Administration for Children and Families ACF

The Administration for Children and Families was formed on April 15, 1991, by merging two HHS offices that ran welfare, child support, and social services programs. Many of its programs are much older: Aid to Dependent Children began with the Social Security Act of 1935, Head Start in 1965, and federal child support enforcement in 1975. It is led by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.

Most ACF programs are run by states, tribes, and local organizations with federal money and rules. They include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the cash assistance block grant created by the 1996 welfare reform law with work requirements and time limits, Head Start preschool for low-income children, child care subsidies, child support enforcement, foster care and adoption assistance, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Its Office of Refugee Resettlement aids refugees and cares for unaccompanied migrant children until they can be placed with sponsors.

In 2025 HHS reorganization and staff cuts hit ACF hard, including layoffs of the staff who ran the home energy assistance program and closures of some regional offices that oversee Head Start, and the administration proposed eliminating some programs while tightening vetting of sponsors for migrant children. Supporters said the changes cut duplication and protected children from trafficking, while state officials, providers, and advocates warned of delayed funding and gaps in services for low-income families.