Children’s Bureau is a unit of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bureau works with local and state agencies to develop programs that assist children and families.
The bureau administers many programs to improve child welfare services. These include the Adoption Assistance, Child Welfare Services, Foster Care, and Independent Living programs. Through them, the bureau works with states to develop programs that strengthen troubled families; find permanent homes for children who cannot remain in their own homes; provide services to foster children 16 years old or older to help them live independently; and improve the skills and quality of the staff administering state and local child welfare services.
The Children’s Bureau was established in 1912. It is part of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families in HHS’s Administration for Children and Families.
