|
ACF Overview
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) 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; and a strong
commitment to working with people with developmental disabilities, refugees, and
migrants to address their needs, strengths, and abilities.
| Welfare | Children and Youth
| Communities | Advisory Group
|
WELFARE Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
On August 22, 1996, "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act of 1996 (PRWORA) was signed into law. PRWORA is a comprehensive bipartisan
welfare reform plan that dramatically changes the nation's welfare system into
one that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance. The Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program replaces the former AFDC and JOBS
programs. In TANF, states and territories operate programs; under the new law,
Tribes have the option to run their own TANF programs. States, territories, and
tribes each receive a block grant allocation; states have a maintenance of effort
requirement. The total federal block grant is $16.5 billion each year through
fiscal year (FY) 2002. The block grant covers benefits, administrative expenses,
and services. States, territories, and tribes determine eligibility and benefit
levels and services provided to needy families, and there is no longer a federal
entitlement.
Under TANF, states are required to make an initial assessment of recipients'
skills. With few exceptions, recipients must work after two years on assistance,.
Twenty-five percent of all families in each state must be engaged in work activities
or have left the rolls in FY 1997, rising to 50 percent in FY 2002. Single parents
must participate for at least 20 hours per week the first year, increasing to
at least 30 hours per week by FY 2000. Two-parent families must work 35 hours
per week by July 1, 1997.
To count toward state work requirements, recipients will be required to participate
in unsubsidized or subsidized employment, on-the-job training, work experience,
community service, 12 months of vocational training, or to provide child care
services to individuals who are participating in community service. Up to 6 weeks
of job search (no more than 4 consecutive weeks) can count toward the work requirement.
Single parents with a child under 6 who cannot find child care cannot be penalized
for failure to meet the work requirements.
Families who have received assistance for five cumulative years (or less at
state option) will be ineligible for cash aid under the new welfare law.
The new law requires states to maintain their own spending on welfare at 80
percent or more of FY 1994 levels. States must also maintain spending at 100 percent
of FY 1994 levels to access a $2 billion contingency fund designed to assist states
affected by high population growth or economic downturn.
Through FY 2003, $1 billion will be available for performance bonuses to reward
states for moving welfare recipients into jobs.
Under the new law, unmarried minor parents will be required to live with a
responsible adult or in an adult-supervised setting and participate in educational
and training activities in order to receive assistance.
The new law also guarantees that women on welfare continue to receive health
coverage for their families, including at least one year of transitional Medicaid
when they leave welfare for work.
Welfare to Work Challenge
The balanced budget on August 5, 1997 included the total funding requested
to create a $3 billion Welfare to Work Jobs Challenge fund. This program will
help states and local communities move long-term welfare recipients into lasting,
unsubsidized jobs. A Welfare to Work Tax Credit will give employers an added incentive
to hire long-term welfare recipients by providing a credit equal to 35 percent
of the first $10,000 in wages in the first year of employment, and 50 percent
of the first $10,000 in the second year, for new hires who have received welfare
for an extended period.
Refugee Assistance
Refugee assistance programs were established by the 1980 Immigration and Nationality
Act in order to assist refugees and Cuban and Haitian entrants to become employed,
economically self-sufficient, and assimilated into our society as soon as possible
after arrival in the United States. Federal funds are provided to states and non-profit
organizations, such as voluntary agencies, to help offset the costs of resettlement.
Increasing refugee employment and reducing welfare dependency is a major emphasis.
For FY 2000, $453 million is available for grants for refugee assistance and
services in the form of cash and medical assistance, social services, preventive
health services, the voluntary agency matching grant program, and the targeted
assistance grant program. In FY 2001, $432 million for these services. In FY 1998,
over 90,000 refugees, entrants, and Amerasians were admitted to the U.S. for resettlement.
Repatriation
The Repatriation Program assists US citizens and dependents who are returned
to the US by the State Department. If an American citizen in a foreign country
becomes ill, is without funds, or needs to be returned to the US because of a
threatening situation in a foreign country, necessary services and loans are provided
through this program. An Emergency Repatriation Plan is also established by HHS
in coordination with federal agencies, voluntary organizations, and states to
implement large scale repatriation operations in the event of a national security
emergency.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Foster Care/Adoption Assistance/Independent Living
For those children who cannot remain safely in their homes, foster care provides
a stable environment that assures a child's safety and well-being while their
parents attempt to resolve the problems that led to the out of home placement,
or when the family cannot be reunified, until the child can be placed permanently
with an adoptive family. Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs provide
federal matching funds to states which directly administer the programs.
