A Home for Every Child
ACF is changing the foster care ratio to have homes waiting on kids, not kids waiting on homes.
Press Releases & Coverage
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PRESS RELEASE ·
ACF Announces Call for Recommendations on Domestic Violence Prevention and Support Programs and Services to Help Strengthen Families
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today that it is accepting new recommendations for domestic violence prevention and support programs and services for review by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Issued during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this call for recommendations aims to expand the availability of reimbursable services that address the needs of children, parents, caregivers, or families who may be at risk for domestic violence/intimate partner violence (DV/IPV).“Domestic and intimate partner violence are often under-identified factors that contribute to a family’s child welfare system involvement,” said ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. “ACF continues to prioritize prevention services to help strengthen families, and this call for recommendations is no different. By giving states access to more evidence-based programs that address these factors, we can provide a lifeline of hope, keep children safe, and prevent tragedy before it occurs.”This call for recommendations further advances ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative, which aims to improve the ratio of foster homes to children in foster care. The Trump Administration has prioritized efforts to expand the Clearinghouse, allowing states to receive federal reimbursement for more evidence-based prevention services designed to prevent a child’s entry into foster care. Currently, 100 evidence-based services qualify for federal reimbursement, including medications for opioid use disorder, peer support, and home-visiting programs.Preventing DV/IPV remains an HHS-wide priority, and this call for recommendations builds on existing efforts under ACF’s Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) and other HHS operating divisions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) oversees the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program to focus on primary prevention of IPV, funding programs across the nation to prevent domestic violence by addressing risk factors and increasing relevant protective factors.“Intimate partner violence — or sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking perpetrated by an intimate partner — affects more than one in three women and more than one in six men during their lifetimes,” said CDC Director Erica Schwartz. “A cornerstone of CDC's public health approach to intimate partner violence prevention is researching and implementing evidence-based strategies. By bringing together expertise and resources across HHS, we are strengthening communities to prevent violence before it begins, helping keep children safe and families together.”To be eligible for review, programs and services must:Address at least one of the following program or service areas: (1) Mental Health Prevention and Treatment, (2) Substance Use Prevention and Treatment, (3) In-home Parent Skill-based programs or services, and/or (4) Kinship Navigator programs. The program or service should directly address domestic violence, including intimate partner violence, or the needs of children and families who may be at risk for domestic violence.Have an available book, manual, protocol, or other documentation. Programs and services must be clearly defined and replicable, with documentation that specifies the components of the practice and describes how to implement or administer it. There must be affirmative, documented evidence that materials satisfying this requirement exist and are available to the public to download, request, or purchase; materials may be presented in a web-based format.Details on how to submit a program or service for consideration are available here.This call for recommendations builds on ACF’s efforts to invest in DV/IPV prevention programs. For FY26, OFVPS awarded $237 million to partners in all 50 states, six territories, and more than 272 tribes and tribal organizations to provide critical family, domestic, and dating violence prevention services across the nation. This funding is also going toward national resources, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
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PRESS RELEASE ·
ACF Announces New Best Practices to Strengthen Ombudsman Offices and Improve Child Welfare Outcomes
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced new best practices to help states strengthen child welfare ombudsman offices and use feedback from children, youth and families to improve child welfare systems.“Ombudsman offices can give states an independent perspective on where their child welfare systems are working and where they need to improve,” said ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. “These best practices give states practical tools to listen to children and families, identify challenges earlier and turn what they learn into better outcomes.”The new resource builds on a May 2026 report from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) examining the landscape and common functions of state child welfare ombudsman programs, as well as lessons from ACF’s July 2026 roundtable with state leaders, ombudsman offices, youth representatives, advocates and national partners.ACF identified six practices that can support effective child welfare ombudsman offices:Define the office’s role and authority so stakeholders understand its responsibilities and limitations.Protect independence and credibility through impartial review, appropriate authority, access to information and operational autonomy.Build relationships before concerns escalate to strengthen trust and support problem-solving.Use complaint data to identify system patterns and inform system improvement efforts.Center youth and family voices in office operations, engagement and improvement efforts.Report findings and follow through by tracking recommendations, communicating progress and demonstrating how concerns contribute to meaningful change.The best practices support ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative and its focus on helping states identify challenges and improve outcomes quickly. Child welfare ombudsman offices can complement federal data by examining individual concerns as they arise, identifying patterns across cases and providing context about what is happening on the ground.ACF’s Child Welfare Policy Manual also notes that certain ombudsman activities are eligible for federal financial participation under Title IV-E. The guidance clarifies, for example, that case review, case supervision, and case management duties performed by child ombudsman personnel may be claimed when paid through a Title IV-E agency. Eligible costs may be reimbursed when included in an approved cost allocation plan.View ACF's Best Practices for Children's Ombudsman Offices.
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IN THE NEWS ·
HHS: Biden Admin’s Office Of Refugee Resettlement Was A Fraud-Fueled ‘Smuggling Operation’ For Alien Children
The Biden administration’s Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program was a fraud-fueled federal “smuggling operation” intent on dumping as many unvetted minors into the homeland as possible, according to an assessment from the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).’The Biden Administration failed in its most basic responsibility: protecting vulnerable children in federal care,’ HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
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IN THE NEWS ·
Biden admin approved 99% of applications for migrant kids in one year — exposing them to rapists, murders, new report shows
The Biden administration rubber-stamped more than 99% of sponsor applications for unaccompanied migrant children in fiscal year 2024 — leaving kids vulnerable to rapists, gang members and murderers because of the “less stringent” vetting process, according to a memo obtained by The Post.
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PRESS RELEASE ·
HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement Identifies Six Types of Fraud in the Biden Administration’s Unaccompanied Alien Children Program
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today released a memorandum detailing six documented forms of fraud perpetrated by various parties against the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program during the Biden Administration. During the assessment, HHS’ Office of the General Counsel and ORR identified fraud by actual and potential sponsors, individuals in ORR custody, and individuals in a country of origin. In some cases, sponsors’ fraudulent documents or false information contributed to unaccompanied minors being released into unsafe situations, resulting in abuse — and, in rare instances, death. “The Biden Administration failed in its most basic responsibility: protecting vulnerable children in federal care,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “It weakened safeguards and prioritized speed over scrutiny, leaving children exposed to fraud, exploitation, and abuse. Under President Trump, HHS is restoring rigorous oversight, verifying who takes custody of these children, and putting their safety first. We will hold this system accountable and never sacrifice a child’s safety for bureaucratic convenience.” When an unaccompanied minor arrives at the U.S. southern or northern border, the Department of Homeland Security refers that child to ORR’s care. In most cases, ORR is responsible for vetting potential sponsors before releasing a UAC to that individual. From 2021 to 2024 approximately 479,000 UAC were referred to ORR. With a sharp increase in UAC referrals during the Biden Administration starting in 2021, ORR relaxed certain sponsor vetting policies and expedited the releases of UAC. In Fiscal Year 2024, ORR denied less than 1% of sponsorship applications. In 2025, at the direction of HHS leadership, OGC conducted a review of ORR Child-Level Event cases that occurred under the previous Administration. ORR’s data showed that the average rate of intentional documentation fraud, regardless of the number of children assisted, remained at approximately 77% of reported Child Level Events (CLEs). ORR received 1,669 CLE reports of fraud between October 1, 2023 and October 31, 2024. OGC reviewed a subset of these 1,669 reported instances of fraud and, of those reviewed, identified that approximately 85% involved intentional document fraud. Types of fraud identified were: False or fraudulent documentation of identity Manipulated photographs Misrepresented or unverifiable addresses Fingerprint-related fraud Failure to disclose household members Misrepresentation of age by UAC The report concludes that intentional documentation fraud perpetrated by some sponsors created conditions that put UAC at risk and, in some instances, released them into dangerous or harmful situations.In one instance, in August 2023, ORR released a 15-year-old girl to a sponsor who purported to be the UAC’s biological brother. ORR did not request fingerprints or DNA to verify the relationship. In October 2023, authorities determined that the sponsor was not related to the UAC and had allegedly raped and impregnated her. The sponsor has been charged by the state, and the case is under investigation. In another case from July 2024, ORR released a 17-year-old boy to a sponsor who claimed to be the stepsister of the UAC. The purported sponsor presented Venezuelan documents that HHS could not authenticate. In October 2024, the UAC was found dead in the back seat of a car, with his genitalia exposed, along with an unconscious 30-year-old male. OGC’s review concludes that strengthened vetting requirements — such as enhanced identity checks — might have prevented some of these fraudulent practices and reduced risk to children. More information and the complete HHS ORR memorandum can be found here.
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IN THE NEWS ·
Federal government expands assistance for foster care prevention
The federal government is expanding reimbursement rates for programs designed to prevent children from entering foster care.The expansion, which takes effect Thursday, is mandated under the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, a law President Donald Trump signed in his first term to reform the child welfare and foster care systems.