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Press Releases

10/14/04 - HHS Awards $17,896,000 in Adoption Bonuses
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of $17,896,000 in adoption bonuses to 31 states and Puerto Rico. The funding comes from the Adoption Incentives Program and is given to states that were successful in increasing the number of adoptions from the public child welfare system over the number of adoptions in 2002.

10/12/04 - HHS Awards $200,000,000 in High Performance Bonuses
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of $200,000,000 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) High Performance Bonuses to 37 states and the District of Columbia. The awards are for moving more welfare recipients from welfare to work, job retention, increased earnings or meeting other goals of TANF.

10/07/04 - Welfare Rolls Fall Under Two Million
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced welfare caseloads dropped in the first quarter of 2004 to fewer than two million families for the first time since February 1970.

10/07/04 - HHS Provides $1.2 Billion to States for Energy Aid
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that $1.2 billion is being sent to states, tribes and territories through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help the low-income families pay their heating bills. Additional funds will be available should states request extra assistance to help with winter heating costs.

10/01/04 - HHS Awards over $1M to Four Iowa Organizations
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today the awarding of $1,017,000 to four faith and community-based groups in Iowa to help create new jobs, give mentors to children of prisoners, offer couples voluntary marriage education and expand job skills for the homeless.

9/30/04 - HHS Awards $100M for Reduction in Out-Of-Wedlock Births
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of $25 million bonuses to New York, New Hampshire, Maryland and the District of Columbia for achieving the nation’s largest decreases in out-of-wedlock births without a corresponding increase in the abortion rate.

9/23/04 - HHS Awards $900,000 For Healthy Marriage Resource Center
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today the awarding of a $900,000 grant to the National Council on Family Relations in Minneapolis to create a nationwide repository for healthy marriage programs.

9/15/04 - HHS Awards $800,000 to Diocese for Abstinence Education
An $800,000 competitive grant to promote abstinence education in Florida was given to the Catholic Diocese of Orlando today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

9/10/04 - Minnesota Child Welfare Waiver Approved
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the approval of a child welfare waiver demonstration project for the state of Minnesota.

9/1/04 - ANA Commissioner Quanah Crossland Stamps to Address Annual Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Conference
The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) Commissioner, Quanah Crossland Stamps, will address the opening session of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s (CNHA) third annual Native Hawaiian Conference at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu on September 1, 2004.

8/27/04 - Healthy Marriage Education Offered To ACF Employees
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced a formal partnership with Federal Occupational Health Services’ Employees Assistance Program to develop and implement a healthy marriage program for ACF employees.

8/26/04 - ANA Commissioner to Visit Alaska: Announces New Grants
The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) Commissioner Quanah Crossland Stamps is in Alaska this week to meet with Alaska Native Leaders. Commissioner Stamps’ trip is intended to strengthen partnerships and dialogue on strategies to promote social and economic self-sufficiency for Native Americans.

8/24/04 - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Partners with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to Assist Child Victims of Human Trafficking
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced its partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to educate law enforcement officers, social service providers and health care professionals about the problem of child human trafficking in the United States. Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, and more than half of victims of human trafficking are children, giving cause for both organizations to address the overwhelming needs of children exposed to sex and labor exploitation.

8/23/04 - Secretary Thompson Announces TANF Caseloads Declined in 2003
Eight years after the signing of the historic welfare reform law, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that caseloads in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program dropped 3 percent for individuals and 1.8 percent for families during 2003.

8/11/04 - New Report on Strengthening Unwed Parents’ Relationships
A new report released today by HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) provides lessons relevant for planning and implementing marriage education services for romantically involved, unwed couples before or shortly after the birth of their child. The report, entitled Implementing Programs to Strengthen Unwed Parents’ Relationships: Lessons from Family Connections in Alabama, was prepared as a part of ACF’s Building Strong Families initiative designed to develop and evaluate programs that support the marital aspirations of unmarried couples expecting a child or shortly after their child is born out-of-wedlock.

8/3/04 - President Announces $43 Million in Grants from Compassion Capital Fund
President Bush today announced $42,957,597 in 145 grants to organizations that provide services and support through soup kitchens, homeless shelters, drug treatment centers, job training programs, and other compassionate programs. Faith-based and community-based organizations will receive the federal funding from the Compassion Capital Fund, which is in its third year of existence.

8/3/04 - President Announces Mentoring Grants for Children of Prisoners
President Bush today announced $45.6 million in grants to provide mentors to children of prisoners. Aimed at helping some of the two million children who have at least one incarcerated parent, the grants are the latest in President Bush’s agenda of compassion in action.

8/2/04 - Grants for Child Support Development Projects Awarded
HHS’s Administration for Children and Families today announced the awarding of over $1.4 million in grants to thirteen state and non-profit organizations to advance the performance of the nation’s child support enforcement system.

