SAN ANTONIO — As a former CASA advocate, working to improve the foster care system around Texas and the entire country has been at the top of the list of United State (TX) Congressman Tony Gonzales.
"Will it change the foster care system? Yes. Yes it will," said Gonzales. "We'll see small incremental steps that will absolutely be worth fighting for."
Congressman Gonzales authored the Find And Protect Foster Youth Act which aims to create an improved feedback system between states and the Administration Of Children And Families. The bipartisan bill will work to provide better oversight and information sharing to improve the foster care child welfare system around the entire country.
"Why did you run away? Were you assaulted while you were away? Were you homeless? Was there drug abuse?," all questions being asked by the Congressman in relation to the verbiage in the bill. "And then it gives you the tools you need to get back on track, but it also tracks metrics if we're gonna invest resources toward protecting our children, we gotta have the numbers to back that up."
Congressman Gonzales noted in our interview that every state across the country does things different within the child welfare system, and the bill is the best way to standardize that.
"When a child in the foster care system runs away, we have to protect them," he said. "We have to find out how and why they ran away and when they come back we have to nurture them, just like they are our own children."
Gonzales said he's excited that this will be the new law of the land (pending President Biden's signature), and reiterated that answers will come quicker as to why that happened and to help that child move forward with success afterwards.
"We will get them the resources they need," he said. "We will also help those agencies and groups that so many times are alone get the resources they need to tackle the issue."
Congressman Gonzales said he is very excited for the legislation to be enacted. And again, it has been passed and currently awaits the signature of President Joe Biden.