Take A Stand for Healthy Relationships, a National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Discovery Education program, teaches high school students in grades 6-12 how to understand and build healthy relationships. The curriculum contains self-paced modules and lesson plans to help students gain crucial skills in communication, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence, and help them recognize healthy and safe qualities and behaviors in relationships. Accompanying educator guides offer school staff ways to support students through the essential content.

(See also Resources on "intimate partner violence" in the Resource Library)

The National Association of Counties (NAC) held the second webinar of its County Eviction Series on February 4, 2021 to discuss how some county governments have addressed the need for housing and financial stability among at-risk families during the COVID-19 crisis. Presentations included solutions that were implemented in local communities during the national evictions crisis. A video and a PowerPoint presentation are available for downloading. Webinar presenters included representatives of the NAC, the Orange County (Florida) Housing and Community Development Division, and the Palm Beach County (Florida) Community Services Department.

This brief looks at how young people ages 14 to 24 can access cash assistance through the TANF program and the effectiveness of this program in meeting young people’s needs. It discusses opportunities for and challenges with accessing TANF benefits, including eligibility gaps and the effect of COVID-19. The brief also identifies areas for future research and action steps on improving accessibility.

Self-regulation skills include the capacity to complete tasks, remain organized, and control one’s emotions and behaviors. The use of these skills can support a person’s ability to find, retain, and progress in employment. Some TANF programs have implemented coaching and other approaches to support participants’ use of self-regulation skills for identifying goals and outcomes related to employment. This Office of Research, Planning and Evaluation report examines the selection and testing of measures of self-regulation skills as part of program evaluations of employment programs. The report addresses three areas: identification of criteria for selecting measures of self-regulation skills, the process to test these measures in an impact evaluation of coaching programs, and how the selection process can be applied to other employment-related studies that are targeted to low-income populations.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women has issued a funding announcement for grant applications that are targeted to one of three identified purpose areas: Services and Training to Address Children Exposed to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (within ages 0-10); Creating Safer Communities for Youth: Prevention, Intervention, Treatment, and Response Services for Youth Impacted by Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (within ages 11-24); and Providing School-Based Services: Prevention, Intervention, and Response to Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (within ages 5-19). Applicants must identify a target area for funding in their application.

Special consideration will be given to applications with proposed activities that include reduction of violent crime against women and promotion of victim safety through investing in law enforcement, increasing prosecution, and promoting effective prevention; empowerment of victims to become survivors by focusing on long-term safety and sustainable economic independence; and increases in efforts to combat stalking. Up to 11 grant applications will be funded. Applications are due no later than March 23, 2021.

(See also Resources on "intimate partner violence" in the Resource Library)

This brief offers insights on the most important flexibilities, adaptations, and innovations made by state human services agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic and shares recommendations for how these experiences can inform future state and federal policy and program design. The brief refers to national scans and in-depth interviews with state human services agency leaders to identify the most impactful policy and practice shifts in response to COVID-19.

The Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood initiative provides funding for the Fathers Advancing Community Together (FACT) program in Contra Costa County, California. FACT offers responsible parenting, healthy relationships, and economic stability services, including workshops for low-income parents. This Urban Institute brief covers a survey of FACT participants that examined whether they believed they were equipped with the skills to be good parents and how participating in the workshops affected their capacity to save money and develop budgets or obtain employment.

This updated interactive mapping tool highlights aspects of communities associated with safe children and strong families. The research-based framework, composed of select community indicators, is offered to communities nationwide. The tool maps community indicators at geographic levels defined by the user, from the state level to neighborhoods. Most indicators are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The tool was informed by significant evidence of the community factors correlated with child maltreatment and a healthy community framework developed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Factors include child and family wellbeing, economics, education, and housing. The tool includes new indicators, such as COVID-19 data and resource accessibility, and breaks down many of the data indicators by race and ethnicity. Training videos on how to use the tool are available.

Parents can be reluctant to engage with child protection agencies since they realize these agencies are part of a system that can remove their children from their homes; however, it is crucial for agencies to develop meaningful engagement with these families, as engaging caregivers successfully in child welfare services has been associated with fewer placements in out-of-home care and less risk of repeat abuse. This research-to-practice brief cites motivational interviewing (MI) as a promising approach used by child protection practitioners to facilitate meaningful family engagement. Essential elements of MI are identified, including an authentic partnership between case manager and client based on nonjudgmental acceptance of the client, compassion for the client, and recognition of the client’s desire for change. The brief lists communication strategies such as asking open-ended questions that practitioners use in MI, and it concludes with a discussion of how the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency has used the MI approach.

This annual publication is a data almanac of TANF policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through July 2019, contained within the Welfare Rules Database. It provides comprehensive guidance on long-term rule changes on cash assistance programs and state policies from 1996 to 2019.