Alex Adams

The Trump administration's top child welfare official has scaled back recommendations for states that license foster parents, in an attempt to increase the number of available homes.

States that opt into the Trump administration’s A Home for Every Child initiative can now compete for up to $3 million in federal rewards, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced this month. 

At a gathering of federal health and human services officials, the nation’s leading child welfare official pledged to focus on the problem of overmedicated foster youth.

In December, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) launched a significant shift in federal child welfare oversight: a pilot redesign of the Program Improvement Plan (PIP). For decades, PIPs have served as the primary mechanism for states to respond to findings from the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR). 

A federal survey found that more than half of states reported the Family First Act has yet to accomplish its goal of reducing the number of foster youth in group homes.

The Trump administration warned state child welfare leaders against involving parents in child welfare cases that center on the parents’ decision not to support a child’s self-identified gender. The Administration for Children and Families, which sent each state a letter on the subject this week, suggested that it will step in if states do investigate parents.

In November, the Trump administration announced that “A Home for Every Child” would be its driving child welfare goal for the president’s second term. The idea: getting a 1:1 ratio of homes available to youth in foster care.

Alex Adams, who leads the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for the Trump administration, promised a “bonfire” of deregulation at the agency, lamenting the buildup of dated material for states seeking clarity on federal policy and funding. 

An internal memo issued last week shows that the Administration for Children and Families plans to restructure its research and evaluation operations.