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.

This blogpost explains how juvenile diversion programs can be used as an alternative to the juvenile justice system. The blogpost notes the effectiveness of diversion programs and how commonly these programs are implemented in lieu of incarceration. The blogpost also examines which youth should be diverted, whether juvenile diversion is safe, who decides when youth diversion should be used, and the consistency and disparities in using diversion as a practice.

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 processes. The report also features the District’s redesign of the TANF Employment and Education program, integration of 2Gen approaches for homeless families, and institution of a “whole family” model in universal pre-K and early childhood programs.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) report examines the impact of the Health Careers for All program that supported TANF recipients in accessing and completing healthcare occupational training. The report reviews the three-year impact on employment and earnings as well as the credentials earned by participants. Health Careers for All included four key components: navigation and case management services; access to healthcare occupational training at the foundational (career discovery), entry-level and advanced levels along a healthcare career pathway; employment services (to include resume development and interviewing skills); and financial support to address barriers in completing training or entering employment. Health Careers for All is one of nine programs evaluated by OPRE under the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) project.

The Urban Institute will host a webinar on November 13, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss apprenticeship policies and practices and ways to utilize apprenticeship programs in the future. Speakers include representatives from the Urban Institute, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Oberg Industries, CareerWise Colorado, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the House Committee on Education and Labor, New America, and Jobs for the Future.