Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Human Services

2015 - 2017

This project investigated how existing work on racial and ethnic disparities could inform more accurate identification and interpretation of ethnic and racial differences in programs administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Through this work, this project laid the groundwork for ACF to more comprehensively assess whether racial and ethnic disparities exist in ACF administered programs at any stage in the service delivery system, including:

  • access to and take-up of human services;
  • nature and quality of services received; &
  • outcomes of services.

The project captured the existing state of work on these topics through a literature review and consultation with experts. This project also conducted preliminary data analyses to identify racial and ethnic differences between eligibility for and utilization of four programs overseen by ACF: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, child support services provided under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, CCDF funded child care subsidies, and Head Start.

The end result of this project was the development of a plan for more comprehensive data analyses to reliably identify racial and ethnic disproportionalities and disparities in a range of ACF programs and services, allowing ACF to identify whether disparities exist, the magnitude of any disparities, and how these disparities may vary across ACF programs. The goal of this work is to learn how a better understanding of racial and ethnic disparities could be used to improve ACF’s human service program delivery. The project was awarded to the Urban Institute and ran from September 2015 through November 2017.

The point of contact is Kim Clum, DEI, OPRE (Kimberly.clum@acf.hhs.gov).

Related Resources

When there is evidence of racial and ethnic differences at any point in the service delivery spectrum—for example, in access to and take-up of human services, in the nature and quality of services received, or in the outcomes of service...

This project, launched in September 2015, will investigate how existing work on racial and ethnic disparities could inform more accurate identification and interpretation of ethnic and racial differences in programs administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).