Parents can be reluctant to engage with child protection agencies since they realize these agencies are part of a system that can remove their children from their homes; however, it is crucial for agencies to develop meaningful engagement with…

This brief summarizes potential federal funding sources and programs that can be used to address barriers facing young parents and families, such as unemployment, disruption to education, financial instability, and lack of child care access,…

Helping families meet their basic needs has a direct impact on lowering their stress, especially during a crisis like COVID-19. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University produced a short paper that focuses on how parents and…

Developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework impacts how child- and family-serving programs operate and support healthy development and well-being. This brief highlights survey…

This issue brief explores the need for expanding the early care and education workforce. The brief highlights the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Initiative in 20 states, which provides scholarships to teachers and child care providers interested in…

This issue brief profiles the design and implementation of the 2Gen approach undertaken by the District of Columbia TANF program. The brief covers how staff were trained in 2Gen approaches, and the reorganization of TANF intake and eligibility…

This issue brief illustrates the administrative burdens that people encounter when attempting to access safety net programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief outlines learning costs (the time spent to figure out what programs are available…

This research-to-practice brief identifies the positive outcomes of preserving sibling relationships within child welfare agencies and the barriers for joint sibling placement. Strategies that support joint sibling placement and adoptions are…

This research-to-practice brief identifies lessons learned from six child support agencies in Arizona, California, Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia as they implemented the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) model of child…

This issue brief provides guidance to understand the shifts in detecting and responding to child maltreatment that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief states that child maltreatment categories should distinguish between cases tied…