State of Montana Newsroom
Governor Gianforte Announces Montana Joins “A Home For Every Child” Initiative To Strengthen Foster Care
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today joined Assistant Secretary Alex Adams of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to announce Montana’s participation in the national “A Home for Every Child” initiative, a collaborative effort aimed at improving outcomes for children and strengthening the foster care system.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As part of our commitment to strengthening families, supporting foster parents, and improving outcomes for our youngest Montanans, we are proud to partner with ACF to modernize our system and empower our child welfare specialists and community partners to better serve children and families across our state.”
Gov. Gianforte, ACF Assistant Secretary Adams, Montana Child and Family Services Division Administrator Grossberg, and DPHHS Director Brereton, from right to left, signing a joint proclamation for A Home for Every Child
The “A Home for Every Child” initiative supports President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s Executive Order “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families.” The initiative aims to ensure that for every child who enters foster care, a licensed foster home or kinship placement is available. The goal of the initiative is to achieve a home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1 across participating states.
“Governor Gianforte has long prioritized the needs of foster youth, and today's decision to join ‘A Home for Every Child’ is another example of his continued leadership on behalf of children and families,” said Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. “The Trump Administration is grateful for Montana’s partnership as we work to limit the number of unnecessary entries into foster care while increasing the number of available licensed foster families. Together, we will make sure more children can grow up in safe, loving, and stable homes.”
As part of the initiative, participating states work collaboratively with ACF to improve foster home availability, strengthen kinship care, reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, and modernize child welfare accountability systems.
Joining the governor and assistant secretary for the announcement was Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Charlie Brereton, who outlined the priorities for the department to expand recruitment and retention of licensed foster families, increase kinship placements by reducing barriers for extended family members to become licensed caregivers, and strengthen family preservation services to help families address challenges before entry into foster care becomes necessary.
“We know children thrive best when they can remain safely at home with their families, and a big part of making that a reality is ensuring that they have immediate access to preventive, life changing services,” said DPHHS Director Charlie Brereton. “A Home for Every Child focuses our improvement work on the real-time outcomes that matter most – improving the foster home to child ratio while prioritizing kinship placements, child safety, and permanency.”
The announcement comes following National Foster Care Month and reflects the state’s ongoing efforts to ensure every child in Montana has access to a safe, stable, and loving home. Last week, Gov. Gianforte announced the number of Montana children in foster care has been reduced by nearly half since he took office in 2021. According to DPHHS, the number of Montana children in foster care is 1,749, down from over 3,300 in early 2021. The reduction marks a 47 percent decrease in the number of kids in care since the governor took office.
Concluding the press conference, the governor and assistant secretary signed a joint proclamation affirming a shared commitment to strengthening child safety, permanency, and sustaining a child welfare system that ensures every child can grow up in a safe, stable, loving home.
A video recording of the governor’s press conference can be viewed here. A copy of the joint proclamation can be found here.
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