Administration for Children and Families
Encyclopedia
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS). It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. It has a $58.8 billion budget for 65 programs that target children, youth and families. These programs include assistance with welfare, child support
enforcement, adoption
assistance, foster care
, child care
, and child abuse
.
education programs. Such programs teach that abstaining from sex is the only effective or acceptable method to prevent pregnancy or disease, and give no instruction on birth control or safe sex. In October 2006, revised guidelines by ACF specified that states seeking grants are "to identify groups ... most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock, targeting adolescents and/or adults within the 12- through 29-year-old age range." Previous guidelines didn't mention specific ages, and programs focused on preteens and teens.
ACF also administers the Community-Based Abstinence Education Program, which is focused on funding public and private entities that provide abstinence-until-marriage education for adolescents from 12 to 18 years old. For fiscal year 2005, 63 grants were awarded, totaling $104 million to organizations and other entities; in fiscal 2001, grants totaled only $20 million. In October 2006, the Government Accountability Office
reported that ACF does not review its grantees’ education materials for scientific accuracy and does not require grantees of either program to review their own materials for scientific accuracy. GAO also reported that most of the efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of abstinence-until-marriage education programs included in GAO’s review have not met certain minimum scientific criteria.
United States Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
(HHS). It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. It has a $58.8 billion budget for 65 programs that target children, youth and families. These programs include assistance with welfare, child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
enforcement, adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
assistance, foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
, child care
Childcare
Child care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...
, and child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
.
Mission statement
"The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides national leadership and creates opportunities for families to lead economically and socially productive lives. ACF's programs are designed to help children to develop into healthy adults and communities to become more prosperous and supportive of their members."Major Goals
"ACF is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities. ACF programs aim to achieve the following:- families and individuals empowered to increase their own economic independence and productivity;
- strong, healthy, supportive communities that have a positive impact on the quality of life and the development of children;
- partnerships with individuals, front-line service providers, communities, American Indian tribes, Native communities, states, and Congress that enable solutions which transcend traditional agency boundaries;
- services planned, reformed, and integrated to improve needed access;
- a strong commitment to working with people with developmental disabilities, refugees, and migrants to address their needs, strengths, and abilities."
Major Programs
- Administration for Native AmericansAdministration for Native AmericansThe Administration for Native Americans is a department of the United States Department of Health and Human Services established in 1974 through the Native American Programs Act ....
(ANA) - Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF)
- Administration on Developmental DisabilitiesAdministration on Developmental DisabilitiesThe Administration on Developmental Disabilities is the United States federal agency responsible for implementation and administration of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 and the disability provisions of the Help America Vote Act. Organizationally, the...
(ADD) - Assets for Independence (AFI)
- Child Care Bureau (CCB)
- Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)
- Children's BureauUnited States Children's BureauThe United States Children's Bureau is a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau's operations involve improving child abuse prevention, foster care, and adoption...
(CB) - Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB)
- Office of Head Start (OHS)
- Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI)
- Office of Community Services (OCS)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance ProgramLIHEAPThe Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is a United States federal social services program first established in 1981 and funded annually through Congressional appropriations....
(LIHEAP) - Community Services Block GrantCommunity Services Block GrantThe Community Services Block Grant provides U.S. federal funding for Community Action Agencies and other programs that seek to address poverty at the community level...
(CSBG) - Social Services Block GrantSocial Services Block GrantSocial Services Block Grant funds are to enable each State in the United States to furnish social services best suited to meet the needs of the individuals residing within the State...
(SSBG) - Office of Family Assistance (OFA) / Temporary Assistance for Needy FamiliesTemporary Assistance for Needy FamiliesTemporary Assistance for Needy Families is one of the United States of America's federal assistance programs. It began on July 2, 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, providing cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the...
(TANF) - Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
- President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID)
Other Initiatives, Clearinghouses and Resources
- Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI)
- Fatherhood Initiative
- "Insure Kids Now!" Campaign
- National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
- National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC)
- National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
- National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth (NCFY)
- National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC)
- Office of Child Support Enforcement Tribal Resources
Abstinence education
For fiscal year 2006, ending September 30, 2006, Congress appropriated $50 million for state grants for abstinenceAbstinence
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
education programs. Such programs teach that abstaining from sex is the only effective or acceptable method to prevent pregnancy or disease, and give no instruction on birth control or safe sex. In October 2006, revised guidelines by ACF specified that states seeking grants are "to identify groups ... most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock, targeting adolescents and/or adults within the 12- through 29-year-old age range." Previous guidelines didn't mention specific ages, and programs focused on preteens and teens.
ACF also administers the Community-Based Abstinence Education Program, which is focused on funding public and private entities that provide abstinence-until-marriage education for adolescents from 12 to 18 years old. For fiscal year 2005, 63 grants were awarded, totaling $104 million to organizations and other entities; in fiscal 2001, grants totaled only $20 million. In October 2006, the Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
reported that ACF does not review its grantees’ education materials for scientific accuracy and does not require grantees of either program to review their own materials for scientific accuracy. GAO also reported that most of the efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of abstinence-until-marriage education programs included in GAO’s review have not met certain minimum scientific criteria.
See also
- Aid to Families with Dependent ChildrenAid to Families with Dependent ChildrenAid to Families with Dependent Children was a federal assistance program in effect from 1935 to 1996, which was administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
- Child Abuse Reform and Enforcement Act to promote the improvement of information on, and protections against, child sexual abuse.