This Urban Institute brief highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted food insecurity, access to school meals, and charitable food distribution for adults and their families in the U.S. Based on data pulled from the first wave of the Urban Institute’s Coronavirus Tracking Survey, more than one in six adults ages 18 to 64 (17.7 percent) and more than one in five parents living with children (21.8 percent) reported in May 2020 that their households experienced food insecurity during the previous 30 days. The brief notes that this represents a moderate 3.2 percent drop from 20.9 percent in March/April 2020. While the increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits alleviated strain on food budgets for many, the brief concludes that despite the moderation in reported food insecurity over time, SNAP will continue to be a crucial key in alleviating food insecurity.

This Resource Guide supports service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to prevent child abuse and neglect and promote child and family well-being. It was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, its Child Welfare Information Gateway, and the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention.

This fact sheet summarizes the features and functions of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation’s Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, which offers reliable information about what works to help low-income job seekers find and keep gainful employment. The Pathways Clearinghouse contains a listing of interventions intended to improve employment outcomes, address employment barriers, and support self-sufficiency among low-income populations, including TANF-eligible individuals. The Clearinghouse identifies studies of these evaluations, rates those studies on their quality to assess the evidence provided, and determines the evidence of effectiveness for those interventions. The Clearinghouse shares these results, along with other products such as synthesis reports, to help users understand how this evidence could apply to their questions and contexts.

This July 2020 webinar from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation presented three Pathways-to-Outcomes models of Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) programs. The models are based on research evidence to find the association between specific program activities and the impact on HMRE participants for observed outcomes. The models might have applicability for program design and implementation for other HMRE programming for observable outcomes.

This blogpost by the Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau identifies this year’s National Adoption Month theme as “Engage Youth: Listen and Learn” and features a link to the Adoption Month’s website, which provides resources to engage youth and prepare them for adoption or guardianship. These resources are intended for child welfare professionals who work with youth to ready them for adoption, and for legal professionals to provide guidance on how the judicial system can support youth well-being. Tips are offered for case planning with older youth, removing barriers for permanency, and collaboration with child welfare agencies. Also included on the website are videos of real-life stories of young people who have transitioned out of foster care to adoption, guardianship, or independent living.

Connections for Children, the Child Care Bridge Program, and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Service have partnered to offer an online training series on trauma-informed care. On November 14, 2020 from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. ET, this training session will help providers view children’s behavior through a trauma-informed lens, identify responsive versus reactive adult reactions, and offer strategies to build healthy attachments with children.

State and local workforce agencies worked to ensure that effective employer engagement, customer outreach, and service delivery occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration brought together experts from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Utah Workforce Development Program, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to cover challenges states addressed to help job seekers, and the strategies they executed to assist both businesses and job seekers in a changing workforce.

This study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM), examined the U.S. lifetime per-victim costs and economic burden of intimate partner violence. Based on 2017 analysis, the study showed that the estimated intimate partner violence lifetime cost was $103,767 per female victim and $23,414 per male victim. This represents a population economic burden of nearly $3.6 trillion over victims’ lifetimes. These figures are based on 43 million U.S. adults with victimization history. The AJPM article on the study noted that preventing intimate partner violence is possible and could avoid substantial costs. The findings also inform the potential benefit of prioritizing prevention and the evaluation of implemented prevention strategies.

This joint report of The National Domestic Violence Hotline, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities at Casa de Esperanza overviews a survey of 289 domestic violence survivors who contacted the hotline in 2017. The survey covered experiences of economic instability in 2017, the importance of benefits, applying for benefits and barriers to applying, screening and disclosure of abuse, and loss of benefits. The report noted that poverty and domestic violence are interconnected, and strengthening the safety net is crucial to helping survivors and their families reach economic stability, well-being, and safety. (See also Resources on "intimate partner violence" in the Resource Library)

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 and the steps on how to apply), compliance costs (the need for documentation and time/expertise needed to file for benefits), and psychological costs (stress or loss of autonomy). The brief notes how these administrative burdens can be consequential to those seeking assistance by reducing participation or complicating service delivery. To address and reduce these burdens, the brief offers strategies such as technology, automation for enrollment processing, and personal assistance at time of application.