7/28/04 - State Leaders Gather at 13th Annual Child Care Meeting
State child care officials from around the country are gathered in Washington to discuss their progress on President Bush's early childhood education initiative: Good Start, Grow Smart.

7/28/04 - Comprehensive Framework for Healthy Marriage Education
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families has released a new paper designed to spark a more thorough, systematic and creative exploration of how marriage education can contribute to the goal of promoting healthy marriages in the United States.

7/19/04 - Tribal Groups to Receive $1.689 Million to Provide Mentors for Children of Prisoners
HHS' Administration for Children and Families today announced $1.689 million in grants to five tribal organizations to train adult volunteers as mentors to children whose parents are incarcerated.

7/15/04 - HHS Launches New Campaign to Encourage Adoption of Children From Foster Care
With a significant number of children in the U.S. foster care system in need of permanent, loving homes, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to increase public awareness and encourage adoption of children from the foster care system.

7/9/04 - Head Start Management Initiative Helping to Strengthen Early Education
The Head Start Bureau at HHS' Administration for Children and Families today announced it has identified unallotted funding for up to 4,000 children for Head Start programs nationwide.

7/9/04 - Welfare-to-Work Study Underscores Benefits of State Flexibility
A new report, titled "What Works Best for Whom: Effects of Welfare and Work Policies by Subgroup," examines an array of welfare policies to help states determine which programs and policies best help single parents transition from welfare to work.

6/25/04 - Initial Results of National Survey of Children in Foster Care
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families has released a report that looks at the circumstances of children in foster care.

6/22/04 - HHS Provides States Funding to Help Resettle Hmong Refugees
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said today that the department would provide financial assistance to states to support resettlement costs for 15,000 Hmong refugees that will be coming to the United States beginning this year, including to Wisconsin.

6/14/04 - Report Highlights Model for Protecting Children, Underscores Importance of Flexible Federal Funds
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has released a new report that highlights a model for protecting children from abuse and neglect, and underscores the importance of providing greater flexibility to states in the use of federal funding so that more can be done to prevent child abuse and neglect.

6/9/04 - Social Services Block Grant Supports Child Welfare, Disabilities Services
The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) Program Annual Report for 2002, released by HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, shows how states are spending flexible federal funding through the Social Services Block Grant in order to help low-income children and families around the country.

5/13/04 - HHS Issues Head Start Management Initiative
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today released a new report outlining an initiative to promote effective management practices in Head Start programs.

4/29/04 - ACF Announces Grant Availability for Healthy Marriage Resource Center
The Administration for Children and Families has announced a request for proposals to create a Healthy Marriage Resource Center.

4/29/04 - ACF Approves Child Support Demonstrations in Four States
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced $3.7 million in funding to support demonstrations in Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Minnesota to promote improvements in child support enforcement efforts.

4/21/04 - HHS To Award $50,000 Faith-Based, Community Grants
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced the availability of $50,000 grants for faith-based and community-based organizations.

4/6/04 - HHS, DHS Sign Statement of Principles on Unaccompanied Alien Children
A "Statement of Principles" delineating responsibilities for the treatment of children in the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program was signed today.

4/1/04 - HHS Releases 2002 National Statistics on Child Abuse and Neglect
An estimated 896,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2002, according to national data released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

3/31/04 - Child Support Effectiveness Cited By OMB
HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., today announced the federal child support enforcement program was cited by the Office of Management and Budget as being the highest rated social services program and block grant/formula program among all reviewed government-wide.

3/30/04 - HHS Issues Final Rule on Funding Tribal Child Support Enforcement Programs
The Administration for Children and Families announced today the publication of a new regulation to implement direct child support enforcement program funding to federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations.

3/30/04 - Welfare Rolls Drop Again
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the number of families and individuals receiving assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program continues to decline and urged the United States Senate to act quickly to reauthorize the landmark welfare reform program.

3/25/04 - HHS Awards $2.9 Million To Support 30 Head Start Innovation Projects
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced thirty Head Start planning grants totalling $2.9 million for innovation and improvement projects.

3/22/04 - HHS Announces Intention to Form an Independent Panel to Help Assess First Year Implementation of Head Start National Reporting System
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced his intention to form an independent panel of experts on child development and the assessment of preschool children to help assess the progress in developing and implementing the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS) and provide recommendations for integrating the NRS with other on-going assessments of the effectiveness of the program.

3/19/04 - HHS To Award $7 Million to Intermediary Organizations to Improve the Capacity of Smaller Faith-Based and Community Organizations
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families today announced that approximately $7 million will be made available to intermediary organizations that help grassroots faith-based and community organizations increase their capacity to assist people in need.

3/17/04 - HHS's Heller A Federal Computer Week Top "Federal 100" Executive
Federal Child Support Enforcement Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller, Ed.D., has been recognized by Federal Computer Week as one of the trade paper's top "Federal 100" executives for 2003.

