Authored by Jeanette Hercik, et. al. This project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. The report documents the wide range of criminal justice-related services provided by larger faith-based organizations (FBOs) in communities across the nation. The primary purpose of the project is to assist the development of a research agenda to determine whether and under what circumstances the faith community can promote public safety via reducing crime and delinquency.

Authored by Chelsea Farley. This issue brief describes the Philadelphia-based Amachi program, which partners faith-based organizations with public agencies and nonprofit service providers to identify children of prisoners and match them with caring adult volunteers.

The U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF), with support from the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network, sponsored the Uniting Incarcerated Parents and their Families workshop on May 21-22, 2002, in Orlando, FL . Participants included representatives from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), corrections staff, and child care staff from the following States: Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. The purpose of this 2-day seminar was two fold: to provide participants with an opportunity to understand how TANF agencies and corrections staff can work together to better serve incarcerated parents and to showcase the Kairos Horizon’s faith-based program around parenting, anger management, conflict resolution, basic skills, and job readiness.

The National Practitioners Network for Fathers and Families joined with the Family and Corrections Network in this collaborative effort—the Second North American Conference on Fathers Behind Bars and on the Street. The conference presented an opportunity for practitioners, researchers, policy experts, and advocates who work on behalf of father—both those living in the community and those who are incarcerated in prisons, jails, and detention facilities—to come together to learn from each other in an unique event for this still young field of work. There were many excellent opportunities during the week to expand our own knowledge, gain new skills, and create networks with others who are working with fathers and their families. The program included plenary speeches, panel discussions, workshops, and seminars.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network sponsored this multi-State Roundtable event on November 19-20, 2003. The Roundtable showcased promising practices from around the country and provided an opportunity for participants to think strategically about how to design and implement these programs, as well as the occasion to learn about and discuss “what works” in serving this at-risk population. Participants included representatives from the States of Colorado, Virginia, and Wyoming. Roundtable speakers included State and local government agencies, service providers, practitioners, Federal personnel, and leaders of national  organizations.

The Welfare Peer TA Network sponsored this statewide Roundtable event that took place in Baltimore, MD from September 14-16, 2005. Attended by over 80 individuals, this Roundtable focused on developing partnerships to address the challenges associated with universal engagement for TANF clients. Partners were given the opportunity to learn strategies for developing meaningful partnerships with substance abuse treatment providers and the Department of Corrections to engage substance users and ex-offenders into work experience to better the lives of children and families.