The Assistant Secretary's ALL-IN Foster Adoption Challenge

Every child deserves a family to love and support them. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) aims to keep children safe and thriving in their own homes, preserve families, and prevent the need for removal in the first place. When foster care is necessary, we work hard to safely reunify children with their families. When that is not possible, we strive to ensure those children have safe, loving, and permanent places they can call home and a family that will be theirs forever.  

There are approximately 125,000 children in foster care who have a plan for adoption and who need forever families. Many of these children and youth are legally free for adoption—and are eager for a family to call their own. Absent action, some of these children will age out of the system with no family, mentor, or supports in place. Some will have relatives or a family who want to adopt them but are waiting for final court action. These children have already been through much trauma. The longer they wait, the more they hurt. 

That is why ACF has launched the ALL-IN Foster Adoption Challenge. With the help of States, nonprofits, businesses, faith partners, and local communities, we can find homes for every waiting child and support families as they open their hearts. 

Listen as Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson presents a challenge to the nation to be ALL IN for these waiting children. We can give every waiting child and every waiting youth the love, stability, and security of a forever family. 

Who's ALL IN?

View the stories below to see how people all over the country are committing to being ALL IN for our waiting children and youth.

Find out how public citizens, businesses, and organizations can be ALL IN for children and youth in foster care.

Learn more about collaborative efforts to achieve permanency for children and youth in foster care.

Discover how Governors and States across the country are committing to finding permanent homes for children in foster care. 

Be inspired by stories of children and youth who found permanent homes.

Find out how non-profits, faith communities, and philanthropies are implementing creative ways to serve and support children and families in their states.