Policy and Practice February 2019

association news

APHSA: Our History

APHSA logos over the decades.

T he American Association of Public Welfare Officials was established in 1930 during the Great Depression by state officials who had been charged with the task of distributing “relief” to their constituents. The original purpose of the organization was to help the state officials represent their concerns to the federal govern- ment and carry out the new functions. In 1932, the association opened offices in Chicago and changed the name to the American Public Welfare Association (APWA). The human services sector began to grow during the 1930s and some APWA members were even present when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935. The act established federal benefits for the elderly and enabled the states to make more adequate provisions for laws regarding children, the disabled, public health, and unemployment compensation. During World War II, APWA devel- oped national relief policy and met with federal officials to clarify the role of public welfare agencies in emer- gency war times. At this time, APWA began to emerge in a role that it main- tains today as a link between federal agencies and states. The association’s work to improve social services cul- minated in the Social Security Act Amendments of 1950 where social services were broadened to reach more beneficiaries around the country.

children. The project, A Matter of Commitment, led to the national policy debate that resulted in the enactment of the Family Support Act of 1988. Starting in 1987, APWA developed a five-year Successful Projects Initiative Awards Program to help identify and recognize innovative efforts of state and local human services agencies. In 1988, APWA established the National Commission on Child Welfare, which created guidelines and standards for agencies in assessing child protective services. When President Clinton was in office, his administration called for changes to public welfare and asked for reform plans. APWA submitted a plan developed by state human services commissioners to improve services and streamline programs. Beginning in 1996 the association began to help state and local human services agencies implement program reforms through integrated training, leadership development, and practice focus. In 1998, APWA changed its name to what it remains today, the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), in recognition of the much broader human services agenda it was addressing. The association devel- oped a groundbreaking document called Crossroads: New Directions in Social Policy to present to the Bush Administration and Congress that

In 1953, APWA supported President Eisenhower’s Reorganization Plan No. 1 that created the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as one of the executive departments of the federal government. Then, during the 1960s, APWA members maintained their roles as major players on the field of public human services policy as the federal government made key changes. For instance, the Public Welfare Amendments of 1962 and the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 created family assistance programs that would even- tually lead to modern programs. In 1974, the organization moved to Washington, D.C. in order to consoli- date its base of operations and focus on social reform policy. The Health Care Financing Administration, the prede- cessor to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, was established in 1977. Then, in 1979, the Department of Health, Education, andWelfare was renamed with the modern title of Department of Health and Human Services. During the 1980s, the Reagan Administration ordered the largest tax cut in American history and the responsibility of human services was largely transferred to the states. APWA’s goals during this time were to expand policy representation and increase public awareness about human services. In 1986, APWA launched a three-year project to reassess the nation’s commitment to low-income families and their

See History on page 33

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