Two weeks ago, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kennedy announced that HHS was being restructured, laying out a vague framework with little detail available. On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, the plan came into somewhat clearer focus as HHS began its reduction in force (RIF) procedure and started laying off nearly 10,000 HHS staff.

As part of the reduction of federal workers, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) had around 500 employees RIFed, including long-serving staff in vital human services roles.

Notably, the entire staff for the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program was let go, leaving no one at the Administration that has knowledge or expertise for the program in those roles. It is unclear if the core functions of the SSBG team will be reassigned to other staff, creating uncertainty for grantees and children and families served by this program.

The federal SSBG staff are tasked with managing the payment system and ensuring that funds go to the grantees, and oversight of the reporting processes that states must participate in. Without these staff who understand the importance and legal functionality of the program, states will have a harder time receiving timely technical assistance on their various reports. The lack of staff also opens the program up to greater threats of waste, fraud and abuse, as there won’t be anyone at the Federal level checking in on how states use funds.

The elimination of SSBG is included in the House Budget Committee’s list of spending reforms for reconciliation, as well; this move by the Administration further jeopardizes the future of this important program that provides $910 million for child welfare services.

Another reduction that will be particularly impactful for child welfare agencies is the elimination of 5 of the regional offices: Regions 1 (Boston), 2 (New York), 5 (Chicago), 9 (San Francisco), and 10 (Seattle). These regional offices provide technical assistance for agencies administering ACF programs, including child welfare, child care, and Head Start services. The eliminated regions covered the vast majority of federally recognized tribes; the closures will have an outsized impact on tribal communities. Additionally, the U.S. Territories rely on the regional offices for support in administering the Consolidated Block Grant; two of the regions that were closed (New York and San Francisco) were the offices that serve the U.S. Territories.

Other cuts to ACF include:

  • Office of Regional Operations eliminated.
  • Office of Family Assistance- Division of State Policy, Budget Team both eliminated. This office manages TANF.
  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) team mostly eliminated
  • Children’s Bureau- Division of State Systems eliminated.
  • Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) – Policy Team eliminated.
  • Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE): expect a 50% cut to its contract budget overall (entire agency, not contract by contract). (OPRE holds the Clearinghouse contract)

And outside ACF, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) cuts: of the 213 total staff, 107 received notices. ACL holds some of the kinship supports.

A full list of “RIFs” has been compiled by an independent journalist here.