• Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs  http://www.adeca.state.al.us/default.aspx

  ADECA administers Federal funds from the Community Development Block Grant Program provided by Congress and the state legislature to meet the needs of the people of Alabama.  Municipalities and counties that meet thresholds (the only eligible applicants) may apply for a wide range of public facilities in instances where the people directly benefited are primarily of low and moderate income.  Among the type of projects eligible for funding are water systems extensions and sewer collector lines, street and drainage improvements, and housing rehabilitation.

• Alabama Department of Human Resources  http://www.dhr.state.al.us/Index.asp

  This department was created in 1935 to administer the assistance programs that were part of the Social Security Act.  Some programs have changed over the years to meet the changing needs of Alabama.  However, the agency's primary goal has always been and always will be to help people in need through such services as child care services, child support services, child & adult protective services, foster care, adoption, family services & assistance, and food stamps

• Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners  http://abswe.state.al.us/  or  http://www.socialwork.alabama.gov/

  ABSWE is a regulatory organization comprised of licensed social work practitioners whose mission is to enforce qualification standards for all levels of licensure and certification; protect the public from incompetent, unethical and unlawful social work practice; and delineate unlawful conduct through disciplinary procedures against practitioners who violate applicable laws or rules.

Federal

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance  http://12.46.245.173/cfda/cfda.html

  The online CFDA is a database that provides access to all federal programs, projects, services, and activities which provide assistance to state and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals.  Use it to find the desired program then contact the office that administers the program to find out how to apply.  While there are a limited number of programs offering direct loans to individuals, most programs provide funds to state and local governments or other organizations to manage the distribution of assistance according to local needs

• Child Welfare Information Gateway  http://www.childwelfare.gov/

  A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this Federal agency promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families by connecting child welfare, adoption, and related professionals as well as concerned citizens to timely, essential information.  This site provides access to print and electronic publications, websites, and online databases covering a wide range of topics from prevention to permanency, including child welfare, child abuse and neglect, adoption, search and reunion, and much more

• GovBenefits.gov  http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal

  GovBenefits.gov is a collaborative effort of 10 Federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Labor (managing partner), Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, State, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration designed to provide citizens with one, easily accessible source for government benefit and assistance information.  This website includes information on programs for veterans, senior citizens, students, teachers, children, people with disabilities, dependents, disaster victims, farmers, caregivers, job seekers, prospective homeowners, and more.  Search by locating Federal or state benefits, browse by category, or immediately take the questionnaire.  By answering a list of confidential questions you can determine potential eligibility and receive a customized report detailing the programs you, or the person you are helping, may be eligible to receive and information on how to apply

• Health & Human Services, U.S. Department of  http://www.hhs.gov/

  DHHS is the Federal government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
  
  Historical DHHS highlights relating to social work:

  1798
  Passage of An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen, which established a federal network of hospitals for the care of merchant seamen, the forerunner of today's U.S. Public Health Service

  1912
  President Theodore Roosevelt's first White House Conference urged creation of the Children's Bureau to combat exploitation of children  (P.L. 62-116)

  1935
  Passage of the Social Security Act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling the States to make adequate provision for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of unemployment compensation laws; to establish a Social Security Board

  1977
  Creation of the Food Stamp program  (P.L. 88-525)

  1988
  Enactment of the Family Support Program which emphasizes work, child support, and encourages parents to obtain education, training, and employment needed to avoid long-term welfare dependence through the JOBS (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills) Training Program  (P.L. 100-485)

  1996
  Enactment of welfare reform under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act  (P.L. 104-193)

  2006
  Passage of the Child and Family Services Improvement Act to improve outcomes for children in families affected by methamphetamine abuse and addiction and to reauthorize the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program  (P.L. 109-288)

The primary source materials for discovering the history of U.S. social welfare is located in legal texts.  Most of our current welfare programs began with the enactment of the Social Security Act of 1935.  The assistance programs which resulted from this legistation were developed to help an American public that was suffering through the financial hardships of the Great Depression.  To uncover the origins of these policies and programs, you need to do a little detective work known as "tracing legislation"

EXAMPLE: Foster Care Independence Act of 1999

THOMAS  ( http://thomas.loc.gov/ )  Legislative information from the Library of Congress  OR  LexisNexis Congressional & Legal Research

H.R. 3443   To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide States with more funding and greater flexibility in carrying out programs designed to help children make the transition from foster care to self-sufficiency

United States Code, Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare, Chapter 7 — Social Security

42 USC 677   John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program  (Cornell U/LII)

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45 — Public Welfare

Code of Alabama, Title 38 — Public Welfare, Chapter 7 — Child Care

Code of Ala. § 38-7-19  Powers of department as to transitional living facilities
The Department of Human Resources may . . . operate residences to be used as transitional living facilities to provide transitional living program services to an eligible child . . .

Alabama Administrative Code, Chapter 660 — Alabama Department of Human Resources

Ala. Admin. Code 660-5-48  Smooth transitions into adulthood
The "system of care" shall promote smooth transitions for class members to adult service systems and/or independent living when class members "age out" of the system