Children in foster care numbered 556,000 in September 2000. Most of these children
will return to their homes, but more than 70,000 cannot return safely. Many of
these children are considered to have "special needs" because they are
older, members of minority or sibling groups, or physically, mentally or emotionally
disabled. They often need special assistance in finding adoptive homes. During
FY 2001, over 250,000 children received Title IV-E adoption assistance, which
is a subsidy to families who adopt special needs children. In FY 2002, $5.05 billion
is available for Foster Care and $1.4 billion for Adoption Assistance.
Assistance is also available to current or former foster care youth age 16
and older to help in the transition to independent living. The Independent Living
program provides grants to states for education and employment assistance, training
in daily living skills, and individual and group counseling. In December 1999,
"The Foster Care Independence Act if 1999," was signed into law to help
ensure that young people who leave foster care get the tools they need to make
the most of their lives. The Act increased the annual funding for the Independent
Living program and expanded the services and supports available to help prepare
foster care youth for the transition to adulthood. These programs are funded jointly
by the federal and state governments. Monthly payments to families and institutions
vary from state to state. In FY 2002, $140 million is available for Independent
Living programs.
Promoting Safe and Stable Families
The primary goals of Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) are to prevent
the unnecessary separation of children from their families, improve the quality
of care and services to children and their families, and ensure permanency for
children by reuniting them with their parents, by adoption or by another permanent
living arrangement. The programs include: family support, family preservation,
time-limited family reunification and adoption promotion and support services.
The services are designed to help State child welfare agencies and eligible
Indian tribes establish and operate integrated, preventive family preservation
services and community-based family support services for families at risk or in
crisis. Funds go directly to child welfare agencies and eligible Indian tribes
to be used in accordance with their 5-year plans. Other grant funds are set aside
for nationally funded evaluation, research, and training and technical assistance
projects. In addition, funds are set-aside for court improvement programs.
PSSF services are based on several key principles. The welfare and safety
of children and of all family members should be maintained while strengthening
and preserving the family. It is advantageous for the family as a whole to receive
services which identify and enhance its strengths while meeting individual and
family needs. Services should be easily accessible, often delivered in the home
or in community-based settings, and they should respect cultural and community
differences. In addition, they should be flexible, responsive to real family needs,
and linked to other supports and services outside the child welfare system. Services
should involve community organizations and residents, including parents, in their
design and delivery. They should be intensive enough to keep children safe and
meet family needs, varying between preventive and crisis services. Funding for
Promoting Safe and Stable Families is $305 million in 2002.
Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and Treatment
Approximately 879,000 children were found to be victims of child maltreatment
in 2000. Maltreatment categories typically include neglect, medical neglect, physical
abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological maltreatment. Almost two-thirds of child
victims (63%) suffered neglect (including medical neglect); 19 percent were physically
abused; 10 percent were sexually abused; and 8 percent were psychologically maltreated.
Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment. Approximately
1,200 children died of abuse or neglect in the year 2000-a rate of 1.71 children
per 100,000 children in the population. The increase in the rate of fatalities
compared to earlier years is hypothesized to be largely attributable to improved
reporting. Youngest children were the most vulnerable. Children younger than one
year old accounted for 44 percent of child fatalities and 85 percent of child
fatalities were younger than 6 years of age.
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) funds States and grantees
in several different ways: by providing funds and technical assistance for prevention
and intervention; supporting research, service improvement programs, and demonstration
projects; collecting data about the problem, its consequences, and the effectiveness
of prevention and treatment services; facilitating information dissemination and
exchange; and supporting policy development and professional education.
The Child Abuse and Neglect program provides grants to States to improve and
increase prevention and treatment activities. The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect
of the Children's Bureau located within ACF, allocates child abuse and neglect
funds appropriated by Congress and coordinates the federal government's activities
in this field. In FY 2002, $81.4 million was available for child abuse and neglect
activities under CAPTA.
Child Welfare Services
Child Welfare Services help State and Tribal child welfare agencies keep families
together. They are available to children and their families without regard to
income. State services include: preventive intervention aimed at keeping children
within the home; services to develop alternative placements, such as foster care
or adoption, if children cannot remain at home; and reunification services so
children can return home if possible. In FY 2000, approximately $292 million was
available for Child Welfare Services. Each state receives a base amount of $70,000;
additional funds are distributed by formula.
HHS/ACF has other programs that address the welfare of children at risk. The
Adoption Opportunities program eliminates barriers to adoption and helps to find
permanent homes for children, particularly those with special needs, who would
benefit by adoption. In FY 2002, funding for Adoption Opportunities is $27.3 million.
