The resources and services available through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are critical to ending family homelessness. State and local TANF programs can provide access to critical work opportunities and support services for families experiencing homelessness. This resource from the Heartland Alliance provides an overview of TANF, examples of where state and local TANF programs have been leveraged to support homeless families, and recommendations to ensure that TANF resources are leveraged effectively to support homeless families.

This brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) presents information from a multi-site study of the impact of incarceration on father-child relationships. The findings indicate that fewer fathers lived with or financially supported their children after release than before incarceration. Fathers who had more contact with their children during incarceration were more likely to live with their children after release, as were fathers who had happier relationships with their children’s mothers. Also, fathers of younger children reported higher parental warmth and better relationship quality with their children than fathers of older children.

Child Trends provided commentary on the state of rural child poverty. In the commentary, they cite Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers 2015 report, which evaluates the devastating health disparities between the rich and poor living in major cities around the world. Additionally, the report assesses the well-being of mothers and children in 179 countries. Authors also mention a recent analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS), which notes that more than one in four rural children are living in families with incomes below the official poverty line.

In the fall of 2014, OPRE organized an Innovative Methods meeting to explore cutting-edge applications of methods and analytic techniques that can inform social program practice and policy. This brief summarizes the meeting and includes:

• A description of the meeting topic
• An overview of each panel
• The meeting agenda
• Information about other products that came out of the meeting.

The brief considers methods and designs that move beyond questions about whether or not programs and policies work, but also address questions about which particular parts work, under what circumstances, and how. You will also find potential steps to advance research that unpacks the “black box” of policy and program effects.

In this webinar from the Institute for Research on Poverty, the presenters examined population and employment trends in the rural United States and considered state and federal USDA initiatives to help recovering rural economies and households. The webinar was held on July 13, 2016.

This May 2016 presentation to Connecticut’s Two-Generational Interagency Workgroup, which supports legislative pilot projects across the state, was provided by Alice M. Forrester, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the Clifford Beers Clinic in New Haven, CT. She discussed the importance of understanding trauma and its effects on behavior and development when implementing two-generation approaches.

The National Crittenton Foundation, in partnership with Ascend at the Aspen Institute, developed this toolkit to guide use of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) survey in direct service, education, and policy settings. The toolkit is designed to promote healing for individuals impacted by childhood trauma, educate the community about the impact of childhood adversity, and encourage implementation of two-generation policies to prevent ACEs for future generations. Materials provided include a tip sheet, sample protocol, case studies, testimonials, and links to additional resources.

America’s youth confinement rate dropped across all racial and ethnic groups during the past decade, and fell by 40% overall. However, there is still room for improvement. In 2013, America placed more than 54,000 youth in juvenile detention, correctional facilities, and residential facilities. This release from the Annie E. Casey Foundation highlights data from the KIDS COUNT Data Center regarding youth confinement.

This report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University focuses on “core capabilities,” including executive function, and how they can be impacted by toxic stress, leading to challenges with life skills such as parenting and workplace effectiveness. The report discusses how environmental triggers can impact ability to use core capabilities to maintain emotional balance, and reviews how and when these skills develop. The report also includes examples of how excessive stress can alter one’s ability to use core capabilities, and how service providers can help clients build missing capabilities.