This report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities discusses how enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds made available because of the Affordable Care Act can be used for technology and services improvements to eligibility systems that are shared between Medicaid and other health and human services programs. The report discusses states that have used this opportunity to make systems improvements, including specific examples of initiatives and discussion of common themes between state efforts. Most states in the report have worked on improving client portals, enhancing call center technology, streamlining document imaging and management, and introducing mobile tools for consumer use.

This webpage from the Urban Institute includes several publications related to the Work Support Strategies (WSS) initiative evaluation. Topics include changes in joint Medicaid/CHIP and SNAP participation rates, using technology to improve delivery of benefits, and using behavioral economics to inform the integration of human services and health programs.

The Urban Institute, in collaboration with the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, hosted a discussion on how state and federal government can improve access to work support programs for low-income families. Over the past four years, as part of the Work Support Strategies (WSS) initiative, six states have worked to streamline low-income families’ access to benefits, reducing burdens on families and workers, and promoting cross-agency and cross-program integration and coordination. Results show that WSS state agencies improved benefit access and the delivery of benefits through coordination of technology, local office operations, policy, and use of data for management, and relationships between health and human services agencies and between state, county, and local offices.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Building Better Programs initiative collected this set of resources on the process of implementing a redesigned TANF program structure based on the experience of the District of Columbia. In 2011, DC redesigned its TANF program to better address the needs of its participants through a customer-centered design model. The new system follows a three-tiered structure in which individuals seeking employment are assessed and directed to one of the three tiers of need based on their job readiness and access to employment opportunities.

In this webinar from the Institute for Research on Poverty, the presenters examined population and employment trends in the rural United States and considered state and federal USDA initiatives to help recovering rural economies and households. The webinar was held on July 13, 2016.

This May 2016 presentation to Connecticut’s Two-Generational Interagency Workgroup, which supports legislative pilot projects across the state, was provided by Alice M. Forrester, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the Clifford Beers Clinic in New Haven, CT. She discussed the importance of understanding trauma and its effects on behavior and development when implementing two-generation approaches.

This toolkit from the Child Welfare Information Gateway and National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care Resources was developed for the Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau Demonstration Initiative, “Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care.” The toolkit provides practical information to help communities plan, build, and sustain systems to improve outcomes for children and families. The focus is on staff training, workshops, coaching, mentoring, and other learning opportunities that challenge employees to perform to the best of their ability. The resource also provides real-life examples from states that have implemented systems change models.

The National Crittenton Foundation, in partnership with Ascend at the Aspen Institute, developed this toolkit to guide use of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) survey in direct service, education, and policy settings. The toolkit is designed to promote healing for individuals impacted by childhood trauma, educate the community about the impact of childhood adversity, and encourage implementation of two-generation policies to prevent ACEs for future generations. Materials provided include a tip sheet, sample protocol, case studies, testimonials, and links to additional resources.

This article from the Children and Youth Services Review discusses a study that followed former foster care youth up to age 30 to see if they continued to experience the same poor employment outcomes that have been indicated in studies of former foster care youth between ages 18 and21. The study found that low rates of employment and earnings continued until age 30, but work experience before age 18 did improve outcomes for those youth during their mid to late twenties. The findings have implications for discussions about extending services to foster care youth even after they reach adulthood.

This report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University focuses on “core capabilities,” including executive function, and how they can be impacted by toxic stress, leading to challenges with life skills such as parenting and workplace effectiveness. The report discusses how environmental triggers can impact ability to use core capabilities to maintain emotional balance, and reviews how and when these skills develop. The report also includes examples of how excessive stress can alter one’s ability to use core capabilities, and how service providers can help clients build missing capabilities.