This resource packet contains guidance on integrating safety planning into policies, programs, and program evaluations. In addition, this packet of resources was compiled to guide advocates, systems practitioners, and policymakers on innovative thinking about the safety of women in surrounding communities. The resource offers a broadened perspective on safety evaluation for battered women and their children.

Authored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this report presents an innovative approach to reducing poverty. It describes methods to help low-income families connect with early childhood education and job training; achieve financial stability; and break the cycle of poverty. In addition, the report recommends new ways to better equip parents and children with what they need to thrive.

Low-income families who do not receive TANF during periods of unemployment are often referred to as “disconnected.” This session will draw on recent qualitative and survey research, including OPRE-funded work, to examine how disconnected populations manage economically and investigate child well-being and overall family functioning in disconnected families. Emily Schmitt (Administration for Children and Families) will moderate this session. (conference program description)

• Understanding the Dynamics of Disconnection from Employment and Assistance

Heather Sandstrom (The Urban Institute)

Kristin Seefeldt (University of Michigan)

The presentation describes the results of qualitative research conducted to examine why single-mother families become disconnected from work and TANF, how these women manage financially, and what are the impacts for families while disconnected.

• The Well-Being of Low-Income Children in Families that are Disconnected from Work and Cash Assistance

Zakia Redd (Child Trends)

The presentation describes analyses conducted using data from the National Survey of Children's health to examine disconnected children and families, and how they differ from other low-income families.

These presentations were given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

Emerging research from psychology and neuroscience suggests that healthy executive functioning is critical for behaviors such as goal-setting, self-regulation, planning, and problem-solving. This plenary session will address the implications of executive functioning research for human services programs and examine how emerging insights can strengthen programs designed to help families achieve self-sufficiency. LaDonna Pavetti (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) will moderate this session. Panelists are:

• Elisabeth Babcock (Crittenton Women’s Union)

• Adele Diamond (The University of British Columbia)

• John Padilla (New Paradigms Consulting, LLC) (conference program description)

This presentation was given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

Insights from behavioral economics, which combines findings from psychology and economics, suggest that an improved understanding of human behavior and decision-making could inform program design and improve outcomes. OPRE’s Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self Sufficiency (BIAS) project designs and tests behaviorally-informed program innovations for ACF programs. This session will share early findings and lessons learned from BIAS’s work with child support agencies in Texas and Ohio. (conference program description)

• Behavioral Economics and Social Policy: Designing Innovative Solutions for Programs Supported by the Administration for Children and Families

Lashawn Richburg-Hayes (MDRC)

The presentation gives an overview of how behavioral concepts are being applied to social policy within the context of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project.

• Using Behavioral Economics to Help Incarcerated Parents Apply for Child Support Order Modifications

Mary Farrell (MEF Associates)

Michael Hayes (Texas Office of the Attorney General)

The presentation describes the Texas pilot of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project, a program designed to increase the number of incarcerated, non-custodial parents who apply for child support order modifications.

• Using Behavioral Economics to Increase Timely and Regular Child Support Payments

Peter Baird (MDRC)

Susan Brown (Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency

The presentation describes the Franklin County, Ohio pilot of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project, an initiative to increase the total amounts of child support collected and the frequency of payments.

These presentations were given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

Recent research shows stalled or declining economic opportunity and upward mobility for today’s families. For low-income families, limited economic opportunity has lasting impacts on their and their children’s overall well-being. This panel discussion, moderated by Jeannie Chaffin (Administration for Children and Families), will address policy levers and approaches to improve economic mobility for low-income families, focusing on programs and populations of interest to ACF. Panelists are:

• Greg Acs (The Urban Institute)

• Aparna Mathur (American Enterprise Institute)

• Ida Rademacher (Corporation for Enterprise Development) (conference program description)

This presentation was given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

On November 5, 2014, the Office of Refugee Resettlement hosted a webinar on the ORR-6 Performance Report. The webinar included a review of each section of the ORR-6, highlighting key points and important details, and a question and answer session with ORR personnel.

Authored by the Office of Community Services, Compassion Capital Fund (CCF), this guidebook is aimed at better equipping nonprofit organizations with the knowledge and information needed to identify, validate, and promote effective practices that will help improve their organization and the quality of services they provide within their communities.

In response to Section 743 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, RTI International released a report that explores hunger and food security in America. The report outlines determinants, consequences, and responses to food insecurity, with the hope of spurring policy and program development to address this issue.

Released by The Institute for Research on Poverty, this policy brief focuses on hard-to-employ individuals and the different ways to improve work opportunities, earnings, and incomes for this target population. The brief includes detailed analysis of child poverty trends in the U.S. as well as policy recommendations on stabilizing the income of the hard-to-employ.