The Abandoned Infants Assistance program provides grants to help identify ways
to prevent the abandonment of children in hospitals and to identify and address
the needs of infants and young children, particularly those with acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and prenatal drug or alcohol exposure. In FY 2002,
$12.2 million is available for Abandoned Infants Assistance. The Infant Adoption
Awareness Training program has funded grantees to develop curricula and implement
training programs to train designated staff of eligible health centers in providing
adoption information and referrals to pregnant women on an equal basis with all
other courses of action included in non-directive counseling to pregnant women.
In FY 2001, $8.6 million was awarded to four grantees to implement this new program,
which was enacted in October 2000. In FY 2002, $9.9 million is available.
Head Start
Head Start is a national program which provides comprehensive developmental
services for America's low-income, preschool children ages three to five and social
services for their families. Approximately 1,400 community-based nonprofit organizations
and school systems develop unique and innovative programs to meet specific needs.
Grants to conduct Head Start programs are awarded to local public or private,
nonprofit agencies. At least 10 percent of the enrollment opportunities in each
program must be made available to children with disabilities.
In FY 1999, the enrollment of approximately 830,000 preschool children from
low- income families was made possible by grants amounting to $4.66 billion. Funding
for Head Start services totals $3.867 in FY 2000. Since its inception in 1965,
more than 15.3 million children and families have received services.
The Head Start Act Amendments of 1994 established the new Early Head Start
program, which expands the benefits of early childhood development to low income
families with children under three and to pregnant women. Services include quality
early education in and out of the home; home visits; parent education, including
parent-child activities; comprehensive health services, including services to
women before, during, and after pregnancy; nutrition; and case management and
peer support groups for parents. Projects must coordinate with local Head Start
programs to ensure continuity of services for children and families.
In FY 1999, Early Head Start funds were more than 5 percent of the total Head
Start appropriation, or $340 million.
Child Care and Development Fund
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) has made available $3.45 billion
to states in FY 2000. Tribes received approximately $71 million for FY 2000. This
program, authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act of 1996, PL 104-193, assists low-income families receiving temporary public
assistance, and those transitioning from public assistance in obtaining child
care so they can work or attend training/education. The award represents an increase
in child care funding of approximately $372 million for States and Tribes over
FY 1999.
The Child Care and Development Fund program has changed federally subsidized
child care programs in States allowing them to serve families through a single,
integrated child care system. All child care funding is now combined under the
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act. Revised final CCDBG regulations
which apply to the combined Child Care and Development Fund program were issued
on July 24, 1998.
A minimum of four percent of CCDF funds must be used to improve the quality
of child care and offer additional services to parents, such as resource and referral
counseling regarding the selection of appropriate child care providers to meet
their child's needs. An additional set aside of $50 million was made available
to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers. Congress made available
$19 million to improve school-age care and Child Care Resource and Referral Services.
All States and Tribes must submit comprehensive plans every two years.
Child Support Enforcement Program
The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program is a federal/state partnership
which promotes family self-sufficiency by securing regular and timely child support
payments. State CSE programs locate parents, establish paternity, establish and
enforce support orders, and collect payments.
Welfare reform legislation signed in 1996 provides strong measures for ensuring
that children receive the support due them; tough new penalties, such as license
revocation and seizure of assets, will be available when child support obligations
are not met. The 1996 legislation also recognizes the importance to children of
access to their noncustodial parent.
Child Support Enforcement services are available automatically for families
receiving assistance under the new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
programs and they are also available to families not receiving TANF who apply.
During FY 1999, an estimated $15.5 billion in child support payments was collected.
In FY 1998, paternity was established for more than 1.5 million children through
the CSE program and voluntary in-hospital acknowledgments, providing vital links
between the children and their noncustodial parents. Almost 1.1 million new child
support orders were established through the program in FY 1998. The Federal government
collected a record $1.3 billion in delinquent child support by intercepting income
tax refunds of non-paying parents for tax year 1998.
Youth Programs
Enacted in 1974 under the Runaway Youth Act, and subsequently expanded to include
homeless youth, this program was created in response to widespread concern about
the alarming number of runaways who cross state lines and are exposed to exploitation.
Today an estimated 500,000 to 1.5 million young people run away from or are forced
out of their homes, and an estimated 200,000 are homeless.
Grants to public and private agencies provide short-term shelter, crisis intervention,
and family reunification services to runaway and homeless youth and their families.
