Arkansas Department Of Human Services

Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of County Operations, is a U.S. state government entity registered in SAM.gov since April 2004 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The agency serves as the primary state administrator of federal human services grants, focusing on child welfare, community services, and family support programs. Through its federal grant portfolio, Arkansas DHS delivers comprehensive social safety net services designed to support vulnerable populations, including low-income families, at-risk children, and communities experiencing poverty.

Arkansas DHS maintains an extensive and consistent federal grant funding relationship, particularly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its subsidiary agencies, including the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care, and Office of Community Services. The agency administers multiple major child welfare programs, including the Foster Care Title IV-E Block Grant ($20.9 million annually), Adoption Assistance Block Grant ($22.3 million annually), and Title IV-E Prevention Services Grant Program ($2.4 million annually), which collectively support foster care placements, adoption subsidies, guardianship assistance, and prevention services to keep children with their families. Arkansas DHS also manages substantial child care funding through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDD) programs, delivering child care subsidies and early learning services to low-income working families. The agency receives Community Services Block Grant funding ($3.5 million for FY 2026-2027) to support poverty reduction, workforce development, and community revitalization initiatives. Additional programs include the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) initiative and Emergency Shelter Grants Program. The agency has established partnerships with sub-grantees including Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers & Families to implement specialized programs such as SafeBabies Court Teams for improving outcomes for infants and toddlers in the child welfare system, and maintains interagency collaboration through sub-award relationships with the Arkansas Department of Education for SNAP administration. Funding flows through multiple HHS agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, reflecting the breadth of social services Arkansas DHS coordinates across the state.