This journal article presents findings from a longitudinal study which examined the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV), five mental disorders (depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic attack, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), alcohol abuse/dependence, drug abuse/dependence, treatment seeking (from physician, counselor, and self-help group), employment, child support, and welfare participation. Drawn from records extracted from the study "Violence Against Women and the Role of Welfare Reform" (VAWRWR), a key finding was that experiencing controlling behaviors reduced likelihood of welfare participation, while experiencing physical abuse increased it. Panic attack, drug abuse/dependence, and employment wielded significant impact on welfare participation rates; treatment seeking and child support made no significant impact on welfare rates.

This article features a nationally representative study of safe, stable, nurturing relationships among children and youth in the United States ages 1 month to 17 years. Researchers discovered that almost 1 in 4 children and adolescents resided in family environments with just modest levels of safety, stability, and nurturance, while approximately 1 in 15 experienced consistently low levels of these factors. Lack of safe, stable, nurturing relationships seems to most strongly affect older adolescents and children in nontraditional family structures and appear to have critical implications for future functioning of these youth. The article includes a discussion of the associations among the indicators of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and their implications for policy and practice.

This Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation report is the result of a literature review, a listening session, and individual conversations with stakeholders about the growing need for healthcare workers and the unnecessary hiring restrictions against people with criminal backgrounds. There are five things to consider in this area: some individuals with criminal records are qualified to satisfy the growing healthcare demand; effective screening methods are already being used throughout the country; certain occupations like Emergency Medical Technicians have already been filled by the previously incarcerated; federal and state governments and communities are trying to lower unnecessary barriers to entry into the healthcare sector; and those with criminal records can strengthen the healthcare workforce if properly screened. Examples of programs, state initiatives, and screening criteria are listed in the report to inform future policies and practices.

This recent Council for a Strong America report profiles the opioid epidemic in Wisconsin and how parental substance abuse should be considered a significant Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) that impedes childhood development. The report notes how high-quality early care and education programs, Head Start, and home visitations support children as they grow up by preparing them to avoid crime, raise families of their own, and contribute to the workforce. The implications of the epidemic in Wisconsin have a broader national impact.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) assembled a comprehensive list of practical materials for stakeholders helping the unsheltered homeless. Their suite of resources focuses on data and analytics, policies and practices, agency coordination, and communications and includes provider tools, draft policies, and system templates that can be freely used and adapted to fit the needs of local providers. CSH also encourages feedback from users on the efficacy, lessons, and adaptions of its toolkit to understand best practices in the field and to increase the effectiveness of future resources.

New research from the Center for Poverty Research illuminates the links between low socioeconomic status (SES) and metabolic syndrome, a family of conditions that make a person more likely to experience heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. These conditions affect nearly one-fourth of the world’s population, and children raised in poverty are 83% more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome than children of a high SES after controlling for other factors. Adult SES has a less pronounced effect on metabolic syndrome risk. This poses to policymakers an evidence-backed opportunity to improve long-term productivity, health, and well-being outcomes by targeting young children currently growing up in poverty.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation-funded (OPRE) study illustrates the early implementation of the Ramsey County, Minnesota, Lifelong Learning Initiative (LLI). Research has found that chronic stress associated with living in poverty can hinder executive skills, such as planning, decision-making, and organizing. The LLI uses a goal-oriented approach to help TANF recipients set their own employment-focused goals by breaking them down into more manageable tasks and develop these executive skills as they work toward employment outcomes.

This brief comes from an event hosted by the Center for Law and Social Policy on the importance of career pathways and evidence-informed practices that can bolster career pathway interventions. The research shows positive earnings and educational results from career pathway programs, although some study results have provided mixed reviews of their effectiveness. To better evaluate career pathway outcomes, the report emphasizes the need to collect better data and more indicators of performance, build more awareness between workforce development and child and adult education systems, and eliminate TANF work requirements that constrain funding on a narrow scope of work activities. The report ends with components of effective career pathway interventions and includes tangible guiding and research questions for practitioners and program designers.

This Urban Institute brief reviews states’ efforts to curb opioid misuse from 2012 through 2015. The brief covers the insights and experiences collected in 2015 from the first seven states participating in the National Governors Association’s Prescription Drug Abuse Reduction Policy Academy.

This Administration for Children and Families (ACF) blog post discusses the “power of work” relative to the nation’s safety net, as well as ACF’s encouragement of state TANF programs to harness this power when striving to improve employment outcomes. ACF’s Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is evaluating programs and methods that promote work among TANF recipients and other TANF-eligible populations, while also assessing job search assistance strategies, career pathways, and subsidized/transitional employment initiatives. Looking ahead, ACF’s Office of Family Assistance will continue work with state TANF agencies to identify models for career pathways, coaching case management, and employment-related initiatives. As well, the Fiscal Year 2019 President’s Budget proposal included a request for a minimum funding level for resources to support states as they invest in work-related programming.