The Center for Studying Disability Policy and Mathematica Policy Research released a report summarizing policies and programs that the United States and 10 other Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries are using to provide income support and vocational rehabilitation to transition-age youth with disabilities. The report examines common barriers that inhibit a large portion of young Americans with disabilities from transitioning into adulthood with gainful and stable employment. The four major themes that emerged from the report are: 1) a range of efforts has been made to promote employment, 2) investment in large-scale pilot projects has been helpful to governments to identify what works, 3) most countries are operating programs at various government levels designed to improve access to adult services for people with disabilities, and 4) all countries have actively pursued solutions to the problem of inadequate coordination of youth and adult services.

MDRC released a brief on the GED Bridge to Health and Business Program. This program was developed to better understand how adult education programs might strengthen pathways to college and careers. The GED Bridge program represents a new approach to GED instruction, as it aims to better prepare students not only to pass the GED exam, but also to continue on to college and training programs. This brief details some of the key findings from this study as well as their implications for future research and for the development of stronger GED and adult education programming.

Mathematica issued an information brief entitled, "Ticket to Work Participants: Then and Now." Created by Congress to help beneficiaries with disabilities find employment, the Ticket to Work (TTW) program was revised in 2008 to make it more attractive to employment service providers. This brief discusses how the TTW participant population has changed under the revised regulations, and examines how the regulations may have affected beneficiaries' service use, employment outcomes, and satisfaction with TTW.

One of the best ways we can support teen moms is to help them plan their families in a healthy way.

Survey found 22.3 percent of children in families investigated for maltreatment were placed out of home at least once in the 18 months following the close of investigation.

This brief describes several program evaluations that demonstrate 1) parents can be taught how to effectively read with their children, and 2) children benefit academically from reading with their parents. Also provided are important program adaptations to consider when implementing father-focused literacy programs.

Fathers' involvement in their children's lives has been shown to produce both economic and social benefits. This paper by MDRC examines two different approaches to strengthen fathers' involvement and their family relationships, fatherhood programs for low-income noncustodial fathers and relationship education for parents who are together. Both approaches have shown positive effects on the quality of family relationships.

This fact sheet from the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families offers suggestions for ways that safety-net service providers can help non-custodial parents explore non-financial mechanisms for participating in their children's lives. This would be a helpful resource for TANF case managers to share with participants wishing to be more involved in their children's lives.

This report displays and discusses some of the data related to the poverty of children and their living arrangements and data on male employment and earnings, educational attainment, and incarceration. It then provides information on federal programs that could play a greater role in addressing poverty of children through the fathers of these children (nearly all noncustodial parents are fathers). These programs provide economic assistance, family support, and job training and employment to eligible participants. The report also examines federal programs that have the purposes of preventing teen pregnancy and helping disadvantaged youth obtain the skills and support they need to make the transition to adulthood. The underlying premise of these programs generally is that the aid or services received from these programs by low-income noncustodial fathers can help them in meeting their financial commitments to their children (or future children) and providing emotional support to their children. The report concludes by presenting several public policy approaches proposed by the policy community that might improve the lives of low-income noncustodial fathers and their children. For example, social policy could play a role by expanding economic assistance programs to noncustodial fathers, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and implementing strategies to prevent the build-up of unpaid child support through early intervention. (author abstract)

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse hosted a webinar titled "Working with Child Support: Effective Strategies from Model State and Local Partnerships." This webinar provided ideas and resources to help responsible fatherhood practitioners understand and meet the needs of non-custodial fathers and their families. It featured an overview of Federal, State and local policies, partnerships and initiatives; explained how fatherhood practitioners can partner with local child support offices; and generally explored strategies to help non-custodial fathers and their families.