A statewide movement to improve foster care was sparked out of the Upstate

Three legislative bills affecting South Carolina foster care, drafted in the Upstate, progressed rapidly through the State House; one bill was already enacted into law while the other two are expected to follow.

Greenville, SC – Speak Up, SC: Voices for Foster Care Reform™, an initiative of Fostering Great Ideas® sparked a statewide movement to improve foster care in South Carolina. Speak Up helped author and advance three legislative proposals that progressed rapidly through the State House and one bill has already become law. These foster care reform measures include:

H. 4510/R.203 (Max 5) – Speak Up proposed legislation, introduced and sponsored by Rep. Anne Thayer, which leaves the current maximum number of foster children at five, but allows up to eight total children in the foster home. Additionally, there are exceptions to the limit for situations such as when DSS can keep siblings together or keep a child in her home community. Before enactment of this change in the law, South Carolina was one of only five states with the total five-child limitation. This bill was ratified by the legislature and then enacted into law by the Governor’s signature on May 25, 2016.

H. 4492 (Reporting) – Speak Up proposed legislation, introduced and sponsored by Rep. Joshua Putnam, that would enhance the right for caregivers to address the court by requiring 10 days’ notice of a hearing and also providing the caregiver the right to submit a written report to the court. Versions of this bill passed both chambers of the legislature and are now in conference committee awaiting approval of a final version as of May 26, 2016.

H.4546 (Normalcy) – Speak Up proposed legislation, introduced and sponsored by Rep. Joshua Putnam, that will entitle children in foster care to participate in age and developmentally appropriate activities and will empower caregivers to exercise the “Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard” in making parenting decisions concerning such activities so as to promote a more normal childhood experience for children in foster care. This bill passed both chambers of the legislature and awaits ratification as of May 26, 2016 to go to the Governor’s desk.

“By offering common sense legislation that improves the lives of children in Foster Care, we’ve seen people rally in a powerful way,” said Dan Bracken, Broker in Charge for Leonardi Bracken Real Estate and Director of Policy for Speak Up. “Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can do something. Speak Up is providing a way for grandparents, foster parents, caseworkers, guardians, former foster youth, and people who care to use their voice to effect positive change. Ultimately, our goal is for each of the 4,000 children in South Carolina Foster Care to have an adult willing to be their voice in the legislative process.”

Trey Ingram, a Smith Moore Leatherwood attorney and legal advisor for Speak Up describes the legislation, “We had three criteria for legislation to be considered: the child had to come first, the legislation had to improve the system, and the legislation couldn’t be controversial. For example, the Normalcy bill proposes that a caregiver, who is entrusted by the state with the care and safety of the child, can make those routine decisions for a child that currently require special permission. For example, decisions such as approving a sleepover, a sports activity, a summer job or going to camp, or even taking the child on a family vacation. For the child, this will free them to experience a more normal childhood; for the caregiver, they are empowered to make reasonable parenting decisions; and for the caseworker, their load is lightened so they can focus on more important things rather than permission slips.”

Carey Paudler, a former social worker and lead researcher for Speak Up added, “We researched and studied best practices and successful initiatives all across the country. House bill 4546 (Normalcy) originated out of Florida as was wildly successful there.”

Speak Up’s leadership team has been surprised by how fast the group’s reach has spread. Annie Maertens, who holds a master’s degree in social work and serves as the Communications Director for Speak Up, remarked “We’re receiving phone calls and emails from every corner of the state on a daily basis. We are witnessing a pent-up demand for systemic change and improvement. Giving people a place to channel their voices provides benefits beyond policy reform.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever received this level of interest for foster care legislation. Every time, their bills were due for a vote, all of us [S.C. Senators] were inundated with emails of support. On a typical bill we may receive three or four emails. For these bills, we received close to 300 emails a piece, on multiple occasions,” said Senator Larry Martin, who chaired the S.C. Senate Judiciary Committee’s review of the legislation. “When the people of South Carolina speak so loudly, it gets our attention. These bills make sense and are good for our children in foster care.”

The foster care reform legislation presented this year was authored by Representatives Joshua Putnam and Anne Thayer from the Upstate. Representative Putnam explained his involvement, “I have friends who foster and who are social workers, so the issue is near to my heart. I was elected to serve all the people in my district and that includes our most vulnerable citizens, children in foster care.” Representative Thayer added, “I previously served on the Foster Care Review Board, which brought me face to face with these children and families. The opportunity to impact change for them, is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Anyone interested in participating in the legislative proposals can email [email protected] or by calling 864-380-4537.
About Speak Up 

Speak Up, SC: Voices of Foster Care Reform™ is an initiative of Fostering Great Ideas®, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children as they struggle in foster care.