WASHINGTON, DC—Recent changes by the Biden administration are poised to reshape the foster care and adoption landscape, affecting millions of children annually. More than 7 million children are reported to child-protection agencies each year for various forms of maltreatment, leading to over 400,000 children being placed into an already burdened foster care system.
The Biden administration has introduced mandates requiring foster care providers to affirm a child’s LGBTQI+ status or identity, undergo training related to the child’s self-identified sexual orientation, and facilitate access to resources supporting their gender expression. These requirements could potentially exclude faith-based organizations that have differing beliefs, threatening their ability to care for children.
No evidence suggests that foster children have faced discrimination from faith-based providers. However, the administration’s new rule appears to presume that non-affirmation of gender dysphoria could lead to harassment or mistreatment. The administration has also removed several protections instituted during the Trump era, affecting faith-based adoption agencies by revoking pre-approved waivers and denying new ones.
These changes signal a significant shift, positioning the administration against religious organizations’ participation in foster care. This could have profound impacts on children needing the stability that faith-based organizations have historically provided.
Laurie Todd-Smith, Ph.D., former director of the Women’s Bureau and current director at the America First Policy Institute’s Center for Education Opportunity and Center for the American Child, expresses concerns over these regulations. She argues that adding such stipulations and sidelining religious groups will not improve the foster care system, which already struggles under the weight of a $30 billion annual budget.
This policy adjustment has stirred significant debate about the role of faith-based organizations in public welfare and their place in a changing societal framework.