Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day is an annual, nationally recognized day that takes place on the second Wednesday of October. This Futures Without Violence webinar will take place on October 9, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET and will focus on harm reduction strategies that can be applied in both domestic violence advocacy and health settings to support survivors of intimate partner violence who have mental health and substance use experience.

On September 27, 2024, the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) announced their awarding of $4.7 million to help states and tribes develop and refine child support-led employment efforts for noncustodial parents under the Next Generation Child Support Employment (NextGen) grant. OCSS awarded an additional $3.4 million to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance and evaluate the NextGen demonstration projects. This OCSS announcement highlights the demonstration grants recipients, including six states and two tribes.

Many young people transition to adulthood without access to familial resources and struggle to meet their basic needs. Public benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing subsidies, and Medicaid can help young people meet these needs at a critical time in their lives. Young people also need sufficient cash income to meet specific needs these in-kind programs do not provide, and some may receive this through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. However, many young people do not access programs they are eligible for. This Urban Institute report presents the results of a literature scan for evidence about what works to expand young people’s access to public benefits. This report highlights various promising approaches, including targeted youth outreach, benefit navigation, cross-organizational partnerships, simplifying or expanding eligibility, and enhancing administrative efficiency and effectiveness.

This Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network and National Indian Child Welfare Association tipsheet was developed for service providers to share with relatives/kin caring for Native children. It provides guidance to help caregivers access services, utilize the services effectively, and advocate for Native children in their care. This resource can support families to identify and connect to services such as childcare, behavioral health, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), TANF non-needy (child-only) grants, assistance with Social Security Income and other paperwork, and much more.

The Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) leads Administration for Children and Families' comprehensive approach to domestic violence prevention and administers the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to improve support for families and individuals experiencing violence and trauma. Each October, OFVPS recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month by standing in solidarity with survivors, their loved ones, advocates, and communities to mourn those who lives have been lost to domestic violence; to celebrate the accomplishments to end and prevent further violence; and to connect with others leading this movement to transform communities to be more inclusive and supportive of all individuals and families fleeing violence.

This OFVPS resource highlights FVPSA grant recipients that are hosting engaging events throughout October 2024.

Many non-Natives work in various capacities in Indian Country, from tribal administrators to front line workers to urban Indian center employees. Other non-Natives work in other agencies that serve or collaborate with Indian Country. Learning by doing is the way most allies become allies. The Native Wellness Institute will host an interactive training on November 19 and 20, 2024 that is intended for non-Natives and Natives who want to learn more about being an ally in Indian Country. The training will include large and small group discussions, opportunities for reflection and assessment, and tools to take back to the workplace. The goal of the training is to better help participants to help the tribe/organization for which they work.

Career pathways are a series of secondary, postsecondary, and/or adult education and training services that progressively lead to higher credentials and more advanced employment opportunities, with supports designed to help clients progress through these steps. The career pathways framework prepares participants for fields that are growing or in high demand (sometimes with a focus on fields growing in their geographic area), including health care, manufacturing, office administration, construction, and green industries. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation resource describes the effectiveness of programs that were identified by the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse as using a career pathways approach. It summarizes what is known about these programs and their impacts so Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other program administrators, policymakers, researchers, and the general public can apply the evidence to their context.

Administrative burden occurs when individuals are faced with obstacles that hinder their ability to fully participate in society and to access programs and benefits for which they qualify. This can affect many aspects of life, including voting, enrolling for health care coverage or educational opportunities, and applying for social safety net programs like SNAP, Unemployment Insurance, or the Housing Choice Voucher program. While most people will interact with one or more of these systems on a regular basis, low-income people and those from otherwise marginalized groups are particularly vulnerable to the barriers that are in place. The Institute for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar in September 2024, where presenters discussed their research on the causes and impacts of administrative burden as seen in several programs. This recording offers applications and implications for policy and practice approaches that can alleviate administrative burden for affected individuals and communities.

The Administration for Children and Families promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities by providing federal leadership, partnership, and resources for the delivery of a range of human services. Many state, local, and tribal human services programs have a similar mission to support the well-being of the populations they serve. Traditionally, earnings and employment outcomes have served as some of the primary indicators to assess the success of services and programs in advancing family well-being. However, increasingly there is recognition among policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and the broader field that well-being is a complex and multi-faceted concept. One’s well-being can encompass a range of non-economic outcome domains; be influenced by structural, household, social, and individual factors; and look different across cultures, communities, and contexts. To explore this complexity, this 2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency plenary session features research on how well-being is conceptualized in three different human services settings that support individuals and families—Indigenous communities, welfare and self-sufficiency programs, and home visiting programs—and from the perspective of an individual with lived experience as a human services program participant and as a current practitioner in an early childhood education program.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can provide help for people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. 988 is a three-digit support line that provides free, 24/7 access to compassionate mental health support, and that can complement other employee wellbeing resources offered by employers. WorkforceGPS will host a webinar on October 24th, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET that will highlight the services of 988 available when a person or their loved one is experiencing mental health distress and simply needs someone to talk to or be connected to crisis care. By promoting awareness of 988 and encouraging its use, employers and those supporting people seeking employment can create a more supportive environment. The 988 network also offers a potential employment opportunity for those with lived experience who seek to bring their expertise and insights to helping others.