VFA-Convened State Advisory Council Approves Foster and Adoptive Parent Recommendations

On October 9, Voice for Adoption convened the inaugural meeting of its State Advisory Council for Adoption and Permanency. The Council, which is comprised of state agency representatives from 43 states, is developing nonpartisan, consensus-based federal recommendations across a range of adoption and permanency issues.

The Council’s recommendations represent the consensus views of state public agencies, not Voice for Adoption. Nevertheless, we expect there to be substantial overlap with VFA’s policy priorities on many issues. This work is part of a larger effort at outreach to key stakeholder groups, including state child welfare associations, national partner organizations, and VFA’s membership and board, among others.

The October 9 meeting of the State Advisory Council also included several federal policymakers who were invited to attend, including senior congressional staff from both parties and senior HHS and White House staff from the outgoing Biden administration. Each offered suggestions for the Council’s consideration. Representatives from the incoming Trump administration are also expected to be invited to meet with the Council once they are in place.

Substantively, the first meeting focused on developing recommendations on foster care and adoptive parent recruitment and retention. Upcoming meetings of the Council will develop recommendations for supporting kinship families (January) and providing enhanced post-adoption and post-permanency supports (April). The topic of the fourth meeting, set for June, has not yet been determined.

Generous support for the Council has been provided by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Casey Family Programs.