The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management developed and launched this database, which is an updated index of 29 neighborhood-level indicators pointing to opportunities for child well-being in about 72,000 neighborhoods. The indicators reflect three data components: education, health and environment, and social and economic domains. The education component reflects access to quality early childhood education, quality of elementary and secondary schools, and educational supports. The health and environment domain covers access to healthy food and green space as well as exposure to industrial pollutants. The social and economic data captures indicators that measure access to employment and family economic resources.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation issue brief examines how two agencies, Alameda County, California and the Colorado Department of Human Services use continuous quality improvement (CQI) in implementing their programs that address youth at risk of homelessness. CQI is a process-oriented evaluation that supports the enhancement of programs and practices through ongoing collection analysis of real-time data to identify and test changes in program implementation. Key components of this brief look at the CQI process design features at these two agencies, how the CQI process affected the operation of the agency’s interventions to prevent homelessness among youth and young adults who have been involved in the child welfare system, and what advice the two agencies have for other entities that may use CQI in their program reviews.

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison will host a webinar on February 19, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT to discuss ways that a father’s health and behaviors impact their children’s well-being. Researchers will present findings about fathers’ experiences in prenatal and pediatric care settings and strategies for promoting fathers’ physical and mental health; also presented will be findings on how to support fathers in modeling positive health behaviors for their children.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report presents findings from the Building Bridges and Bonds (B3) study. The B3 study covered approaches addressing parenting and economic stability within Responsible Fatherhood (RF) grant programs, and examined the impact of one particular intervention – Just Beginning (JB). It also detailed how three RF grantees implemented JB within their existing set of supportive services.

This report highlights how public sector human services decision-makers identify and use needed evidence. Recommendations are made on how these leaders can contribute to a broader use of various types of evidence. The report concludes with a literature review of 27 sources related to policymakers’ evidence needs and delves into the types of information policymakers want and need to make decisions on social policy pertaining to areas such as child welfare and youth employment.

This blogpost profiles Youth Support Partners, a program from the Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) Department of Human Services, which intends to give a voice to youth who engaged in the child welfare system in their relationship with assigned caseworkers. This voluntary program allows participating youth to set the frequency of appointments and is a less structured approach for youth to set self-care and personal development goals. Youth Support Partners also promotes a collaborative communication process between caseworkers and youth in assessment.

This PolicyLink report focuses on a paradigm shift in addressing intimate partner violence through a public health framework rather than a criminalization approach. The report identifies ways community stakeholders (such as schools and child welfare systems) can intervene through violence prevention before harm takes place. The report also illustrates the risk and protective factors behind social determinants of health (e.g., poverty and early exposure to emotional trauma and adverse childhood experiences) that drive violent behavior.

This recorded webinar from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as part of the Leading With Evidence: Informing Practice With Research series, illustrates tools piloted by states to assess the fiscal implications of services offered for children and families under the Family First Act. Key webinar features include guidance on how to estimate: costs for delivering evidence-based programs and case management; revenues used to offset costs, including Title IV-E funds and how to assess other revenue sources, such as Medicaid, to cover service delivery; and cost savings in spending on out-of-home placements by implementing prevention services.

This Urban Institute report examines the extension of foster care eligibility to age 21 and the extension of support services for foster care youth through 23 years old. The report looks at the challenges and practices of implementing extensions by child welfare agencies and supportive services providers. The report also covers recommendations for creating child welfare systems that are responsive for young adults.