Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Office for Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) serves as the agency’s chief evaluation officer. This person oversees ACF’s research and evaluation efforts, including dissemination of findings, among other responsibilities. OPRE works with ACF program offices to develop annual research plans, integrating the development of program-specific learning agendas into this process. In addition, the office holds regular and ad hoc meetings with ACF program offices to discuss research and evaluation findings. Since September 2019, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research and Evaluation has served as the primary ACF representative to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Leadership Council and Evidence and Evaluation Council. The cross-agency councils meet regularly to discuss agency-specific needs and experiences and to collaboratively develop guidance for department-wide action.

ACF created the Office for Planning, Research and Evaluation’s Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) in 2016 to provide leadership and resources to improve the quality, use and sharing of agency data. The director of DDI, who also currently serves as ACF’s acting chief data officer, provides that leadership. She oversees work assisting ACF programs in responsibly managing and using data to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of human services programs. The director of DDI was designated to act as the primary member to serve on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Data Governance Board and the Data Council.

ACF fosters a data-driven culture to enhance policy, program decisions and service delivery. Its inaugural 2024 Data Strategy advances user-friendly policies for efficient data sharing, linkage and access, with a strong focus on quality, transparency, privacy and security. To support a consistent experience for ACF’s grantees, ACF is building infrastructure and expertise across its offices.

ACF data assets are accessible through archives like the Federal Statistical Research Data Center Network, with access handled by each research institution’s processes. For new requests, external parties may contact data owners listed in ACF’s Public Data Catalog. Certain data sources with specific restrictions, such as the National Directory of New Hires, have dedicated processes and forms, including a guide and research request form. For other programs, ACF provides a standardized Data-Sharing Request form for external research access, along with guidance for ACF staff to evaluate these requests. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ACF has developed a standard Data Use Agreement (DUA) format with approved clauses for sharing data with third parties, aligned with the HHS DUA policy, which also requires centralized tracking of these agreements.

ACF’s data priorities span organizational domains: leaders foster data-driven decisions, staff are equipped with secure data tools, and engagement systems promote collaboration across ACF to advance equitable data use and evidence-building.

ACF supports building local and state capacity for program evaluation and data integration. First, it allows grant funds to be used for developing data systems and infrastructure to measure outcomes in funding initiatives like interoperability projects and specific grants. For example, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agency Data and Research Capacity Grants will support partnerships between CCDF Lead Agencies and researchers to develop and improve state, territory and tribal data systems. Another example is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Data Collaborative Equity Analysis Awards, which are intended to support state, territory or county TANF agencies conducting equity-focused data analyses. Second, many ACF programs authorize grant funds for evaluation and capacity-building, including Fatherhood FIRE grants and Tribal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting grants. CCDF research set-aside funds also require research, evaluation and demonstrations at various administrative levels. Finally, ACF offers technical assistance to grantees to improve data capacity, integrate data systems to measure outcomes, and improve evaluation capacity. For example, its Child Care Technical Assistance Network conducted a data integration webinar series. The agency works to strengthen the data capacity of grantees through technical assistance with management information systems (e.g., nFORM) and by supporting grantees’ ability to monitor data quality and performance (e.g., PREP). ACF also provides technical assistance on evaluation capacity through the Tribal Home Visiting Evaluation Institute.

ACF has 11 grant programs that both define and prioritize the use of evidence of effectiveness, totaling $180 million and representing 25% of their grant programs. This analysis includes all competitive grant programs and the five largest (in dollar amount) noncompetitive grant programs. These grants direct funds to evidence-based programs in areas such as home visiting and kinship navigator programs.

Many of the remaining grants encourage or intend to build evidence. Practices that have not yet been documented to be effective can become evidence-based after an impact evaluation is conducted. Adding a definition of evidence and a mechanism to prioritize evidence in the grant can direct funds to those programs. Programs can benefit from a combination of well-established EBPs and innovative programming intentionally designed to meet emerging community needs.

ACF’s performance management practices have three main components. First, a dedicated employee collaborates with each program office to annually update performance metrics and enhance decision-making for equitable outcomes. Second, ACF conducts regular performance reviews, aligning with the budget process and providing at least three updates per year. These measures and data are shared with ACF and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership and included in key reports, such as the HHS Annual Performance Plan and Report. ACF also offers quarterly updates supporting an Organizational Health Assessment as mandated by Office of Management and Budget Memo 23-15.

Finally, ACF’s strategic goals align with the FY 2022-26 HHS Strategic Plan, with key performance metrics highlighted in Senior Executive Service Performance Plans and contributing to Objective 4.1 of the HHS Strategic Plan: improving program design, delivery and outcomes by emphasizing science, evidence and inclusion.

ACF tracks progress toward key goals to drive equitable outcomes through its Strategic Plan, released in January 2022. The plan includes five strategic goals that support the agency’s mission. ACF was also an active participant in the development of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) FY 2022-26 Strategic Plan and is an active participant in the HHS Strategic Review process. In order to know if its programs are working, ACF tracks outcomes, some of which are reported in HHS’ annual performance plan and report. In HHS’ FY 2024 Annual Performance Plan and Report, ACF is the lead agency on 15 performance measures.