From the Urban Institute, this fact sheet reviews various work supports available to low-income families since the 1996 PRWORA. Although work supports were significantly expanded, they still fall short in providing families enough to promote asset building, leading to self-sufficiency.

This guide is part of HHS's ongoing effort to work with States to ensure that low-income families and children have access to health benefits. In 1999, State Medicaid application and eligibility policies and procedures in all 50 States, plus the District of Columbia and the Territories were reviewed. Working closely with States, CMS (formerly HCFA) analyzed the findings for these reviews and identified practices that need improvement as well as some promising practices that will be interesting models for other States.

This Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. issue brief was authored by Christopher Trenholm. The Santa Clara County Children's Health Initiative (CHI), launched in January 2001, seeks to extend health coverage to all uninsured children in that California county. This issue brief measures the effect of the initiative on enrollment in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, the two major State insurance programs. The study found that CHI increased enrollment by almost 13,500 children, or 28 percent. As a result of the gains, CHI increased State and Federal spending in Santa Clara County for the two programs by an estimated $24.4 million during 2001-2002.

The CalWORKs Project seeks to inform policy makers, using a variety of approaches, in order to positively influence CalWORKs policy and practice, particularly in the areas of identification, referral, and delivery of mental health (MH), alcohol and other drug (AOD), and domestic violence (DV) services to CalWORKs-eligible families.

From the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, this paper provides an overview of methamphetamine, as social workers are seeing an increasing number of children and families affected by meth. Authors present the most current research on methamphetamine, its effects on families, and treatment options available.

This report from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) outlines best practices in policy regarding children's mental health and offers views on the status of family and youth support and advocacy systems. Authors conclude by highlighting selected innovative interventions.

This report from Mathematica reviews how States could finance services to youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Authors review how states are currently paying for home and community services for children and youth with mental illness, and offer information for how States can continue to support youth and families through intensive care.

This report details the presentations given and questions, answers, and concerns articulated by members of the ACF Region V States at the June State Human Services Officials Meeting.

This audio conference was coordinated by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) as part of its Family Independence Forum series available to ACF Regional offices and State social service offices. The Supporting Families After Welfare Reform program is a new $6.8 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the program is to help States and large counties address problems in eligibility processes that make it difficult for low-income families (particularly families moving from Welfare to Work) to access and retain Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), or Food Stamps. The program includes technical assistance for States and counties developing and using eligibility and enrollment data to improve their systems; workshops on the barriers in State and local eligibility and enrollment processes; and resources to implement proposed solutions. This new initiative will provide technical assistance and grants for up to twenty-two States and large counties to improve their enrollment and redetermination processes for Medicaid, SCHIP, and Food Stamps.