Each year, a network of 400 Basic Centers nationwide provides shelter, food, clothing,
counseling, and other support services to approximately 80,000 young people age
11 to 18. In FY 1997, 66 percent of the youth receiving these services were reunited
with their families or guardians while approximately one-third were placed in
other appropriate living arrangements.
The national Runaway and Homeless Youth Program also encompasses the Transitional
Living Program for Homeless Youth, which assists homeless youth aged 16 to 21
in making the transition to independent living. For FY 2000, a total of $64.1
million is available to support Basic Center and Transitional Living programs.
COMMUNITIES
Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
In FY 2000, $1.8 billion in federal funds is provided to the states for social
services under the annual Social Services Block Grant. States have responsibility
for determining the services they will provide, the distribution method, and eligibility
requirements. Each state's allocation from the total appropriation is based on
its population.
States use the funds for social services to achieve economic self-sufficiency;
to prevent or remedy neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children or adults; to
avoid or reduce inappropriate institutionalization; and to provide appropriate
referral for institutional care.
States have great variation in their definition, design, programs, and range
of services. The most frequently provided services are: child day care; home-based
services which help individuals or families with household and personal care;
protective services which prevent or remedy abuse, neglect, or exploitation of
children or adults; special services for the physically, mentally, or emotionally
disabled; and social support.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
With LIHEAP funds, the federal government provides grants to states, territories,
Native American tribes, and tribal organizations that wish to assist low-income
households in meeting the costs of home heating and cooling needs. Payments may
be made directly to eligible households or to home energy suppliers who comply
with legislative provisions. LIHEAP funds can also be used by grantees to help
low-income households deal with energy-related crises or pay for repairs to make
their homes more energy efficient.
In FY 2000, $1.4 billion in grants is awarded to all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, six territories, and 124 Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
The amount of each grant to a state is determined by a formula established by
Congress.
Community Services Programs
Through Community Services programs, the federal government provides annual
funding to states, territories, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, universities,
and other nonprofit groups to assist low-income people in local communities. Community
Services funds, including the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), are primarily
used to meet employment, education, housing, income management, energy, health,
and emergency needs of the poor.
In FY 2000, $527.7 million is available to 57 states, Indian tribes, territories
and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for CSBG. Most funds are allocated to approximately
950 community action agencies.
Developmental Disabilities
Developmental disabilities programs serve nearly four million Americans. Developmental
disabilities are severe, chronic disabilities attributable to mental or physical
impairment, or a combination of both, which are manifested before age 22; are
likely to continue indefinitely; and result in substantial limitations in major
life activity.
Developmental disabilities grants support programs that protect the rights
and promote the self-sufficiency of Americans with developmental disabilities
and their families. Funds help state governments, local communities, and the private
sector to integrate these people socially and economically into mainstream society.
In FY 2000, grants amounting to $122.3 million are supporting: the development
of coordinated systems of services through statewide plans; the establishment
of protection and advocacy systems to assist individuals in exercising their human
and legal rights; interdisciplinary training, technical assistance, and information/dissemination
activities provided by agencies affiliated with a university; and projects which
focus on the most pressing national issues affecting people with developmental
disabilities and their families.
Native Americans
The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) promotes the goal of social and
economic self-sufficiency and the enhancement of the institutions of self-governance
for Indian tribes and organizations and other Native American communities. Under
the Native American Programs Act of 1974, ANA is the only organization with a
mandate to serve all tribes and Native American organizations representing over
2.2 million individuals. Tribes and organizations of American Indians, Alaska
Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American Pacific Islanders, including
American Samoans, annually receive competitive grants to encourage self-sufficiency.
In FY 2000, $35.4 million will support community-based development programs which
strengthen tribal and community economic and social bases.
Program goals include: enhancing local decisionmaking among community and tribal
governments; developing economic activities that provide jobs leading to increased
self-sufficiency; and promoting local access to and control and coordination of
services that safeguard the health and well-being of Native Americans and that
lead to self-supporting communities.
ADVISORY GROUP
President's Committee on Mental Retardation (PCMR)
More than seven and a half million Americans of all ages experience mental
retardation. The PCMR was established in 1966 to act in an advisory capacity to
the President and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on
critical matters regarding programs and services for people with mental retardation.
In addition, the PCMR coordinates federal agency activities in mental retardation,
conducts studies of existing programs, highlights the need for appropriate changes,
and promotes research.
The Committee consists of 21 citizen members selected by the President and
six Cabinet-level appointees. The members undertake Committee duties in addition
to their daily occupations as professionals in the field of mental retardation,
related developmental disabilities, and allied areas of study.
Print version
Back to Top
|