How Trump’s ACF stopped bureaucrats from robbing foster youth
One year ago at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), I walked through the doors of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) with a simple conviction: Government should spend less time measuring activity and more time improving outcomes for children and families.
TL;DR
- Conviction: Government should focus on improving outcomes for children and families, not just measuring activity.
- Problem: In human services, process often becomes the product.
- Examples of process: Proliferation of forms, accumulation of guidance documents, lengthening review processes.
- Issue: Requirements created for good reasons can remain in place for years or decades after they are no longer necessary.