Lynn Johnson on Child Welfare Priorities for the New Administration

What will a new administration in Washington mean for American children, particularly the most vulnerable?

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Lynn Johnson, founder of All In Fostering Futures and former Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) during the first Trump administration. Lynn explores the federal government's role in influencing child welfare at the state level and highlights how reducing regulations and compliance burdens can enable child welfare workers to focus more on serving children and families directly.

She reflects on ACF’s focus during the first Trump administration, particularly its efforts to prioritize permanency in order to improve long-term outcomes for children in foster care. Lynn also discusses the need to revisit certain policies around kinship care introduced during the Biden administration. She also argues that some of the Biden administration’s rules limited state governments’ ability to collaborate with faith-based organizations to support foster children. Finally, she underscores the importance of interagency efforts to promote stable families and prevent children from entering the foster system altogether.

Resources

• How Churches Can Make a Difference in the Lives of Children Who Need Foster Care | Naomi Schaefer Riley

• New White House Proposal to Further Alienate Religious Foster Parents | Naomi Schaefer Riley

• The Privilege Hiding in Plain Sight | Ian Rowe

Show Notes

• 00:47 | What were the child welfare priorities of the first Trump administration, and how much influence does the federal government have over policies regarding children and families?

• 02:20 | Is there a parallel between the Administration for Children and Families and the Department of Education, in terms of their ability to influence state and local policy?

• 04:40 | What steps did you take in your role during the first Trump administration, and what steps should be taken now that will get us closer to positive impact?

• 10:00 | What can the federal government do that states cannot do to support a child who has experienced extreme instability and a high number of placements in the foster system?

• 11:59 | What have the last four years looked like for child welfare under the Biden administration?

• 19:31 | The Biden administration worked to implement certain requirements for foster care organizations regarding LGBTQ+ children, which could have negative impact on faith-based agencies. How should the next administration approach this issue?

• 24:47 | How much should the federal government focus on prevention when it comes to child welfare issues?