Passed unanimously by both Houses of Congress in September, 2008, the bipartisan Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act represents the most significant reform of the nation's child welfare system in more than a decade. Provisions of the legislation include: supporting the adoption of children from foster care, particularly older children and those with special needs; providing federal foster care funds directly to tribal governments so that more American Indian and Alaskan Native children can remain in their own communities; encouraging states to place siblings together whenever possible; and providing federal assistance for relatives who become legal guardians of the foster children they are raising. For more information, visit Fostering Media Connections.