The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) was created on April 15, 1991, under the authority of section 6 of the Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953 Visit disclaimer page . The plan allowed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to merge the Office of Human Development Services with the Family Support Administration, along with the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Program. The newly-formed organization was called the Administration for Children and Families. ACF is the United States’ largest human services administration. The reorganization placed greater emphasis and focus on the needs of America's children and families. View the April 15, 1991 press release for the HHS reorganization Visit disclaimer page .
The Administration for Children and Families promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities through a range of educational and supportive programs in partnership with states, tribes, and community organizations. ACF also advises Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues pertaining to children, youth, and families. These issues include child support enforcement, child welfare, child care, family assistance, Native American assistance, refugee resettlement, and more.
Today, ACF is one of 11 operating divisions in HHS. The agency has the second largest budget within HHS — over $58 billion in FY2019. To put that in perspective, ACF’s budget is larger than whole cabinet agencies like the Department of Justice, Department of Interior, and the Treasury Department.
The agency employs approximately 1,700 staff, including 1,200 federal employees and 500 contractors. Sixty percent of ACF staff work at central office in the Mary E. Switzer Building Visit disclaimer page in Washington, D.C. The remaining 40 percent are based in regional offices located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Mo., New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. There is also a satellite office in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Several of the programs ACF administers existed before the agency was created. The most senior program, the Children’s Bureau, was established in 1912. The bureau was the first agency in the world dedicated to child welfare. This new government office also made history when President William Howard Taft appointed its first leader, Julia Clifford Lathrop. Miss Lathrop became the first woman to ever lead a government agency. She was an American social reformer in the area of education, social policy, and children's welfare. She served as the agency’s director from 1912 to 1922.
Throughout the 20th Century, more anti-poverty programs were created, which eventually found a home at ACF. Today, ACF is home to the following programs:
- Administration for Native Americans (1974, Native Americans Programs Act of 1974 Visit disclaimer page )
- Administration on Children, Youth and Families (1977, Reorganization of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare Visit disclaimer page )
- Children’s Bureau (1912, Act 37 Stat. 79 Visit disclaimer page ).
- Early Childhood Development (2010, Federal Register 2010-24587 Visit disclaimer page )
- Family and Youth Services Bureau (1962, Department of Health, Education and Welfare Reorganization Visit disclaimer page )
- Office of Child Care (1990, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 Visit disclaimer page )
- Office of Child Support Enforcement (1975, Child Support Enforcement and Paternity Establishment Program Visit disclaimer page )
- Office of Community Services (1964, Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 Visit disclaimer page )
- Office of Head Start (1964, Economic Opportunity Act Visit disclaimer page )
- Office of Family Assistance (1934, formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children - Social Security Act Visit disclaimer page )
- Office of Human Services and Emergency Preparedness and Response (2006, Federal Register E6-21010) Visit disclaimer page
- Office of Refugee Resettlement (1980, The Refugee Act of 1980 Visit disclaimer page )
- Office on Trafficking in Persons (2015, Federal Register 2015-14313 Visit disclaimer page )
Since its inception, the following individuals have served as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families (* indicates Acting):
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart (1991-1992)
- Laurence J. Love* (1993)
- Mary Jo Bane (1993-1996)
- Olivia Golden (1997-2000)
- Diann Dawson* (2001)
- Wade Horn (2001-2007)
- Daniel Schneider* (2007-2008)
- Curtis Coy* (2009)
- David Hansell* (2009)
- Carmen Nazario (2009-2010)
- David Hansell* (2010-2011)
- George Sheldon* (2011-2013)
- Mark Greenberg* (2014-2017)
- Naomi Goldstein* (2017)
- Amanda Barlow* (2017)
- Steven Wagner* ( 2017 - 2018)
- Lynn Johnson (2018 - Present)
Celebrating 25 Years
In April 2016, the Administration for Children and Families celebrated its silver anniversary Visit disclaimer page . The theme for the celebration – Impacting People, Affecting Change, Empowering Families – simultaneously embodied ACF’s mission while paving the way for the future. ACF has done a considerable amount of work for families and children in the United States over the last 25 years, and it looking forward to addressing tomorrow’s challenges.