President Trump signed an executive order to modernize the nation’s foster care system and provide young Americans with the tools they need when transitioning out of foster care.
“Our Nation’s children and youth — and the families who care for them — deserve better,” the order declares. “To that end, my Administration, with special leadership from the First Lady, will harness Federal support, technology, and strategic partnerships to provide young Americans in or transitioning out of the foster care system with the tools they need to become successful adults.”
The order establishes a “Fostering the Future” initiative, backed by First Lady Melania Trump, to develop partnerships with agencies, private sector groups, academic institutions, and non-profit groups to “create new educational and employment opportunities for individuals who are in or are transitioning out of the foster care system.” The order further establishes a plan to create an online platform to assist with those who have been in the foster system 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, healthcare, and mentoring services offering a searchable database of those and other available resources, and generating customized plans that support their self-sufficiency and success.”
In his remarks surrounding the order, President Trump said, “The Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans. So important and so big in the Bible, so as we make America great again, we are going to protect American children in foster care.”
Trump vowed that the children “will never be forgotten.”
