“If true, these developments are deeply troubling, clearly contrary to the purpose of child welfare programs, and in direct violation of First Amendment protections,” Gradison wrote. In Oregon, the number of foster children in the system has steadily declined from more than 7,000 in 2018 to around 4,000 currently. He said the recent Oregon court case has “come up repeatedly” and that the agency will review any policy that limits faith-based participation in the child welfare system. “We want to roll out the red carpet and welcome faith-based families to participate in our child welfare system, to volunteer as foster parents and to adopt,” Gradison said. That in practice has included spelling out the acronym LGBTQ and defining terms like gender, gender expression and gender identity.