Yesterday held a major milestone for America’s most vulnerable children and those who support them. In a noteworthy White House ceremony, President Trump signed the executive order, Fostering the Future for American Children and Families — marking out both fresh commitment and new direction for the US child welfare system.
The ceremony included a rarely assembled echelon of top officials — conveying a particular gravitas and level of commitment that’s rare for any issue, especially child welfare.
Along with the President and First Lady — and many former foster youth, adoptive and foster families, social workers, and faith-based and other nonprofit leaders — the gathering also included Vice President and Mrs. Vance, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Director of the US Domestic Policy Council Vince Haley, the head of the Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams, and an array of other senior officials.
“This ceremony shined a spotlight on the needs of children too often overlooked,” said Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. “Both the substance of the executive order and the senior leadership present suggest that this Administration is very serious about improving outcomes for kids and families in the foster system. If these commitments are kept, it will elevate child welfare significantly across the country.”
Addressing difficult challenges in child welfare
The executive order directly addresses many of the most difficult challenges in child welfare — including prolonged stays in care and shortages of quality foster homes, lack of support for youth who age out, overburdened caseworkers, reliance on outdated technology and information systems, and policies that exclude faith-motivated organizations and families.
Specifically, the executive order directs the federal government to:
- Modernize the foster-care system by improving data collection and information systems at the state level — with annual scorecards tracking metrics like placement stability, system reentries and permanent family outcomes.
- Launch a “Fostering the Future” initiative — led by the First Lady — that will build partnerships across federal agencies, private sector, academic institutions and nonprofits to create educational, employment, housing and mentoring pathways for youth in or aging out of foster care.
- Create an online platform connecting foster youth to federal, state and local programs, and expand flexibility in education and training vouchers, as well as tax-credit scholarships to support foster youth.
- Protect and expand the care provided by faith-based organizations and families, and prevent state and local governments from excluding qualified families and organizations because of their religious commitments.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
In all this, the executive order maps clear priorities and sends a strong signal that these priorities will be backed up at the highest levels.
“This executive order sets the compass, charting a new course for child welfare in the US,” Medefind expressed. “If we can follow through on this vision and its commitments, we’ll have a much more focused and effective child welfare system. Best of all, we’ll do much more — and better — for America’s most vulnerable children and families.
“Whatever our politics, that’s something we all can celebrate.”
