Many of the men who participate in fatherhood programs may have experienced trauma from adverse childhood experiences, community violence, or incarceration. Traumatic experiences can have a negative impact on fathers’ own functioning as well as on their children’s well-being, particularly for men of color or those with low incomes. In recent years, fatherhood programs and other social service providers have become more aware of how traumatic experiences can impact program participants. However, there is still a need to ensure that practitioners incorporate recognized, trauma-informed (TI) practices into their services. This MDRC brief provides practical information and easy-to-use tools designed to support TI practices in a fatherhood program context.

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration brief presents self-reports of recovery among adults aged 18 and older in the United States who thought they ever had a problem with their use of drugs or alcohol and/or mental health. Recovery for substance use or mental health problems differed by age, family income, education, marital status, and importance of religious beliefs. Adults who participated in at least one government assistance program, had a lower level of education, or had a lower family income relative to the federal poverty level tended to have a higher prevalence of substance use recovery, but a lower prevalence of mental health recovery. Some policy recommendations that SAMHSA identifies as supporting recovery include supportive employment programs and financial counseling and education as well as family support services.

World Mental Health Day is October 10, 2023 and the objective is to raise awareness of mental health issues, as well as to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals and Dynamic Works Institute will co-host two virtual sessions; the first being on October 10, 2023 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT and will provide tools for practitioners’ toolbox and reflection activities. The second part of the series will take place on October 24, 2023 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT and will develop potential self-care plans for those heading towards burn-out. There is a fee for registration.

In 2021, over 46.3 million people ages 12 and up in the United States met the criteria for having substance use disorder (SUD). Compared to other developmental periods, the co-occurrence of serious mental health conditions and SUD is concentrated in young adulthood. Young adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability are at particularly high risk for developing a SUD and experiencing challenges accessing care and support. Harm reduction is an evidence-based approach critical to engaging with people who use drugs and equipping them with life-saving tools. This Administration for Children and Families brief provides information and resources about harm reduction services for young adults experiencing homelessness.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the employment landscape, with effects that persist. Many people lost their jobs, lost childcare, or otherwise experienced negative changes to their income and ability to work. These shifts disproportionately affected people of color, women, parents, and workers earning low wages, exacerbating longstanding systemic inequities. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief explores how the pandemic shifted employment, earnings, and unemployment benefit receipt among workers who have historically faced obstacles to finding and keeping jobs in a more typical economic context—workers who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The brief focuses on experiences across geographic locations during the pandemic period, which may reflect differences in local economies, COVID-19 infection rates, and public policies.

Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy will co-host a virtual session on September 21, 2023 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT to discuss the policy takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic for reducing poverty and promoting economic well-being moving forward. This webinar will include a policy panel to discuss the challenges faced by low-income households, how the federal government achieved a record-low poverty rate in 2020 and again in 2021, and what lessons ought to be carried forward from those experiences.

The Skills and Experience for the Careers of Tomorrow (SECTOR) program provides employment and training services, cognitive behavioral interventions, and connections to mental health and substance use disorder services for people with previous legal system involvement. It uses a sector-based approach, which connects individuals to training opportunities that offer a livable wage, career advancement opportunities, and benefits for job seekers. The model anticipates that behavioral health, well-being, employment, and earnings improvements will reduce future interactions with the criminal legal system. This MDRC report presents the findings of the SECTOR program evaluation as part of the Los Angeles County Reentry Integrated Services Project. The evaluation focuses mainly on employment and criminal legal system contact and whether SECTOR successfully connects individuals to mental health and substance use disorder services.

In 2014, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a treatment improvement protocol manual entitled Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services, as well as Concept of Trauma, which served as a landmark publication that has influenced service provision beyond the areas of behavioral health and health care. Trauma continues to be a cross-SAMHSA priority, given its significant role in behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery. This updated guide expands the discussion presented in SAMHSA’s earlier resources, specifically focusing on tools and strategies for implementing a trauma-informed approach (TIA). The guide highlights the need for organizational assessment of readiness and capacity before implementing TIA and describes strategies for such assessments.

This alert is to ensure that NO family served by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) loses their medical coverage because of a lack of knowledge about the renewal process. Resources to support agencies as they help individuals renew coverage are provided below.

The key information that families need to receive:

• UPDATE contact information with the State Medicaid agency.
• RESPOND to the Medicaid renewal form when it comes in the mail. If they don't, they may lose their coverage even if they are still eligible.
• PARENTS should respond even if they are not eligible or enrolled in other coverage. Their children could still be eligible for coverage.
• CHECK OTHER OPTIONS: If no longer eligible for Medicaid, they should check if they can get coverage through their employer or through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace at www.healthcare.gov.
• To receive state-specific Medicaid renewal templates to help get the word out about the above information, contact a local Medicaid official.

For individual outreach, please consider these resources for office posting and distribution:

• State-specific Unwinding Flyers (in English and Spanish)
• State-specific information to help families update their contact information.

The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services has developed a Communications Toolkit to help people with Medicaid or CHIP take steps to renew their health coverage or find other coverage options. This Toolkit includes important messages and sample materials (drop-in articles, social media messages, and flyers).

Looking for something that can give specific actions to different community partners? This Call to Action lets different groups (e.g., states, unions, employers, the health care community) know what they can do to spread the word and get people's heath care renewed.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will host a virtual training on anxiety and depression in children and youth designed for parents and caregivers on July 19, 2023, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. This training will provide:

• Information on anxiety and depression in children and youth from parents, caregivers, and behavioral health professionals;
• Useful skills to recognize and respond to children and youth managing anxiety and depression;
• Information on how to access mental health resources and guidance to help children and families; and 
• An overview of resources available to support parents and caregivers.

The training is a continuation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' efforts to provide important and useful information an resources about child, youth, and family mental health and includes remarks from ACF Assistant Secretary January Contreras and SAMHSA Assistant Secretary Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. For additional information, see this flyer.