Privacy Policy

Introduction

FosteringTheFuture.gov is operated by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The website is intended to provide information and resources for youth, young adults, families, caregivers, and professionals.

This website is not directed to children under the age of 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will promptly delete that information in accordance with applicable law.

Privacy at a Glance

Your privacy is important to us. When you visit FosteringTheFuture.gov, you can explore most of the website without sharing personal information. Here's what you should know:

• You decide what to share. You only provide personally identifiable information (PII) if you choose to sign up for updates, complete a form, use the chat, search for resources, respond to a survey, or contact us. The voluntarily provided PII we collect may include: Email address (to subscribe to newsletters and updates), City, State, or ZIP Code, browser-derived location information or a user-provided address for location-based resource matching, Age range, Foster Care status, Search queries. If you create an account, a username and password.
• We collect some technical information automatically. Like most websites, we collect limited information — such as your browser type, your IP address, and the pages you visit — to help keep the website secure and improve how it works.
• We do not sell your personal information.
• We protect the information we collect using applicable federal privacy, records management, and cybersecurity requirements.
• We only share information when permitted or required by law.
• You can choose whether to receive updates and can unsubscribe from email communications at any time.
• You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Some website features may not work as intended if cookies are disabled.
• Questions? Contact us using the information in the Contact Us section of this Privacy Policy.

Location Information

To help provide relevant local resources, FosteringTheFuture.gov may ask you to provide your location. You may choose to provide a City, State, or ZIP Code, allow your browser to provide your current location, or manually enter an address.

If you allow browser location access or enter an address, the location information is securely transmitted to Amazon Web Services (AWS) Location Services to determine your ZIP Code. FosteringTheFuture.gov does not retain your browser-derived location or the address you enter. Only the resulting ZIP Code is retained and used to provide location-relevant resource results.

Providing location information is voluntary. You may decline browser location access or choose not to enter an address. You can still access the website's general content, although some location-based resource results may be limited.

Personalizing your plan

You may choose to provide your age range and foster care status and enter search terms . We use this information only to tailor the resources and information shown to you. It is not connected to your email address or newsletter subscription.

Saving your plan with an optional account

You can use all of the resources and plan tools without an account. If you want to save your plan and return to it later, including from another device, you can create an optional account by choosing a username and password. We do not ask for your name, email address, or any other contact information. Please do not use your email address or real name as your username.

Cookies and Web Measurement Technologies

Like many federal websites, FosteringTheFuture.gov uses cookies and other approved web measurement technologies to help operate, secure, and improve the website.

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser. They help websites remember information about your visit, such as your preferences or browser settings.

We do not use cookies to collect personal information for advertising or commercial marketing.

The website may use the following types of cookies, which do not intentionally collect PII.

Session Cookies

Session cookies are temporary. They help the website function during your visit and are automatically deleted when you close your browser.

Session cookies may be used to:

• support website functionality;
• improve navigation;
• maintain security;
• collect aggregated website usage statistics; and
• improve website performance.

Persistent Cookies

Persistent cookies remain on your device after your browsing session ends unless you delete them or they expire.

If used, persistent cookies help us:

• recognize returning visitors;
• improve website performance;
• evaluate website usability;
• measure the effectiveness of website improvements; and
• support other approved web measurement activities.

Persistent cookies are used only as authorized by applicable federal policy.

Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. If you choose to disable cookies, some website features may not function as intended.

You can block cookies by opting out (opens in a new tab). Blocking session cookies will not affect your access to the content and tools on the Website. Blocking multi-session or persistent cookies may affect how the Website personalizes information for you.

Digital Analytics Program (DAP)

FosteringTheFuture.gov participates in the U.S. General Services Administration's Digital Analytics Program (DAP), a government-wide shared service that helps federal agencies understand how people use government websites.

DAP uses approved web measurement technologies to collect website usage information, such as:

• pages visited;
• device and browser information;
• referring websites;
• date and time of visits; and
• other technical information about website use.

DAP reports are used only to understand website performance, improve user experience, and support website management.

