Federal executive order prioritizes youth transitioning out of foster care

On November 13, 2025, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump signed an executive order at The White House surrounded by administration officials and representatives from foster care advocacy and support organizations. National CASA/GAL Association’s CEO, Tara Perry, participated in the signing of the White House’s new executive order, Fostering the Future for American Children and Families. The executive order aims to strengthen the foster care system and improve outcomes for children and youth in care or transitioning out of care.

The order places a strong emphasis on improving outcomes for children and youth transitioning out of foster care—highlighting the need for expanded support in housing, education, employment, and long-term stability.

We are committed to many of the initiatives outlined in the executive order and aspects of this national direction closely align with our mission and our Fostering Futures initiative to support preparation for successful transition to adulthood, high school graduation, living wage employment and overall youth well-being.

Highlights of the EO include:

• Establishes a Fostering the Future program to secure government, private-industry, nonprofit, and academic partners’ commitments for new educational and employment pathways for youth transitioning out of foster care;
• Authorizes the creation of a Fostering the Future online platform for current and former foster youth to develop customized plans for their self-sufficiency and success by connecting them with critical resources;
• Increases access to Education and Training Vouchers and federal grants to support more time-limited and credentialed programs that promote educational success, workforce advancement, and financial literacy for young people transitioning out of care; and
• Expands educational opportunities by facilitating state use of scholarship programs funded by tax-credited donations to scholarship-granting organizations for children in foster care.

The EO also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to improve the collection of State-level child-welfare data, encourage States to modernize their child-welfare information systems and foster care management platforms; expand States’ use of technological solutions; and publish an annual scorecard of that evaluates State-level achievement of key outcomes, such as decreased time in foster care and accelerates permanent placement.

Read the executive order:

• Fostering the Future for American Children and Families