This article summarizes several listening sessions that the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse held with fathers to gain information about workforce development efforts. It highlights three main themes and suggestions that emerged from the sessions – Put People before Performance, Motivate Everyone to Self-Actualization, and Utilize Multi-Generational Approaches.

This reference guide from the U.S. Department of Labor provides promising practices regarding specific nondiscrimination requirements in Section 188 and the current Section 188 regulations. It was developed as a resource document for any organization that desires to ensure universal access to and equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in the workforce development system. It is available for download from the web site.

This blog by Lane Schonour, Goodwill Vice President of Learning and Development, looks at the challenges faced by many non-profits related to talent management in today’s economy. Mr. Schonour shares insights and lessons learned by Goodwill as a result of their work in this area and how Goodwill has had success with managing the talent pipeline by ensuring they have the right mix of skills and competencies to meet current and future business requirements.

In this report supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Manatt Health explores the opioid and mental health crises and how cities and counties are implementing local initiatives to address the human and economic impact of untreated serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders. The report profiles 13 local programs that address homelessness, criminal justice, and the frequent use of first responder and hospital emergency departments. It examines both the community impact and local response initiatives, paying particular attention to areas with gaps in treatment, such as the homeless community, and outlines success factors of these local programs.

The Center for Living and Learning (CLL) is a non-profit organization in California that provides programs to aid disadvantaged persons with obtaining and holding stable employment. Working with disadvantaged adults and at-risk youth since 2001, CLL provides vocational education and has assisted with over 400 apprenticeships. The CLL Apprenticeship Program provides paid internships to persons transitioning from rehabilitation, homelessness, and incarceration, as well as welfare recipients and former foster and at-risk youth, single parents, and other disadvantaged individuals. Skills learned include customer service, data entry, administration, organization, and clerical work, along with a full suite of computer skills. CLL offers to businesses services which help them understand CLL clients; CLL also assists businesses in interacting with CLL clients to facilitate their re-entry into the workforce.

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) refers to an article written by Jerry Milner, associate commissioner of the Children’s Bureau and acting commissioner for ACF’s Administration for Children, Youth and Families. This article for The Chronicle of Social Change pertains to the Family First Prevention Services Act. The Act is legislation passed as part of the spending bill that changes the funding structure for the child welfare system by trying to prevent at-risk children from entering the foster care system. Milner praises the Act but concentrates on other actions that need to take place to get to true prevention.

This resource, from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families, reviews trends related to family structure for low-income Hispanic mothers in urban areas using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The data show differences in family life stability, psychosocial risk, parenting stress, co-parenting relationships, and support across foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanics. Authors conclude that strengths and risks vary based on mothers’ nativity, which should be considered when developing interventions or programs.

In this report from the Center for Promise, three different data sets are examined to research and uncover how adversity affects the lives of young people and what practitioners can to do help them overcome barriers to success. The report summarizes findings collected on youth in America and their caregivers. Findings outlined include that there are too many youth experiencing adversity, and that there is a large disparity in exposure to adversity in terms of income, maternal education, and race and ethnicity. Findings also indicate that the number and types of adversities that youth experience matter, and that relationships within and outside the family can buffer the effects of multiple adversities. Recommendations are outlined to help young people persevere through adversity and achieve success. They include engaging schools as a first line of defense, adopting two-generation approaches to support caregivers and youth in high-adversity situations, and increasing and strengthening opportunities such as re-engagement programs and career pathway programs for young people.

This article, published in the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, describes programs designed to provide employment support to fathers who are in the criminal justice system. The T.O.R.I. Program and RIDGE Project are described in detail in their approach to provide assistance for reentry, particularly for fathers. The article also discusses grants provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for fathers and resources available to help support employment and parenting of returning young fathers.

This factsheet from the National Center for Children in Poverty includes demographic information on low-income children and their families. It includes statistics on program supports used, poverty by geographic region, education levels, race and ethnicity, and age group for children under the age of 18 in 2016.