Originally established in 1937 as the Board of Social Welfare by the 47th General Assembly, the duties of the agency has undergone numerous changes. In 1967, the 62nd General Assembly combined a number of functions of the former Board of Control and of the Board of Parole with Social Welfare to create the Department of Social Services. Renamed the Department of Human Services in July 1983 administrative responsibility for prisons, community corrections, and prison industries, assigned to the agency in 1967, were then transferred to the Department of Corrections. The following is a partial list of records:
| Title | Date Span |
|---|---|
| Commissioner, Subject Files | 1972-1977 |
| Correspondence, Adult Corrections | 1974-1978 |
| Council of Human Services, Staff Minutes | 1984-1992 |
| Eldora, Account Book, Ledger, Receipts and Expenditures | 1868-1885 |
| Eldora, Industrial School Payroll | 1898-1910 |
| Eldora, Merit Book | |
| Eldora, Minutes of the Iowa State Reform School, Board of Trustees | 1868-1884 |
| Eldora, Record of Deportments | |
| Employee Manuals | 1940-1985 |
| Payroll Finals | 1972 |