ACF News

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced over $7 million in new funding awards for Native language projects. In 2024, ACF’s Administration for Native Americans (ANA) will fund eight projects under the Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance program and one project under theEsther Martinez Immersion program. These new awards are in addition to $10,218,134 for 37 continuing language projects, for a total ANA FY 24 investment of $17,316,599 in Native languages. 

New Tribal Home Visiting Program grants develop and strengthen tribal capacity to support and promote the health and well-being of expectant families and families with young children aged birth to kindergarten entry in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities.  

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the winners of the HHS Children and Youth Resilience Challenge, a $1 million federal prize competition launched in May 2023 to identify and elevate promising, community-based initiatives that improve psychological resilience and advance children and youth behavioral health.  

 A new series of public service announcements (PSAs) aimed to celebrate and support fatherhood have been released in a collaborative effort by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse and the Ad Council. These latest PSAs showcase, encourage and celebrate young fathers overcoming everyday parenting challenges to be active and present in their children's lives.

When parents contribute fully to their child’s economic security and wellbeing, children thrive. Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced a proposed rule to give state child support programs the flexibility to use federal funding to provide employment and training services for eligible noncustodial parents. These services have been shown to improve earnings and the likelihood of collecting child support payments that directly improve the lives of children and families.

Many families that come to the attention of a child welfare agency are in the midst of, or recovering from, familial, health, housing or economic challenges. Research demonstrates that providing independent legal representation to parents and caregivers in civil legal proceedings prevents children from entering foster care and improves rates of reunification when children have been removed from the home.

Today on National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new policy guidance and resources for states, Tribes, territories and local early childhood programs to promote the mental health and wellness of children, families and the early care and education workforce.  

The Biden-Harris administration’s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), recently reaffirmed its commitment to harnessing resources to confront the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) by releasing an updated action plan. This updated action plan reinforces and enhances ACF’s ongoing efforts to prevent violence to Native people and communities by promoting healing from historical trauma and present-day victimization.

This final rule makes clear that all children in the child welfare system, including LGBTQI+ children, are entitled to protections against harassment, abuse, and mistreatment, regardless of their placement. Additionally, this final rule specifies that as part of meeting the existing statutory requirement to provide safe and proper care for all children in foster care, state child welfare agencies must ensure that LGBTQI+ children have access to specially designated foster care placements.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) displayed its Unaccompanied Children Program Foundational Rule, which sets clear standards and protections and enhances the legal framework governing the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program.