Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025
The Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025 would require the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), to develop and widely share accurate, relevant, and accessible resources about sensitivities around adoption in health care settings. It directs creation of digital (and possibly print) materials and a dedicated online adoption resources page for health care workers. The bill also sets up a process to develop these resources via a committee of adoption experts, and it funds education and professional development for hospital and birthing-center care providers who interact with prospective birth mothers and potential adoptive families. Through grants or contracts, eligible nonprofit organizations focused on adoption education would implement these programs, with strict eligibility criteria to avoid conflicts of interest. The act includes an evaluation plan and authorizes $5 million in appropriations for 2026–2029.
Key Points
- 1Development and nationwide dissemination of adoption-sensitivity resources for health care settings, including digital materials and print resources as appropriate.
- 2Creation and maintenance of an online adoption resources webpage for health care workers on the ACfF public website to improve awareness and understanding.
- 3Establishment of a resources development process led by a committee of adoption experts, with diverse memberships (adoption education groups, maternal health experts, child welfare experts, licensed social workers, hospital case managers, adoption attorneys).
- 4Provision of education and professional development for care providers at hospitals and birthing centers, including possible grants/contracts to eligible entities to deliver training and consultation; eligibility requires nonprofit, health-care–focused adoption education organizations that do not place children, do not provide or refer for abortions, and do not have a vested interest in a specific pregnancy outcome; activities must supplement other funding, run up to 3 fiscal years, and require annual reporting.
- 5Evaluation and reporting requirements, including measuring adoption-sensitive programming uptake in hospitals and care providers, with a Congress-facing report due within 3 years of enactment; funding cap set at $5,000,000 for 2026–2029.