21st Century Children and Families Act

The 21st Century Children and Families Act expands protections against discrimination in adoption and foster care placements by prohibiting decisions based on race, color, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), religion, or national origin. It requires child welfare agencies to consider a child's cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, racial, or religious background when making placement decisions and to address racial disproportionality in the system. The bill also modifies parental rights termination requirements to ensure states provide necessary services before seeking termination and prohibits termination if parents are actively engaged in treatment. Additionally, it expands court improvement programs to require better notification for kinship caregivers, training on equity issues, and collaboration between courts and child welfare agencies.