politics
All 50 states join federal foster care initiative
Every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have joined a federal program aimed at increasing the number of licensed foster homes relative to children in care. The effort replaces prior reporting requirements with monthly ratio tracking and offers cash awards for improvement.
Jul 11, 12:31 PM·1m read1 source
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All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have joined a federal initiative to increase the number of licensed foster homes relative to children in foster care. ” Nationwide, 57 licensed foster homes exist for every 100 children in care, according to the ACF.
Program details The initiative was introduced last November as part of an executive order on foster care. It offers states an alternative performance plan under the Child and Family Services Review that focuses on the foster-home-to-child ratio instead of 14 separate area reports.
States that join report their ratio monthly, and the ACF publishes the data on a public dashboard updated twice a year. The dashboard also shows performance on safety and permanency indicators.
Incentives and timeline From October through September 2027, participating states can compete in the “A Home for Every Child Innovation Challenge” for $7 million in cash awards based on the highest and most improved ratios. An ACF assistant secretary said the response from states exceeded expectations when the program launched to carry out the executive order.
