Child Welfare Wonk
WonkCast: People Power Policy
WonkCast #7: Where Alex Adams is Leading ACF
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WonkCast #7: Where Alex Adams is Leading ACF

A conversation with the ACF Assistant Secretary

Welcome to our latest edition of WonkCast: People Power Policy.

If this is your first listen, you can also check out Episode 0 here to learn more about our vision and focus, and subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Episode # 7: ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams

This week on WonkCast we’ve got Assistant Secretary Alex Adams, who now leads the Administration for Children and Families.

Under his leadership, ACF is anchoring its child welfare agenda to a single accountability metric: the ratio of homes available to every child in foster care.

We unpack why he sees that metric as a catalyst for a broader continuum—especially prevention—and how he’s thinking about retooling federal oversight, data, and regulation to match the realities of a new era.

We also explore the long-term implications of financing trends that are quietly—but decisively—reshaping the federal–state balance of power.

I left this conversation with a sharper sense of where ACF is headed and what that means for the field. I’m confident you will too.

Sponsorship Shoutout

Special thanks to Binti for their foundational sponsorship of WonkCast.

Ready for more?