Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2023

The Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2023 requires states to develop annual "family partnership plans" to improve recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive families. These plans must include input from foster/adoptive families, youth with foster care experience, and community providers, and detail how states will use data to address racial disparities, reduce group care placements, and match families to children’s needs. States must annually report on foster family demographics, underutilized placements, challenges faced by caregivers, and progress toward increasing kinship and culturally matched placements. The bill applies to all states receiving federal foster care funding under the Social Security Act, mandating these updates in their annual federal child welfare reports to Congress starting in 2025.