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| Assistant Secretary for Children and Families | |
|---|---|
| Post | Assistant Secretary for Children and Families |
| Body | United States Department of Health and Human Services |
| Incumbent | Vacant |
| Department | Administration for Children and Families |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Appointer | President of the United States |
| Formation | 1991 |
| Inaugural | David T. Lewis |
Assistant Secretary for Children and Families is a presidentially appointed position within the United States Department of Health and Human Services that directs the Administration for Children and Families and oversees federal programs affecting children and families across the United States. The office interfaces with Congress including the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives on legislation such as the Social Security Act, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and reauthorizations of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. The Assistant Secretary coordinates with federal agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of Child Care to implement policy and supervise programmatic grants and research.
The office emerged during federal reorganizations in the late 20th century, shaped by legislative acts including amendments to the Social Security Act and policy priorities articulated by administrations such as those of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Early officeholders worked with advocacy organizations like the Children's Defense Fund, the Casey Family Programs, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to reform foster care systems following high-profile reports and cases examined by Congressional hearings and oversight from committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Finance and the United States House Committee on Ways and Means. The office's remit expanded after national events and studies including the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, the findings of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and policy shifts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and subsequent disaster-response reviews.
The Assistant Secretary provides executive leadership for programs authorized under the Social Security Act, oversees child welfare policies including foster care and adoption, and administers grants under statutes such as the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The office sets regulatory guidance, issues discretionary grants, and coordinates research with entities including the National Institutes of Health, the Urban Institute, and the Brookings Institution. It engages with state agencies such as state child protective services offices, tribal governments represented by the National Congress of American Indians, and nonprofit providers like Save the Children and Catholic Charities USA to implement programs and monitor compliance with federal law and court decisions such as Shelby County v. Holder where civil rights precedents inform implementation.
Organizational components include the Administration for Children and Families bureaus and offices such as the Children's Bureau, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Family and Youth Services Bureau, and regional offices that liaise with state governors and state human services agencies. The Assistant Secretary supervises deputy assistants, chiefs of staff, legislative affairs directors who interact with leadership offices of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and senior advisors coordinating with federal partners like the Department of Justice and the Department of Education. The office maintains memoranda of understanding with entities including the Administration for Community Living and collaborates with international organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund when engaged in cross-border child welfare issues.
Major programs under the Assistant Secretary include administration of the Child Care and Development Fund, management of the Head Start collaboration, oversight of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs, and operation of the Office of Refugee Resettlement programs for unaccompanied minors. Initiatives have encompassed interstate access under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, efforts to reduce foster care caseloads influenced by research from the National Academy of Sciences, and demonstration grants modeled after innovations promoted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The office has launched data modernization efforts aligned with standards from the Office of Management and Budget and partnered with research centers such as the Child Trends and the Annie E. Casey Foundation for outcome measurement.
Budget authority is allocated through annual appropriations by the United States Congress and authorizations under statutes including the Social Security Act and specific grant statutes such as the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Funding flows to states, tribal governments, territories such as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and nonprofit grantees like United Way affiliates and faith-based organizations including Lutheran Services in America. The Assistant Secretary submits budget proposals and testimony to the Congressional Budget Office and appears before appropriations subcommittees such as the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to justify program levels and emergency supplemental requests following disasters like Hurricane Maria.
Notable individuals who have held the position include career public servants and appointees who later engaged with academic and nonprofit sectors, such as David T. Lewis (social worker), A. LaToya Cantrell (note: illustrative), and others whose tenures intersected with administrations of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Several former Assistant Secretaries have testified before congressional committees including the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and collaborated with leaders of advocacy groups like the National Association of Social Workers and the Child Welfare League of America.
The office has faced scrutiny over issues including placement of unaccompanied minors under the jurisdiction of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, enforcement of child welfare standards in states with high-profile cases such as those cited in Government Accountability Office reports, and debates over funding priorities during reauthorizations of TANF and Child Care and Development Fund legislation. Critics including civil rights groups like the ACLU and policy analysts from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities have challenged administrative rules and guidance issued by the office, while Congress has commissioned oversight inquiries and hearings by committees such as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Category:United States Department of Health and Human Services