For Immediate Release Monday, June 23, 2003
Contact: Gina Russo, The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, 202.687.0697

Washington, D.C. – Launched in May 2003, the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care is an independent, nonpartisan commission dedicated to improving outcomes for some of the nation's most vulnerable children. The Commission has approximately a year to develop effective, practical, bipartisan policy recommendations to:

• Improve existing federal financing mechanisms to facilitate faster movement of children from foster care into safe, permanent families and to reduce the need to place children in foster care; and

• Improve court oversight of child welfare cases to facilitate better and more timely decisions related to children's safety, permanence, and well-being.

The Commission is interested in considering a broad array of options related to these two areas and would welcome input from interested parties. Submissions should address federal financing and/or the courts, and should be compatible with the Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) priorities of safety, permanence and well-being for all children.

If you would like to submit input for the Commission's consideration, please use the format below. All submissions must be received by August 1, 2003.

Format for Submission

• Comments should relate to federal financing and/or court performance.
  
• Comments on any one issue or option should not exceed 5 pages.
  
• Any options offered should describe the specific financing or court-related problem they are designed to address.
  
• Submissions should briefly explain how an option or concern is consistent with one or more of the ASFA priorities of safety, permanence, and well-being.

If you are unable to submit electronically, you may fax to 202-687-4805, or mail to Attention: Input, The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, 2233 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 535, Washington, DC, 20007. Please include contact information (name, phone number and email address) on the first page of your document.

About the Commission

The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care is an independent, nonpartisan commission supported through a grant by The Pew Charitable Trusts to the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC. For additional information on the Commission, its mission, members and timeline, contact Gina Russo at 202-687-0697 or mediaiq@comcast.net