This Administration for Children and Families (ACF) blogpost, published by the Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, describes activities associated with this year’s observance of National Runaway Prevention Month to raise awareness of the challenges that face homeless youth. This commemoration focuses on prevention services and promotes greater understanding of why young people are homeless; in many cases, youth are asked to leave home or do so because they see no other way to improve their situation. The Family and Youth Services Bureau is cited as a key player in the effort to end youth homelessness, domestic violence, and adolescent pregnancy.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report illustrates the research projects of the Division of Family Strengthening in Fiscal Year 2018. The report highlights six sections of activity: Supporting Fatherhood, Strengthening Relationships, Home Visiting: Nurturing Children Through Families, Supporting Positive Youth Development and Transitions to Adulthood, Preventing Family Violence, and Other Cross-Cutting Research.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) requests caseload data for October 2019 on the number of foster children supported with public funds and the number of children in families receiving TANF payments in excess of the poverty income level under the 2019 HHS Poverty Guidelines. The data will be used as part of a formula to allocate FY 2020 U.S. Department of Education, Title I, Part A of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds. Data provided to ACF must include the name of the local education agency (LEA) (or county, if not available by LEA) and reporting code shown on the list. Form ACF-4125 must be submitted by December 31, 2019 by regular mail or e-mail. Failure to provide data will result in the loss of Title I funds.

This brief from the University of California at Davis, Center for Poverty Research highlights how childhood economic hardship has negative long-term impacts on mental and physical well-being and how resilience factors can mitigate these negative consequences. The brief notes recent research that identifies protective factors, such as supportive relationships and successful role models, that provide continuous benefits for child development. The brief also offers suggestions for both policy and practice to support youth experiencing economic hardship at an early age.

This updated and expanded report from the Congressional Research Service provides a summary of TANF block grant information and addresses frequently asked questions. The report covers TANF funding and expenditures, TANF caseload data, level of TANF cash benefits, and TANF work participation standards.