Fathers faced with child care responsibilities while trying to work or look for work find it challenging to participate in Responsible Fatherhood programs. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report features the Building Bridges and Bonds (B3) study, which strives to help sustain program engagement by examining factors inside and outside programs, as well as considerations regarding learning over time. The report overviews study results on these three factors (for example, creating a positive and comfortable environment, addressing barriers to accessing services, or considering participant perspectives) in the form of a tip sheet which programs can consider when trying to encourage father engagement.

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration discusses the impact of the opioid crisis on the Black/African American population. Key elements of the brief include: most recent data on the prevalence of opioid misuse and opioid overdose death rates; contextual factors that impact the opioid epidemic, including challenges in accessing early intervention and treatment; innovative outreach and engagement strategies for evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery; and the importance of the community voice to develop and implement solutions to the opioid crisis.

This research-to-practice brief summarizes interview findings from juvenile justice system administrators in communities that are moving away from youth prisons and toward investing in community-based solutions. The interviews from these agency administrators identified four key lessons: maximize windows of opportunity to establish a continuum of community care; develop strategic partnerships with advocates to prioritize relevant issues for juvenile justice reform; collaborate with youth, families, and community members who interact with juvenile ex-offenders; and use data and research to make the case for closing youth prisons. Interviews were conducted with juvenile justice administrators in Louisiana, Wisconsin, New York, and the District of Columbia.

This toolkit offers steps and guidance on how to use virtual communications for client engagement and internal staff management. Information is provided for voice and conference calls using Google Voice, FreeConferenceCall.com, and Google Hangouts; video conferencing using Zoom and WebEx; creating and sharing documents with Google Drive and Microsoft Office 365; and internal messaging using Slack and Google Hangouts Chat.

This podcast, as part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families project, includes interviews with developers of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model in San Diego County, California on the model’s implementation. IPS intends to help people with serious mental illness access and find employment. The podcast discussion also reflects IPS’ impact in serving individuals with a range of physical disabilities and health conditions other than mental illness.

The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on May 21, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on county workers and county budgets and local economies and how counties are developing policies, programs, and services to save residents’ lives and prepare for recovery in the future.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a webinar on May 7, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Presenters include representatives from the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and ETA’s Office of Unemployment Insurance.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration has presented a set of resources and guidance for workforce development entities. These resources include updated requirements on grants management and performance reporting for all U.S. Department of Labor-funded programs. A set of frequently asked questions addresses the National Farmworker Jobs Program, the Indian and Native American Program, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, the Trade Act or Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, the operations of American Job Centers and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), WIOA-funded Layoff Aversion Activities and Rapid Response, WIOA-funded Youth grants, WIOA Dislocated Worker grants, WIOA Performance Outcomes, and WIOA waiver flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This fact sheet is a set of questions and answers from a video call with a Harvard Business School professor with guidance on how to work productively at home, manage virtual meetings, and lead teams in a virtual environment as a result of stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 crisis.

This fact sheet offers tips, guidance, and resources on how grandfamilies can stay healthy, informed, and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include practicing excellent hygiene, accessing food and medicine, accessing technology, staying connected, talking with kids about coronavirus, managing anxiety and stress, resources and activities for children at home, and back-up planning.