This report overviews the goals and structure of the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF), which offers funding support to states and tribes to improve the health, educational, economic, and social outcomes of expectant and parenting teens and young adults, their children, and their families. The report also examines the participants and communities that the PAF serves and its services, provides data on the program’s reach and success, and identifies lessons learned from PAF grantees on how to enhance services to produce the best outcomes for participants.

This tip sheet from Child Trends identifies strategies to assist front-line staff and their managers who support clients remotely. The tip sheet is organized into three areas where administrators might experience the greatest challenges in a virtual work environment: supervision and support of line staff, client communication and service provision, and community collaboration and resource sharing among colleagues.

The Children’s Bureau and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation convened an expert meeting on March 28, 2019 to discuss self-regulation and how the child welfare system can address youth development in foster care and youth transitioning into adulthood. The meeting’s purpose was to describe self-regulation, identify knowledge gaps, and point to learning opportunities. The meeting and summary report complement earlier work on toxic stress that the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation has conducted.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for state, local, and tribal human services leaders serving children and families to provide a Whole Family response. To assist in this effort, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Regional Operations offers an updated list of resources, guidance, and tip sheets with information on ACF funding flexibilities and the whole family approach. This compendium includes:

• ACF Mandatory Program COVID-19 Program Flexibilities, Guidance and Resources (including information from the Office of Child Care, instructions on TANF allowable funds, letters and transmittal reports from the Children’s Bureau, and updates from the Office of Child Support Enforcement); and 

• Whole Family Approach to COVID-19 Response (including coverage about funding and flexibilities from Food and Nutrition Services programs, resources for working parents, and updates to funding resources for career and technical education programs and higher education institutions. There is also information about resources available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address mental health and substance use disorders and behavioral health challenges as well as funding available at the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand rural health center and telehealth capacity. Support for homeless housing and rental assistance, families living in public housing, and families in need under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is also identified.)

June 2, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the federally funded Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ (OSERS) Rehabilitation Services will host a webinar on June 2, 2020 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT and pay tribute to this historical occasion by showcasing “Success Stories” of how the VR program helped change the lives of students and adults with disabilities.

The Aspen Institute’s Ascend initiative has launched a webinar series to cover 2Gen approaches that support the health, economic opportunity, and education of low-income families as they recover and move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic. Upcoming webinar topics are Child Support: Implications and Useful Lessons around Child Support, Parent Voice During COVID-19: Maintaining Feedback Loops, Stopping Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorders Where They Start: Prevention and Treatment in Adolescence, and State Leadership During COVID-19 and Beyond. Recordings of previously held webinars on Telehealth and 2Gen, State Opportunities and Challenges in Advancing Child Care Innovation, and New Frames for a New Time are available.

The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics is hosting a series of virtual workshops that address research on topics of interest to human service professionals throughout the summer. Future workshops will cover Machine Learning in Human Services Contexts, Cross-System Collaboration to Serve Justice-Involved Clients, and the Family First Prevention Services Act. Recordings of previously held workshops on TANF Responses to COVID-19 and Domestic Violence during COVID-19 are available.

This recorded webinar from the Annie E. Casey Foundation illustrates ways that state child welfare and substance use disorder officials can utilize the Family First Prevention Services Act to help families affected by substance misuse. Topics covered in the webinar included: discussion of the Family First Act’s substance use disorders provisions, opportunities to implement the law to benefit affected families, and the importance of collaboration between child welfare and substance abuse agencies. Speakers included representatives of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children and Family Futures, ChildFocus, and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors.

The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) held the first session of the NAWRS 2020 Virtual Workshop Series on April 29, 2020. This session brought together four state TANF representatives from Alabama, Colorado, Vermont, and Washington State to discuss TANF programs and the persons they serve. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the panelists discussed changes in caseloads and policy changes, the transition to a virtual environment for operations and service delivery, and the key challenges that TANF clients now face. A YouTube recording of the webinar is available for viewing.

This guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration includes topics and resources to serve women who are reentering communities after incarceration and intends to help them succeed. The guide is a checklist that seeks to: identify critical reentry needs; address substance use disorders; build links to mental health care; address physical and reproductive health care; provide culturally competent services; provide trauma-informed services; build healthy, trusting relationships; reestablish family relationships; facilitate payment of justice system fines and fees; and increase self-efficacy through certified peer specialists.