Some aspects of child development are often misconstrued. This brief from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child examines these aspects and clarifies their meaning and importance. For example, even infants are adversely affected when significant stresses occur in their family environment.

A new study, launched by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and Abt Associates, will document the design and implementation of coaching interventions and examine their effectiveness of helping low-income individuals work toward economic stability.

Ramsey County, Minnesota’s welfare counselors draft long-term employment plans for their clients. Instead of pushing clients into getting the first available job, they create plans that are broken down into manageable steps. This article from Governing Magazine highlights this innovative approach and its benefits.

The Children’s Institute, Inc. (CII), located in Los Angeles, California, combines clinical mental health and other supports to serve children and families affected by trauma. This report from MDRC presents findings from an evaluation of CII’s service model and delivery of evidence-based practices.

In addition to academic, technical, and professional skills, today’s workers also need a set of personal success skills. Personal success skills are skills that allow adults to deal with challenges, relationships, and transitions involved in the workplace. This report from SRI Education and the Joyce Foundation highlights the need for unemployed and underemployed adults to hone these skills in order to build a sustainable career.

Ascend at the Aspen Institute offers a case study on Colorado’s two-generation efforts within their human services system. Some of the strategies implemented by Colorado include: more holistic practice models and policies; broad partnerships between state government, counties, nonprofits, and philanthropies; smart planning and resilient execution; testing and course adjustments; and embedding two-generation approaches into existing efforts, instead of creating separate programs.

In 2016, Utah Department of Workforce Services launched the “Family Employment Program (FEP) Refocus Academy” to train FEP case workers on Utah’s new family-focused case management model. The trainings were reinforced with coaching from FEP supervisors. These resources are from the coaching training that the supervisors received.

• Course 1: definition of coaching; elements of effective coaching; reasons behind coaching.
• Course 2: effective communications; how supervisors can develop effective working relationships with and motivate their teams; how to conduct effective coaching sessions.
• Course 3: practice coaching principles.

The Utah Family Employment Program Agreement of Mutual Responsibility establishes terms of partnership between the TANF customer and Department of Workforce Services (DWS) employment counselor to ensure that the customer understands what is required to participate in the Family Employment Program. It is presented here in both English and Spanish.

In 2016, Utah Department of Workforce Services launched the “Family Employment Program (FEP) Refocus Academy” to train FEP case workers on Utah’s new family-focused case management model. The Academy consists of seven training modules plus follow-up activities. The Case Management I Training module addressed Motivational Interviewing, assessment, and engaging with TANF participants. The resources include: Motivational Interviewing I Skills, Sample Questions to Elicit Responses from Customers, Assessment in Action, Family Employment Program: Agreement of Mutual Responsibility (in English and Spanish), Talking Points on the Utah DWS Substance Abuse Determination Process, and a Coaching Guide on Identifying Case Management Skills and Strategies to Use When Working with Customers who Demonstrate Difficult Behavior.

In 2016, Utah Department of Workforce Services launched the “Family Employment Program (FEP) Refocus Academy” to train FEP case workers on Utah’s new family-focused case management model. The Academy consists of seven training modules plus follow up activities. These Academy Training Strategy materials illustrate how the Academy is delivered and include: a cohort training schedule; a timeline for training module rollout throughout the year; and a description of “Throughput Rounds,” which is a tool for supervisors to assess skill transfer and reinforce learning.