The Department of Health and Human Services - Home Page

The Department of Health and Human Services —The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for federal programs which promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) administers the major Federal programs that support: social services that promote the positive growth and development of children and youth and their families; protective services and shelter for children and youth in at-risk situations; child care for working families and families on public assistance; and adoption f or children with special needs. These programs provide financial assistance to States, community-based organizations, and academic institutions to provide services, carry out research and demonstration activities and undertake training, technical assistance, and information dissemination.

Located in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and oversees the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program which was created by the Welfare Reform Law of 1996.

Office of Community Services mission is to work in partnership with States, communities and other agencies to provide a range of human and community development services and activities which ameliorate the causes and characteristics of poverty and otherwise assist persons in need.

The Children's Bureau, the oldest federal agency for children, is responsible for assisting States in the delivery of child welfare services - services designed to protect children and strengthen families. The agency provides grants to States, Tribes and communities to operate a range of child welfare services including child protective services (child abuse and neglect) family preservation and support, foster care, adoption and independent living. In addition, the agency makes major investments in staff training, technology and innovative programs.

The Child Care Bureau is dedicated to enhancing the quality, affordability, and supply of child care available for all families. The Child Care Bureau administers Federal funds to States, Territories, and Tribes to assist low income families in accessing quality child care for children while parents work or participate in education or training. The Child Care Bureau is part of the Administration on Children, Youth and Pamilies in the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

The Family and Youth Services Bureau's (FYSB) mission is to provide national leadership on youth issues and to assist individuals and organizations in providing effective, comprehensive services for youth in at-risk situations and their families. A primary goal of FYSB programs is to provide positive alternatives for youth, ensure their safety, and maximize their potential to take advantage of available opportunities.

A federal block grant program that assists eligible low income households in meeting their home energy needs.

The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (CSE) was established to ensure that children are financially supported by both their parents. The CSE program is usually run by state and local human services departments, often with the help of prosecuting attorneys, other law enforcement agencies, and officials of family or domestic relations courts. Child support enforcement officials use local information and resources of State and Federal Parent Locator services to locate parents for child support enforcement, or to find a parent in parental kidnapping/custody disputes.

Head Start is a national program which provides comprehensive developmental services for America's low-income, pre-school children ages three to five and social services for their families. Specific services for children focus on education, socio-emotional development, physical and mental health, and nutrition.

HCFA administers Medicare, the nation's largest health insurance program, which covers 37 million Americans. Medicare provides health insurance to people age 65 and over and those who have permanent kidney failure and certain people with disabilities.

Medicaid is a jointly-funded, Federal-State health insurance program for certain low-income and needy people. It covers approximately 36 million individuals including children, the aged, blind, and/or disabled, and people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments.

The Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) informational website on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This site is intended to provide materials of interest to various audiences regarding the passage of CHIP, also known as Title XXI, as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) promotes the goal of social and economic self-sufficiency of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Samoans. Self-sufficiency is that level of development at which a Native American community can control and internally generate resources to provide for the needs of its members and meet its own economic and social goals. Social and economic underdevelopment is the paramount obstacle to the self-sufficiency of Native American communities and families.