In fact, the total number of federal players is even larger, as is explained in the chapter on "A Blueprint of Federal Fragmentation."
This multiplicity of programs, committees and agencies affecting children and families is neither a plot nor an accident. Rather, it is the result of years of political trade-offs, good intentions and honest attempts to solve problems one-by-one. Nonetheless, in today’s world, such fragmentation is a recipe for failure. The needs of families, unlike administrative departments or legislative committees, are not neatly compartmentalized into education, health, social services, housing and other segments. And, even if there were no holes in the safety net, the proliferation of separate and often-unconnected programs leads to a mismatching of needs and services that would be comical were it not so tragic.
Mothers must lug shoe boxes full of rent receipts, utility bills, birth certificates and other records to half a dozen different agencies in order to fill out federal and state applications and eligibility forms that would make a CPA wince. And they still may not get the help they need when they need it in way that they can use it.
Such a system is as inefficient as it is frustrating.
The following pages provide an in-depth look at the Congressional committees and Executive Branch departments that have primary responsibility for major federal programs affecting children and families. Too often, the services available reflect the entities that control programs, not the more holistic and integrated needs of children and families.
This publication begins by describing the desperate shape of too many U.S. children and families, and outlines the connections among educational, health, social service, income, housing and other needs. Next, it details the insidious effects of trickle-down fragmentation-that is, how the federal piecemeal approach affects families, communities and states. "A Blueprint of Federal Fragmentation" analyzes the multiple Congressional committees and Executive Branch departments that have primary responsibility for programs affecting children and families. And, finally, there are suggestions for making federal policies more coherent and effective, both in the U.S. Congress and in the Executive Branch.
This report is designed to provide fuel for continuing debate and reform as the Congress, the Administration, and state and local policy makers consider legislative and administrative changes to address the structural complexity and systemic inefficiency of major programs affecting children, families and communities. These issues are as nonpartisan as they are important.
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