Documents › Executive orders › 14359
Executive Order 14359
Fostering the Future for American Children and Families
Signed November 13, 2025, printed at 90 FR 52227. 4 sections of substance, 1,114 words.
This order backs families raising children. It looks at costs, care and adoption.
Sec. 1. Purpose and Policy
My Administration is dedicated to empowering mothers and fathers to raise their children in safe and loving homes. When crises prevent such an arrangement, our Nation's foster care system must be ready to serve children in need. Today's foster care system must be improved in a number of important ways. Children often stay in foster care for years, and those who transition out due to age frequently face uncertain futures without the support systems essential to educational, career, and relational success. Many caseworkers are overburdened. Information systems are often outdated. Some jurisdictions and organizations maintain policies that discourage or prohibit qualified families from serving children in need as foster and adoptive parents because of their sincerely-held religious beliefs or adherence to basic biological truths. Our Nation's children and youth--and the families who care
My Administration is dedicated to empowering mothers and fathers to raise their children in safe and loving homes. When crises prevent such an arrangement, our Nation's foster care system must be ready to serve children in need. Today's foster care system must be improved in a number of important ways. Children often stay in foster care for years, and those who transition out due to age frequently face uncertain futures without the support systems essential to educational, career, and relational success. Many caseworkers are overburdened. Information systems are often outdated. Some jurisdictions and organizations maintain policies that discourage or prohibit qualified families from serving children in need as foster and adoptive parents because of their sincerely-held religious beliefs or adherence to basic biological truths. Our Nation's children and youth--and the families who care
This states the aim. It says parents should raise children in safe homes. It says foster care must be ready when they cannot. It says children often stay in care for years. It says those who age out face hard futures. It says caseworkers carry too much. It says systems are dated. It says some rules shut out families of faith.
Sec. 2. Modernizing the Child Welfare System
(a) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, within 180 days of the date of this order, take appropriate action to: (i) update applicable regulations, policies, and practices to improve the collection, publication, utility, and transparency of State-level child- welfare data, including by improving collection of data and information indicative of child well-being and safety, eliminating duplicative or unnecessary high-cost and low-value reporting requirements, and expanding and expediting child-welfare data publication; (ii) promote modernization of State child-welfare information systems and use of the most effective foster care management and outcome-tracking platforms, including by incorporating such modernization efforts as part of information exchanged with or technical assistance provided to States; (iii) expand States' use of technological solutions, including predictive
(a) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, within 180 days of the date of this order, take appropriate action to: (i) update applicable regulations, policies, and practices to improve the collection, publication, utility, and transparency of State-level child- welfare data, including by improving collection of data and information indicative of child well-being and safety, eliminating duplicative or unnecessary high-cost and low-value reporting requirements, and expanding and expediting child-welfare data publication; (ii) promote modernization of State child-welfare information systems and use of the most effective foster care management and outcome-tracking platforms, including by incorporating such modernization efforts as part of information exchanged with or technical assistance provided to States; (iii) expand States' use of technological solutions, including predictive
This modernizes child welfare work. The health secretary has 180 days. It must improve how states report data. Data on a child's safety comes first. Costly reports of little use are dropped. Publishing must be faster. It must push states to update their systems. Better tracking tools are named. It must widen use of new technology.
Sec. 3. Fostering the Future
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Office of the First Lady and heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall, within 180 days of the date of this order: (a) establish a ``Fostering the Future'' initiative to develop partnerships with agencies and leading private sector organizations, academic institutions, and non-profit entities to create new educational and employment opportunities for individuals who are in or are transitioning out of the foster care system; (b) develop a plan to launch, in conjunction with the National Design Studio, a ``Fostering the Future'' online platform to help individuals who have been in foster care by assessing their current needs, providing guidance regarding accessing Federal, State, and local programs and services for which they are eligible, including housing, education, employment,
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Office of the First Lady and heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall, within 180 days of the date of this order: (a) establish a ``Fostering the Future'' initiative to develop partnerships with agencies and leading private sector organizations, academic institutions, and non-profit entities to create new educational and employment opportunities for individuals who are in or are transitioning out of the foster care system; (b) develop a plan to launch, in conjunction with the National Design Studio, a ``Fostering the Future'' online platform to help individuals who have been in foster care by assessing their current needs, providing guidance regarding accessing Federal, State, and local programs and services for which they are eligible, including housing, education, employment,
This starts a program for foster youth. The health secretary leads. The First Lady's office joins. Other agencies help. They have 180 days. They must build ties with firms and schools. Nonprofits count too. The aim is school and job openings. They must also plan a web site. It would point users to aid they can get.
Sec. 4. Maximizing Partnerships with Americans of Faith
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Director of the White House Faith Office and the Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, shall: (a) take appropriate action to address State and local policies and practices that inappropriately prohibit participation in federally-funded child- welfare programs by qualified individuals or organizations based upon their sincerely-held religious beliefs or moral convictions; and (b) take appropriate action to increase partnerships between agencies and faith-based organizations and houses of worship to serve families whose children have been placed in foster care or are at risk of being placed in foster care.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Director of the White House Faith Office and the Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, shall: (a) take appropriate action to address State and local policies and practices that inappropriately prohibit participation in federally-funded child- welfare programs by qualified individuals or organizations based upon their sincerely-held religious beliefs or moral convictions; and (b) take appropriate action to increase partnerships between agencies and faith-based organizations and houses of worship to serve families whose children have been placed in foster care or are at risk of being placed in foster care.
This is about faith groups. The health secretary leads. Two White House offices join. They must address state rules that shut people out. The bar must rest on religious belief. Moral conviction counts as well. Those rules cover federally funded child welfare work. They must also build ties with faith groups and churches.
Sec. 5. General Provisions
Every order carries this. It is not what the order does.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. [[Page 52229]] (d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Health and Human Services. <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT> <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. [[Page 52229]] (d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Health and Human Services. <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT> <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF
This is the closing clause that nearly every order carries. It says the order does not change what the law already allows. It also says no one can sue to enforce it.
How this order is quoted
Each section is quoted as the order prints it, under its own number and heading. Executive orders are United States government works and are not under copyright. Long sections are cut at a sentence and the whole order is a click away.