3/11/04 - HHS Announces Anti-Trafficking Hotline, Awareness Effort
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a major public awareness effort to combat human trafficking and help its victims, including a toll-free hotline.

3/05/04 - HHS Synthesis Report Confirms That Increases in Parental Employment Are Not Harmful To Children
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families today announced a report synthesizing studies in five states that found that adult employment gains under welfare reform have had mostly neutral or positive effects on the lives of young school-age children in the families in the sample.

2/05/04 - Steve Hilton, President of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, To Receive Award for Helping Infants and Toddlers in Head Start Programs
Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Claude A. Allen will present an award to Steve Hilton, President of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, today for his support of Early and Migrant Head Start programs that serve infants and toddlers with significant disabilities and their families.

2/05/04 - HHS Releases $191.5 Million To Help Low-Income Families With Home Heating Costs
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the release of an additional $191.5 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) funds for states, territories and tribes.

1/16/04 - Head Start Programs to Get More Time to Implement Transportation Regulations
The Secretary of Health and Human Services announced today that Head Start programs will have until June 21, 2004 to put in place new transportation safety requirements for Head Start students.

1/16/04 - ACF 2003 Accomplishments
ACF’s accomplishments fall under the following programs: Head Start, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Adoption, Compassion Capital Fund, and Mentoring Children of Prisoners.

12/22/03 - Secretary Of Health And Human Services On the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003
President Bush on Friday signed important legislation that will authorize more than $200 million across the federal government to combat the practice of human trafficking -- including women and children forced into prostitution.

12/19/03 - HHS Provides $598 Million to States to Help Low-Income Households with Energy Costs
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the release of $598 million to states to help low-income citizens with their heating bills.

12/09/03 - New Grants.gov Web Site Offers One-Stop Shopping for Information on Applying for All Federal Grants
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today unveiled a single, comprehensive Web site that will contain information about finding and applying for all federal grant programs.

12/08/03 - HHS, Education Launch Research to Promote School Readiness Effort
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new five-year research initiative with the Department of Education to find the best ways to prepare preschool children for later success in school.

12/03/03 - HHS Report finds States Increasing Pre-Kindergarten Programs
The Department of Health and Human Services released a report today showing that some states are major providers of pre-kindergarten programs, a vast change from when Head Start was created in 1965.

12/02/03 - HHS Announces Decline in TANF Caseloads
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that the number of families and individuals receiving assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program declined slightly between March and June 2003.

11/06/03 - HHS Honors 30 Groups, Individuals for Adoption Excellence
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 30 Adoption Excellence Award winners who contributed to increasing the number of foster children placed in permanent homes.

11/05/03 - Report Shows Effects of Education on Employment of Welfare Recipients
The Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services today released announced the results of an interim report on the first two years of a demonstration to improve the job prospects of welfare recipients who are already working 20 hours per weekalready in the workforce by offering them specially-designed education courses in a community college setting.

10/21/03 - HHS Provides $844 Million to States to Help Low-Income Households with Energy Costs
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the release of $844 million to states to help low-income citizens with their heating bills during October, November and December of this year.

10/15/03 - HHS Awards Planning Grants to Design "One-Stop Shopping" Centers for People With Developmental Disabilities
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration and Children and Families today announced the award of 31 one-year planning grants of $100,000 each to create a seamless system of services for underserved families of people with developmental disabilities.

10/10/03 - ACF Announces Four New Projects to Study Healthy Marriage
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families today announced that it will support four new research and evaluation projects related to healthy marriage. Healthy marriage programs help couples who choose marriage for themselves to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain successful unions.

10/9/03 - Responsible Fatherhood Programs Yield Promising Results
The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the Department of Health and Human Services today jointly released a report showing that responsible fatherhood programs in eight states showed promising results both in economic and personal terms.

10/3/03 - HHS Awards Nearly $9 Million to Support Mentoring Programs for Children of Prisoners
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced nearly $9 million in grants to 52 organizations to train adult volunteers as mentors to children whose parents are incarcerated. These plans are part of President Bush's plan to provide mentors for disadvantaged youth to help them as they grow into adulthood.

9/30/03 - HHS Awards $200 Million in Bonus Payments to States for Welfare-to-Work Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2002
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of $200 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bonuses to 40 states and the District of Columbia for success in employment and other program achievements during fiscal year 2002. Today’s awards are in addition to the fiscal year 2001 awards announced last week.

9/26/03 - HHS Awards Funds to Develop Child Welfare Systems of Care
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced the award of $4.04 million to 9 organizations to build home and community-based “systems of care” to improve outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system.

9/26/03 - HHS Awards Over $100 Million in Bonuses To States for Reductions in Out-of-Wedlock Births
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the award of over $100 million in bonuses to four states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands for achieving the nation’s largest decreases in out-of-wedlock births between 1998 and 2001.

