This blogpost illustrates how Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Columbus (Franklin County, Ohio) transitioned operations and adapted its practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The blogpost focuses on the JFS Journey program; Journey assists low-income individuals engaged with the Franklin County child support agency in obtaining new or better jobs, which helps them meet their support obligations. The discussion covers how JFS worked with local employers in the distribution industry to create placement opportunities for its clients, how JFS transitioned its group employment services digitally, and how new forms of staff and client engagement and procedures may be retained in a post-pandemic environment.

This report provides findings from a biennial survey of child welfare agencies on their expenditures for state fiscal year (SFY) 2018. The survey intends to support greater understanding among stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities that agencies encounter in delivering services. According to the survey, state and local child welfare agencies rely on multiple funding sources to administer their programs, including Medicaid, Title IV-E, Title IV-B, TANF, the Social Services Block Grant program, and other federal, state, and local sources. In this report, tabular and graphic data illustrate trends in total expenditures for child welfare agencies from SFY 2016 to SFY 2018 and the different uses of funds to cover out-of-home placements, adoption and guardianship programs, child protective services, preventive services, and assistance for older youth. The report covers recent legislation and federal policy changes and how they affect child welfare expenditures. The report also identifies points of consideration for states as they assess how to determine the type of available services they might offer, in light of how states rely on different funding structures for their respective child welfare agencies.

This research-to-practice brief focuses on a fatherhood engagement approach that was implemented in the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition’s Fatherhood PRIDE program. The brief examines how Fatherhood PRIDE recruited, enrolled, and retained fathers by father-specific strategies and how the program partnered with other stakeholders that provide services to fathers. The brief also highlights the program’s intake process that captures and leverages participating fathers’ supports and networks.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 temporarily expands the size and eligibility guidelines of the Child Care Tax Credit. Due to this expansion, it is estimated that 27 million children in low-income families will qualify for expanded direct income support levels, which are anticipated to reduce child poverty by half in 2021. The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on April 6, 2021 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET to discuss outreach and tax assistance strategies so that low-income families can access these new benefits. Speakers include representatives from the Franklin County (Ohio) Department of Health and Human Services, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, and the Field Engagement and Tax Opportunity Network at Prosperity Now.

This report presents findings of the First 5 California (FSCA) Home Visiting Workforce Study; it includes data and demographics to characterize home visitors and their supervisors, the implementation supports that exist for home visiting staff, and program needs for workforce recruitment, training, and retention of home visitors. The report is based on a survey of more than 900 home visiting staff members at 171 home visiting programs statewide.

Federal housing subsidies can support low-income and disadvantaged families in meeting their monthly rental needs through public housing and housing vouchers. Federal initiatives in the public housing system have also been used to incentivize work, boost earnings, and provide families with pathways to move out of poverty. This research-to-practice brief examines strategies that have incorporated housing subsidies to promote economic self-sufficiency with employment-focused supports and work-based rent incentives. The brief identifies program approaches used to engage persons receiving housing assistance, and presents program components that can be used when designing employment-related initiatives.

This Advisory, based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Treatment Improvement Protocol 42, Substance Use Disorder Treatment for People with Co-Occurring Disorders, presents guiding principles that counselors and administrators can follow to properly screen, assess, diagnose, and manage the treatment of individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental disorders.

Co-regulation is a process where practitioners create safe spaces and nurturing relationships and coach youth in the use of self-regulation. The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation has developed this guide to show how integrating co-regulation may improve program implementation and outcomes. The guide highlights the ACF-sponsored Self-Regulation Training Approaches and Resources to Improve Staff Capacity for Implementing Healthy Marriage Programs for Youth (SARHM) project, which builds on a set of resources for educators in the Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) programs for youth ages 14 to 24. Research questions raised in the guide include what key elements of co-regulation strategies can program facilitators use to support youth self-regulation, what capacity building supports are needed by program facilitators, and how feasible are co-regulation strategies in the implementation of youth HMRE programs.

The Urban Institute hosted a virtual webinar on March 31, 2021 which covered findings from a new resource guide for practitioners highlighting how youth-serving organizations adapted their programs to engage youth virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters from Jewish Vocational Service, i.c.stars, Baltimore’s Promise, and the Urban Institute illustrated strategies that the organizations used to provide education and training, employment, career readiness, and mental health services remotely to youth and young adults ages 16 to 24.

This April 9, 2020 webinar, hosted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, was facilitated by Iain De Jong of OrgCode Consulting, Inc. The webinar highlighted several considerations for staff working in Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs to support individuals remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Webinar topics included: staff wellness; communicating with program participants; keeping connected; considerations regarding prioritizing time and who to serve; supporting harm reduction, financial matters, and landlords; helping with crisis planning, changing support plans; and addressing food security.