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.

To help workforce development and education professionals better understand trauma-informed and healing-centered practices and strategies, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and InsideTrack have developed a report providing research and data on trauma and toxic stress. This report shows field examples of workforce development organizations and school systems addressing trauma- and stress-related challenges and offers two actionable trauma-informed and healing-centered frameworks.

In February 2024, MDRC organized a full-day meeting with nonprofit leaders from across the country to build upon the existing research on the effectiveness of sector programs, which prepare job seekers for high-quality employment in specific industries and occupations. It provided space for leaders in the workforce development field to talk about their current challenges and priorities, discuss the future of the field, and develop a practitioner-led research agenda that could be adopted by researchers in partnership with practitioners. This MDRC brief highlights the main areas in which evidence is needed to improve organizations’ day-to-day operations. It describes key research questions and underlying themes that emerged from meeting discussions and synthesizes insights into a practitioner-led research agenda.

Transitioning out of the military can be daunting; for the many years that they served, veterans haven't experienced what the transitioning period of leaving the service brings to the forefront. There isn't a guaranteed 1st and 15th paycheck, and there is no healthcare unless they retired (20 years or more served or medically retired from the military). Veterans must move their families to a location that they deem fit for success of employment, education, and housing. The most important aspect of transitioning is finding constant employment to be able to survive in the civilian world. This National Association of Workforce Development Professionals webinar will take place on November 13, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET, to discuss the importance of supporting transitioning service members and strategies to support them through their journey.

Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) partnered with the Washington Employment Security Department to evaluate a workforce development model and poverty reduction initiative, the Economic Security for All (EcSA) initiative. EcSA provides increased skills development, supportive services, and coaching that helps low-income families move out of poverty, an approach that SPR termed “WIOA Plus.” This SPR resource highlights their findings, including that participants’ median quarterly wages increased by 71 percent after completing EcSA. Although the new program has not yet been rigorously studied, the evaluation of its first few years suggests that its model of increased service intensity and individualized case management is a promising approach to addressing the needs of low-wage workers that could be adopted elsewhere.

Child Trends partnered with Generation Work, an initiative that connects employers to young adults, especially young people of color and those from low-income families, with stable jobs. As a result, they developed a series of three case studies to explore how employers can use positive youth development practices to better support young workers. These case studies highlight discussions from focus groups at Generation Work sites in Chicago and Birmingham and interviews with workforce development practitioners.

WorkforceGPS is hosting a three-part webinar series on the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration’s 2024 Sector Strategies Framework. Sector Strategies are industry-driven approaches to identifying and addressing industries’ workforce and talent development needs at a regional scale. This series is designed to build state and local systems' understanding of and capacity to implement the Framework. The first session will be hosted on September 12, 2024 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, and will convey the vision and value proposition for deeper implementation, expansion, and championing of the expansion and scaling of sector strategies. This session will explore key definitions and roles, including the relationships among sector partnerships, sector strategies, and sectoral training programs and the roles of intermediaries and other critical partners.

Non-degree credentials continue to gain attention and investment from workers, employers, and states, making it critical to ensure these credentials lead to good jobs and equitable outcomes. Given the significant role of life circumstances in people’s ability to enroll in and complete postsecondary programs, access to holistic supports, like food, housing, childcare, and emergency aid, along with career and academic coaching, and student-centered, family-friendly campus policies, should be a key component of evaluating the quality of non-degree pathways. The National Skills Coalition (NSC) hosted a Policy Action Lab to focus on expanding holistic support for students pursuing quality non-degree pathways. The event brought together more than sixty postsecondary, workforce, human services, and advocacy leaders from twenty states to examine state progress, innovations, and promising strategies tied to providing holistic supports to students pursuing quality, career-oriented non-degree programs and pathways at community and technical colleges. This NSC resource highlights key themes and considerations, as shared by states.