9/25/03 - HHS Awards $3.2 Million To Educate Head Start Teachers
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families today announced the award of grants to 22 institutions of higher learning to enhance the education of Head Start teachers.

9/23/03 - HHS Awards $200 Million in Bonus Payments to States for Leadership in "Welfare to Work"
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of $200 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bonuses to 41 states and the District of Columbia for success in employment and other program achievements during fiscal year 2001

9/22/03 - HHS Awards Grants to Improve the Capacity of Faith and Community-Based Organizations to Serve People in Need
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 60 new grants totaling $8.1 million to help faith-based and community organizations expand and strengthen their ability to provide social services to those in need.

9/22/03 - Study Shows That Welfare Reform Has Positive Effects
The Department of Health and Human Services today announced that a well-designed evaluation of Indiana’s welfare program showed that the program produced a range of positive results for recipients.

9/17/03 - New Study Catalogues State Child Welfare Practices
The Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services today released the first national study that describes the policies and practices used by state child protective services agencies.

9/12/03 - HHS Awards $14.9 Million in Bonuses to States for Increasing the Number of Adoptions of Foster Children
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced approximately $14.9 million in bonuses paid to 25 states and Puerto Rico for increasing the number of children adopted from state-supervised foster care in fiscal year 2002.

9/3/03 - HHS Releases Data Showing Continuing Decline in Number of People Receiving Temporary Assistance
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that both the number of individuals and the number of families receiving assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program declined between March 2002 and March 2003.

8/8/03 - Alaskan Early Head Start Grantee Named
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced that the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG) located in Fort Yukon, Alaska, will receive an $850,000 grant to establish an Early Head Start and family development program today.

8/7/03 - Study Shows That TANF Application Process Works
The Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services today released a report on states’ TANF application policies and their potential effects on applicants’ decisions to participate in the program.

7/24/03 - Studies Show Many Factors Influence OPS Decision-Making
The Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services today released the results of three research two documents synthesizing and exploring the implications of research studies on decision-making in the investigation of alleged child maltreatment.the results of three research grants exploring the disposition of child maltreatment allegations.

7/17/03 - HHS To Award $50,000 Grants to Faith-Based and Community Organizations That Serve At-Risk Youth and the Homeless
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families today announced that one-time, $50,000 awards will be made available to help build the capacity of faith-based and community organizations to address the needs of at-risk youth and the homeless.

7/14/03 - ACF Approves Child Support Demonstration in Virginia
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced the award of a $990,000 grant to the state of Virginia to support a demonstration project to promote improvements in child support enforcement efforts.

6/26/03 - HHS To Award More Than $4 Million To Improve the Capacity Of Faith- and Community-Based Organizations To Serve People In Need
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families today announced that about $4.2 million will be made available to help faith and community-based organizations increase their capacity to assist people in need.

6/09/03 - Head Start Children Not Adequately Prepared for School, HHS Report Concludes
Head Start children are not adequately prepared for school, and those who have been in the program still enter kindergarten lagging far behind the typical American child in skills needed for school readiness, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

5/21/03 - HHS to Award $13 Million to States to Improve the Voting Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the availability of $13 million in grants for states and territories to establish, expand and improve access to voting areas and increase voter participation by individuals with disabilities.

5/19/03 - Grants Available For Mentoring Children Of Prisoners
The Department of Health and Human Services today announced that $10 million will be made available to qualified organizations to train adult volunteers as mentors to children whose parents are incarcerated.

5/09/03 - ACF Approves Child Support Demonstrations in Michigan and Idaho
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced $1.5 million in funding to support demonstrations in Michigan and Idaho to promote improvements in child support enforcement efforts.

4/01/03 - HHS Releases 2001 National Statistics on Child Abuse and Neglect
An estimated 903,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2001, according to national data released today by the Department of Health and Human Services.

3/04/03 - HHS RELEASES ADDITIONAL $151.26 MILLION IN LOW INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE FUNDS
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the release of $151.26 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) funding.

2/13/03 - HHS ANNOUNCES SIXTH STRAIGHT YEAR OF DECLINES IN WELFARE CASELOADS
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that the number of people receiving assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program declined for the sixth straight year.

1/06/03 - HHS PROVIDES FUNDS TO HELP LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS WITH ENERGY COSTS
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced grants of $545 million to help low-income citizens with their heating bills. The funds represent grants to states for the second quarter of the fiscal year for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

1/02/03 - HHS AWARDS GRANTS FOR CHILD SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Secretary Tommy G.Thompson today announced the awarding of over $2.2 million in grants to twelve states, faith-based, non-profit and tribal organizations to further advance the performance of the nation’s child support enforcement system.

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Last Updated: November 9, 2004

Administration for Children and Families US Department of Health and Human Services