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Foster children would be presented with their own copy of this bill of rights. |
"All children have a bill of rights, but foster kids are special kids," Uresti told the San Antonio's Express-News. "They are the children of Texas, and Texas is responsible for them.
There were an estimated 34,000 children involved in the foster care system in Texas in the year 2006, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The new bill will create a list of rights that belong to every foster child so that each and every one would be educated on their personal freedoms and legal rights.
"There is very little stability for (foster kids). They may bounce from parent to parent, home to home, school to school, from one set of rules to another. What is OK or even emphasized in one environment may be forbidden in the next," Rodriguez wrote to Express-News.
"A lot of the kids in foster care have gone through an awful lot. Their parents may be incarcerated, deceased, on drugs or may have had rights terminated," Uresti said. "We just want to give them respect and hope."
Foster children would then be presented with their own copy of this bill of rights, and someone would sit down and explain the list to them so that they understand their rights, something that will empower many foster children and hopefully cut down on the abuse that many foster children suffer. In addition, if the child has a learning disability or speaks a language other than English, the list of rights would be presented to them in a way so that they understand them.
"The legislation asserts a foster child's right to a safe, healthy, and comfortable home that's free of abuse, discrimination, or harassment. It would mean a foster child has the right to adequate amounts of healthy food and appropriate medical care. The bill would allow children to attend religious services of their choice, give them certain rights to privacy, and allow participation in extracurricular activities," an article on www.mysanantonio.com stated.
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