BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry was joined Tuesday by Department of Children and Family Services officials as he put pen to paper on a proclamation and an executive order aiming to strengthen the state's foster care system.

The proclamation, which Landry called "A Home for Every Child," aims to create a foster home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1. Currently, for every 100 American children, there are only 57 licensed foster homes, Landry said. 

The Louisiana rate in 2025 was 48 homes for every 100 children.

Under DCFS, the plan is to increase foster parent retention, reduce unnecessary entries, and encourage people to become foster parents, Landry said of the proclamation.

The executive order, "Protecting Foster Youths' Earned Social Security Survivor Benefits," will ensure that benefits are sent to children in the foster system and not to offset costs at DCFS, which Landry said was happening prior. 

"Foster youths deserve to receive and keep the contribution that's been given to them," Landry said, noting that he does not view these funds as a handout. 

Landry's office said that the actions go "hand in hand with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's commitment to improving outcomes for children and youth in or at risk of entering foster care."

President Donald Trump signed a similar executive order at the federal level to provide both public and private resources to the federal foster system. Landry added that he expects 

"It's time for this country to focus on the family," Landry said. "It takes care of a lot of the problems we have today."

Landry said that the foster and adoption systems in Louisiana are and should continue to be a reflection of the state's attitude of compassion. 

Watch the news conference here: