Welcome to the Department of Human Services

The mission of the Miami-Dade Department of Human Services is to provide comprehensive social services to assist children, adults, elderly, and families to attain self-sufficiency, to function independ­ently, and to lead productive lives.

On June 17, 2008, Phyllis Tynes-Saunders, Director of Miami-Dade County Department of Human Services was acknowledged by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and the Board of County Commissioners for excellence in providing social and human services to the residents of Miami-Dade County.

The COA is an international, independent, not-for-profit, child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization. It was founded in 1977 by the Child Welfare League of America and Family Service America (now the Alliance for Children and Families). Originally known as an accrediting body for family and children's agencies; COA currently accredits 38 different service areas and over 60 types of programs.  COA is responsible for accrediting more than 1,500 private and public organizations that serve more that 7 million individuals and families in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, England and the Philippines.

Miami-Dade County Department of Human Services has been accredited since 2004, and was re-accredited in 2007.  This re-accreditation process involved extensive “self-study” of the service delivery system in relation to nationally-recognized “best practices”.  Currently, the Department is one of two accredited public social service agencies in the State of Florida, and one of 83 public agencies accredited in the Nation by the Council on Accreditation.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) is Miami-Dade County's largest department providing comprehensive county-wide social and human services. It has a long tradition of caring for the needs of its citizens.  Our commitment to the provision of these services stems from the belief that the quality of life in our community is directly impacted by our ability to respond to the needs of our most troubled and vulnerable citizens.

The Department covers the full lifetime spectrum, from infants to the elderly, disabled to veterans, refugees to farmworkers, domestic violence assistance to rehabilitative services by relieving hardship and helping County residents become self-reliant, productive and independent. This commitment has earned the Department 170 National Association of Counties (NACO) Awards for our management initiatives and innovative programming. DHS programs include the prevention arm of the criminal justice system, administering the majority of the community's substance abuse, mental health and social services to more than 280,000 residents yearly.

As a part of the Health and Human Services strategic area, DHS is organized into four direct service components: (1) Child Development Services provides subsidized financially assisted School Readiness and Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) Services, developmental screening and assessment services to identify children at-risk for developmental delays, resource and referral information on child-related services, training and technical assistance for child care teachers and providers, and School Readiness/VPK provider payments; (2) Rehabilitative Services provides assessments and referrals, residential treatment services to adult homeless and indigent individuals, and comprehensive outpatient substance abuse services for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court; Elderly, Disability and Veteran Services assists the veterans and their families, provides comprehensive services to elderly and young adults with disabilities , provides senior citizens with nutritious meals, and creates the opportunity for structured congregate activities at various neighborhood community centers; and Targeted Services, which includes violence intervention and prevention services, and refugee and migrant educational and job placement services. As one of two accredited public social service agencies in the State of Florida, and one of 83 public agencies accredited in the nation by the Council on Accreditation (COA), the Department works to ensure that services are provided using best practices, as defined in the COA.

The Department coordinates its activities with various community stakeholders including advisory councils, other human services providers, the judicial system, and a series of human service coordinating and funding agencies.  In addition, DHS collaborates with state, federal and local agencies to ensure regulatory compliance with grant requirements and human and social services planning as part of the Social Services Master Plan.

The Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe has announced that registration for Florida's free Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) School Year Program began on January 26, 2009 and will run through the next school year.