DAP does not use information collected through participating federal websites for advertising. For more information about DAP, visit analytics.usa.gov (opens in a new tab).

Google Analytics

In addition to the standard Digital Analytics Program (DAP) implementation, this Website uses custom events configured uniquely for our site to measure traffic and interactions. This unique configuration does not collect any additional personal information, and all standard DAP privacy protections, such as anonymizing IP addresses and excluding advertising partners, remain in place. A limited number of authorized Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and GSA staff can view aggregate reports, and government-wide metrics are publicly available at analytics.usa.gov (opens in a new tab). If you choose to disable this measurement tool, you will still have full access to the Website. Read the Google Analytics Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

Third-Party Websites and Applications

To help share information and connect with the public, ACF may share approved Fostering the Future (FTF) related content on YouTube. FTF does not intentionally collect and store any PII from YouTube. YouTube is not owned or controlled by ACF and is not a mandatory feature of the Fostering the Future website. If you visit YouTube or interact with ACF's official accounts, YouTube Privacy policy and terms of service apply. We encourage you to review those policies before sharing personal information.

Information available to ACF through a third-party website depends on:

• the information you choose to share;
• your privacy settings on that platform; and
• the platform's policies and features.

ACF does not control how non-ACF/HHS websites collect, use, store, or share your information.

Information Shared Through Third-Party Websites

If you choose to interact with ACF through an official social media account or other approved third-party service, ACF may receive information that you make available based on your account settings.

Examples may include:

• your username or display name;
• comments or messages you send to ACF; and
• other information made available by the third-party platform.

We use this information only for authorized government purposes, such as responding to questions, providing information, improving communication, or maintaining official records.

We do not use information obtained through third-party websites for commercial advertising.

Other Applications Used that are not Third-Party Websites:

FindHelp: ACF uses FindHelp to search for local resources and programs via a direct API connection. FosteringTheFuture.gov provides ZIP Code and categories to FindHelp and FindHelp returns relevant local results. Read the FindHelp Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

Qualtrics: ACF uses Qualtrics to email newsletters and other messages to visitors who subscribe to them on the Website. Only ACF staff and managers who send these newsletters or monitor the results have access to the subscriber lists. Qualtrics also provides aggregate data, such as email open rates and total link clicks. Read the Qualtrics Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

AWS Location Services: FosteringTheFuture.gov uses AWS Location Services to determine a ZIP Code from browser-derived location information or an address voluntarily provided by the user. The location information is used for this purpose and is not retained by FosteringTheFuture.gov. Only the resulting ZIP Code is retained and used to support location-based resource matching.

Privacy Impact Assessments

When required by law or federal policy, ACF conducts a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) before implementing information technology or services that collect, maintain, or use information about members of the public. PIAs help ensure that privacy risks are identified and appropriately addressed.

Email Updates and Subscription Services

If you choose to subscribe to our Qualtrics-based email updates, newsletters, or other communications, we will use the information you provide only to manage your subscription and send the communications you requested. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions included in our emails.

How Long We Keep Information

We keep information only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected, in accordance with federal records schedules. Email addresses are kept while your subscription is active and removed when you unsubscribe. Precise location and address information is not kept; only the resulting ZIP Code is used. Plan information you do not save in an account is kept only on your device. Saved plans and account information are kept until you delete your account. Technical log information, including IP addresses, is kept for a limited period for security and troubleshooting.

Website Security

ACF takes reasonable measures to protect the security of this website and the information it collects. To help protect the website, we use security technologies and monitoring tools to:

• detect unauthorized activity;
• protect website systems and information;
• identify cybersecurity threats; and
• support investigations when authorized by law.

Unauthorized attempts to access, modify, disrupt, or damage this website or its information systems may result in administrative, civil, or criminal action as authorized by applicable federal law. To protect the security of government information systems, ACF does not publicly disclose specific security controls or monitoring practices.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, federal policy, technology, or website operations. When we make significant changes, we will update the Effective Date and Last Reviewed date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how information is handled on FosteringTheFuture.gov, please contact: