In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for state, local, and tribal human services leaders serving children and families to provide a Whole Family response. To assist in this effort, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Regional Operations offers an updated list of resources, guidance, and tip sheets with information on ACF funding flexibilities and the whole family approach. This compendium includes:

• ACF Mandatory Program COVID-19 Program Flexibilities, Guidance and Resources (including information from the Office of Child Care, instructions on TANF allowable funds, letters and transmittal reports from the Children’s Bureau, and updates from the Office of Child Support Enforcement); and 

• Whole Family Approach to COVID-19 Response (including coverage about funding and flexibilities from Food and Nutrition Services programs, resources for working parents, and updates to funding resources for career and technical education programs and higher education institutions. There is also information about resources available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address mental health and substance use disorders and behavioral health challenges as well as funding available at the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand rural health center and telehealth capacity. Support for homeless housing and rental assistance, families living in public housing, and families in need under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is also identified.)

June 2, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the federally funded Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ (OSERS) Rehabilitation Services will host a webinar on June 2, 2020 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT and pay tribute to this historical occasion by showcasing “Success Stories” of how the VR program helped change the lives of students and adults with disabilities.

The Aspen Institute’s Ascend initiative has launched a webinar series to cover 2Gen approaches that support the health, economic opportunity, and education of low-income families as they recover and move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic. Upcoming webinar topics are Child Support: Implications and Useful Lessons around Child Support, Parent Voice During COVID-19: Maintaining Feedback Loops, Stopping Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorders Where They Start: Prevention and Treatment in Adolescence, and State Leadership During COVID-19 and Beyond. Recordings of previously held webinars on Telehealth and 2Gen, State Opportunities and Challenges in Advancing Child Care Innovation, and New Frames for a New Time are available.

The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics is hosting a series of virtual workshops that address research on topics of interest to human service professionals throughout the summer. Future workshops will cover Machine Learning in Human Services Contexts, Cross-System Collaboration to Serve Justice-Involved Clients, and the Family First Prevention Services Act. Recordings of previously held workshops on TANF Responses to COVID-19 and Domestic Violence during COVID-19 are available.

This recorded webinar from the Annie E. Casey Foundation illustrates ways that state child welfare and substance use disorder officials can utilize the Family First Prevention Services Act to help families affected by substance misuse. Topics covered in the webinar included: discussion of the Family First Act’s substance use disorders provisions, opportunities to implement the law to benefit affected families, and the importance of collaboration between child welfare and substance abuse agencies. Speakers included representatives of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children and Family Futures, ChildFocus, and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors.

The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) held the first session of the NAWRS 2020 Virtual Workshop Series on April 29, 2020. This session brought together four state TANF representatives from Alabama, Colorado, Vermont, and Washington State to discuss TANF programs and the persons they serve. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the panelists discussed changes in caseloads and policy changes, the transition to a virtual environment for operations and service delivery, and the key challenges that TANF clients now face. A YouTube recording of the webinar is available for viewing.

This guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration includes topics and resources to serve women who are reentering communities after incarceration and intends to help them succeed. The guide is a checklist that seeks to: identify critical reentry needs; address substance use disorders; build links to mental health care; address physical and reproductive health care; provide culturally competent services; provide trauma-informed services; build healthy, trusting relationships; reestablish family relationships; facilitate payment of justice system fines and fees; and increase self-efficacy through certified peer specialists.

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) highlights key points addressing intimate partner violence and child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, where staying at home may not be safe for those who have previously experienced mistreatment or where current economic conditions might spark mistreatment that would not have otherwise existed. The brief also provides links to resources from the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the National Hispanic and Latino Addiction Technology Transfer Center, and SAMHSA’s partner, the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health.

This blogpost suggests potential ways to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to support low-wage workers with increased income to enable them to have additional resources to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The blogpost further notes ways that an expanded EITC might also encourage low-wage workers to file federal income tax returns and, in turn, be able to receive economic stimulus payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

This set of audio interviews features birth parents and foster parents discussing the need for strong birth and foster parent relationships. Co-parenting approaches are being implemented by state and local child welfare and adoption agencies across the country, and these field interviews cover potential ways to help birth and foster parents directly work toward reunification. These first-hand accounts also illustrate ways to generate support to implement this co-parenting approach nationally.