To help celebrate APHSA’s 90th anniversary, we looked back at the entirety of our history as a member association, digging into archives and pulling out some important threads and markers. The following highlights commemorate just some of the work of those who have come before us—whose vision, time, and energy shaped what APHSA and human services are today. You can also read more in Looking Back to Accelerate Moving Forward: Charting Our Next Course.
1988
APWA established the National Commission on Child Welfare, which created guidelines and standards for agencies assessing child protective services.
1990’s
1993
APWA’s publication Public Welfare celebrates 50 years as a professional journal covering public welfare policy. Public Welfare would later become our current publication, Policy & Practice.
1994-95
APWA unveils a bi-partisan plan for public welfare reform, calling for expanded job training and work, improved health coverage, and streamlined program administration—sparking a robust debate on the best way forward.
1996-97
APWA helps state and local human service agencies in implementing welfare reform through shared learning and training.
1998
APWA changed its name to what it remains today, the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), recognizing the much broader human service agenda it was addressing.
2000’s
2001-02
APHSA publishes Crossroads: New Directions in Social Policy, laying out a comprehensive set of policy recommendations to present to the Bush Administration and Congress that highlighted reforms to improve efficiency, serve with dignity, and promote independence to beneficiaries of human services. More than a dozen recommendations from this document were signed into law that year.
2003
In the Senate Finance Committee’s welfare reform bill, more than 20 APHSA recommendations were signed into law. In addition, the association continued to facilitate discussion and provide services to administrators in the human service field.
2005
Crossroads II was published to encourage additional policy reforms in human services programs, including Medicaid, child welfare, mental health, aging, long-term care, and programs for persons with disabilities.
2009
APHSA presents its latest policy recommendations, Focal Point: Unity of Purpose, as President Obama takes office.
2010
First Harvard Human Services Summit held in conjunction with APHSA’s Leadership Retreat. This event led to the introduction of the Human Service Value Curve and sparked the use of this new framework for advancing the impact of human services in communities.
2011
Pathways: The Opportunities Ahead for Human Services developed with APHSA state, local, and Affinity Group leaders—setting a vision for transformation in the field to meet increased demand at tight budgets and heightened expectations for effective outcomes for children and families.
2013-16
APHSA’s National Collaborative for the Integration of Health and Human Services plays a critical role in advancing the interoperability of states’ technology systems.
2016
APHSA publishes its report, Creating a Modern and Responsive Health and Human Services System, to federal policymakers in anticipation of the Presidential transition; the report provides guiding principles, policy priorities, and helpful tools for advancing social and economic mobility for families.
2018
APHSA unveils its Strategic Playbook, the guidebook for the association’s action plan for the next five years. Informed by members, partners, and staff, the Playbook displays a collective commitment to advancing the potential of all people in all places and illuminates the shared belief of leaders across the country that health and human services are a cornerstone to building thriving communities.
2019
APHSA issues a Call to Action for Human Services to Advance Race Equity, committing to work in alignment with state and local leaders to address the root causes of racial disparities through policy and practice. At this time, APHSA also incorporates a race equity lens into the Strategic Playbook.
2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic sends shockwaves through every facet of human services systems, APHSA steps up to the challenge to help state and local agencies weather the storm together.
APHSA’s latest policy framework, Cornerstone for Resilient Communities and a Revitalized Economy: The Role of Human Services in Building Well-Being from the Ground Up, is released amid a Presidential transition. Setting forth why human services sit at the cornerstone for resilient communities and a revitalized economy, APHSA draws from the on-the-ground expertise of members to share how federal policymakers can help meet the most pressing needs while laying the necessary tracks for all communities to thrive.
2022
APHSA celebrates 90+ years, and the National Health and Human Services Summit meets together for the first time in Arlington, VA, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
… Our journey continues!