input from a broad set of stakeholders, including birth, kinship, foster, and adoptive families, as well as community-based providers and youth with experience in foster care and adoption.
The plan would describe how states will identify and engage relatives and other potential placement resources, how they will implement child-specific recruitment for each child entering foster care, and how they will authentically involve youth in recruitment efforts. A central feature is the use of data to set goals, measure progress, and adjust strategies to reduce unnecessary congregate care and improve placement stability, including an emphasis on increasing kinship placements to reflect the needs of children in care.
The plan must also establish a framework for foster family advisory boards and must include ongoing reporting and feedback mechanisms to monitor licensure, training, and reasons families discontinue fostering or experiences with adoption and guardianship returns. The bill also requires annual state reporting on foster family capacity, characteristics, and barriers, along with a summary of feedback from families and youth about licensure, training, and support.
Finally, the bill broadens the annual welfare outcomes report to include state-by-state data on foster and adoptive families and the barriers to recruitment, licensure, and engagement, which should inform congressional oversight.
In terms of timing, the amendments would take effect October 1, 2026, with a possible delay if a state requires legislation to meet the new requirements. This keeps implementation tied to state readiness and any needed legal scaffolding, while ensuring a uniform floor for data collection and reporting across states once in place.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill adds a family partnership plan requirement to Section 422(b)(7).
The plan must be developed with input from birth, kinship, foster and adoptive families, providers, and youth.
The plan requires child-specific recruitment plans for every child in or entering foster care.
The plan uses data to set goals, assess needs, and measure progress to improve placements and reduce congregate care.
States must annually report foster family capacity and barriers, with feedback from families and youth.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025.
State plan amendment: creation of a family partnership plan
Section 422(b)(7) is amended to include a formal “family partnership plan” and to require the State to develop the plan in consultation with birth, kinship, foster, and adoptive families, community-based providers, technical assistance providers, and youth with lived foster care/adoption experience. The plan must describe how relatives and other potential placement resources will be identified, notified, engaged, and supported; how the State will implement child-specific recruitment for every child in or entering foster care; how youth will be authentically engaged in recruitment; how data will be used to set goals and measure progress; and how foster family advisory boards will be stood up or supported. The plan must be updated annually and include a review of foster family capacity, congregate care utilization, and the factors driving placements, as well as feedback from families and youth. It must also analyze barriers to recruiting a racially and ethnically representative foster/adoptive pool and outline actions to overcome those barriers. The Secretary may require additional information as part of the plan.
Effective date and transition
The amendments take effect on October 1, 2026. If a State plan approved under subpart 1 of part B of title IV requires State legislation (other than appropriations) to meet the new requirements, the plan will not be deemed noncompliant solely for missing the new requirements before the first calendar quarter following the end of the first regular session of the State legislature after enactment.
Inclusion of foster/adoptive family information in welfare reports
Section 479A(a) is amended to add a new data item providing: (A) State-by-State data on the number, demographics, and characteristics of foster and adoptive families and the number of potential families not being utilized and why; (B) a summary of challenges and barriers faced by foster/adoptive parents, including recruitment, licensure, engagement, and retention; (C) a summary of challenges and barriers States reported regarding recruiting a racially/ethnically representative pool and efforts to overcome them. These additions support ongoing congressional oversight and inform policy adjustments.
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Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- State child welfare agencies gain a structured framework for recruitment, licensure, and retention planning.
- Foster, birth, kinship, and adoptive families benefit from clearer engagement processes, improved support, and formal advisory boards.
- Youth in foster care gain more authentic involvement and potentially more placement options and stability.
- Community-based service providers and technical assistance organizations gain defined roles in delivering recruitment and support services.
- States benefit from data-driven goals and accountability to improve outcomes.
Who Bears the Cost
- State and local child welfare agencies will incur costs to develop, implement, and annually update the family partnership plan and related data systems.
- Agencies will face ongoing data collection and reporting requirements, potentially including IT upgrades and staff training.
- Foster and adoptive families may experience increased participation demands (planning sessions, feedback, advisory board participation).
- Providers delivering recruitment, licensing, and support services may incur compliance expenses to align with new plan requirements.
- Congressional and federal oversight costs may rise due to expanded reporting requirements.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing a robust, data-driven recruitment and planning regime with the practical costs and administrative demands on states, while ensuring that the drive for numbers does not overshadow the best interests and individualized needs of children in foster care.
The bill’s emphasis on data and annual reporting creates several practical tensions. States must build or adapt data systems to track foster family capacity, licensing status, and barriers to recruitment and retention, which could require upfront IT investments and ongoing maintenance.
Privacy, equity, and data quality are essential considerations to ensure that data accurately reflect the needs of children and families without exposing sensitive information. The requirement to report on the racial and ethnic alignment of foster families with children’s backgrounds could raise concerns about how data are categorized and used, and states may need guidance to avoid unintended biases while pursuing a more representative placement pool.
Budgetary trade-offs are another tension. The new reporting and planning requirements will demand staff time and potentially new personnel, which could compete with direct service delivery if funding is constrained.
States with smaller child welfare agencies or complex jurisdictions may face greater implementation challenges, potentially widening disparities in capacity to comply ahead of the October 1, 2026 deadline. Finally, there is a policy trade-off between pursuing aggressive recruitment and maintaining the child’s best interests, ensuring that increased placement capacity does not outpace a child’s readiness or the quality of the placement match.
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