Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday that Texas is joining the Trump administration’s “A Home for Every Child” initiative, an effort to expand foster care placements and strengthen support for children in the state’s child welfare system.
Abbott was joined by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Audrey O’Neill and Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams for the announcement, which coincides with National Foster Care Month.
“Texas is honored to join the Trump Administration in its mission to ensure every child in foster care has a real chance at a permanent, loving home,” Abbott said in a statement released by his office. “By eliminating unnecessary rules and regulations, we will help more children find stability and hope. Together with our federal partners, we will deliver better outcomes for children in our foster care system.”
The initiative was launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Children and Families. It supports an executive order from President Donald J. Trump titled “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families.” The program seeks to ensure that a licensed foster home or kinship placement is available for every child entering foster care, with the goal of achieving a home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1 in participating states.
According to the governor’s office, a national shortage of licensed foster homes has created obstacles to stability for children in the system. Texas officials said the state plans to address that gap through targeted recruitment, expanded kinship support, and the removal of barriers that discourage qualified families from fostering.
“The Trump Administration is pleased to welcome the Lone Star State to ‘A Home for Every Child’ during National Foster Care Month,” Adams said. “Governor Abbott is putting the needs of Texas’ children and families first by supporting efforts to keep families together and remove unnecessary barriers that would discourage loving families from fostering. ACF looks forward to working with Texas to increase the state’s ratio of homes-to-kids so that every child can grow up in a safe, loving, and stable family.”
O’Neill said foster families are essential partners in helping children heal during separation from their parents.
“Foster families play a critical role in partnering with case workers and families, and helping children heal when they have to be separated from their parents,” she said. “Their dedication to opening their hearts and homes makes progress possible. Joining ‘A Home for Every Child’ gives us a sharper focus and stronger federal partnership to do what we’ve always been here to do: make sure every child in Texas has a safe place to belong. We will use data, reduce barriers, and invest in the families who make that possible.”
As part of its participation, DFPS outlined several priorities, including expanded recruitment and retention of licensed foster families through data-driven outreach; increased kinship placements by reducing licensing barriers for relatives and trusted adults; and stronger family preservation services to address challenges before foster care placement becomes necessary.
The agency also plans to streamline the licensing process and use real-time data to identify placement gaps and match children with available homes.
National Foster Care Month is observed each May to recognize the more than 370,000 children in foster care nationwide, as well as the families and professionals who support them.
