A disproportionate number of children in grandfamilies are African American. While African American children comprise 14 percent of all children in the United States, they make up over 25 percent of all children in grandfamilies and 23 percent of all children in foster care. The long history in the United States of enslavement, segregation, economic injustice, and institutional racism contributes to this overrepresentation in the foster care system, and likely also contributes to the larger percentage of African American children in informal grandfamilies. This tip sheet is designed as a quick reference tool for kinship care service providers and advocates, meant to help them design and provide culturally sensitive services to grandfamilies and kinship families who identify as “Black” and “African American.” It also serves as a guide for staff orientation/training to work in this community.

Culturally appropriate services are needed to support Latino families as they navigate kinship care placements, which appeal to the family system fundamental to Latino culture. This toolkit fills a critical gap to help organizations and individuals across the country enhance their understanding and skills to help children and caregivers in grandfamilies thrive. The concrete tools include information on the diversity of Latinos and how to serve them with cultural competence that leverages their many strengths, the benefits and strengths of preserving and restoring cultural identity, as well as practice and policy recommendations for addressing systemic racism and biases that limit existing support to Latino grandfamilies and the children they raise.

Latino children are much more likely than non-Latino white children to live in multigenerational households where three or more generations live, and where the grandparents or other kin may be providing a significant amount of caregiving. Multigenerational caregiving is one of the Latino community’s many cultural strengths. This tip sheet is designed as a quick reference tool for practitioners – including social workers, government and nonprofit workers, and community leaders working with grandfamilies and kinship families who identify as Latino, Latina, or Latinx – to help them provide services in a way that is culturally sensitive and effective. It also serves as a guide for staff orientation/training to work in this community.

Unemployment in the United States remains historically low, and today’s tight labor market has translated into improved opportunities for many workers, including those for whom increased wages, benefits, and voice have long remained elusive. Yet inflation is putting significant pressure on household budgets. Economic policymakers have a dilemma on their hands as they seek to balance a white-hot job market against the rising cost of living. What is gained from tight labor markets, for whom, and how should we think about a sustainable equilibrium between inflation and unemployment rates? This WorkRise webinar convened nationally recognized researchers and leaders from the worker advocacy, business, workforce development, and antipoverty communities to consider these and other questions arising from today’s dynamic labor market context.

This article lists symptoms of historical trauma and cites the negative impact of historical trauma as part of the explanation behind Native American mental health issues. Further, the article identifies examples of trauma recovery programs that are found to be successful for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. These programs include: Beyond Trauma, a culturally specific recovery group created by South Dakota Urban Indian Health; the Tanana Chiefs Conference Old Minto Family Recovery Camp, an Athabascan alternative to substance abuse treatment; the Red Road to Wellbriety, a culturally appropriate mutual help approach based on Lakota/Nakota/Dakota world views; wellness courts; and Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans.

This chartbook presents data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 15 mental health measures of adults and youth. While the dataset is not a complete picture of the mental health system, the collection of tables and rankings provides a strong foundation for understanding the prevalence of mental health concerns, as well as issues of access to insurance and treatment, particularly as that access varies among the states. Youth data and state rankings in the chartbook cover seven measures: Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year, Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year, Youth with Severe MDE, Youth with MDE who Did Not Receive Mental Health Services, Youth with Severe MDE who Received Some Consistent Treatment, Youth with Private Insurance that Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems, and Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program.

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) webpage highlights resources on youth behavioral health from the Federal Government, including: an Advisory from the Surgeon General on Protecting Youth Mental Health; the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bright Futures Program, School-Based Health Alliance, and Health Center Program School-Based Service Sites; new policy guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the Administration for Children and Families’ implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act; joint funding from SAMHSA and the Office of Minority Health to strengthen and expand children and youth community mental health services and suicide prevention programs; and new funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Approximately 1.3 percent of the U.S. population, or roughly 4.2 million Americans, identify themselves as having Native American or Alaska Native heritage. Native/Indigenous people in America report experiencing serious psychological distress 2.5 times more than the general population over a month’s time. This Native and Indigenous Communities and Mental Health webpage includes an infographic on the number of Native Americans/Alaskan Natives who reported having a mental illness as well as resources on demographics/societal issues, cultural factors, prevalence, treatment issues, and access/insurance.

More than 60% of children with depression do not receive any mental health treatment, according to Mental Health America, a leading association that studies trends in mental health across several populations. At the same time, about 80% of the United States has a severe shortage of child psychiatrists. Both these statistics point to a growing mental health crisis in the United States and beyond. This documentary, Connecting the Dots: Kids in Crisis, features young people from around the world talking about their struggles with mental health in their own words and the need to be supported. Additionally, facilitator guides are available for downloading to use when discussing the documentary.

This webpage profiles EMPath’s Mobility Mentoring^® model, which is defined as the professional practice of partnering with participants so that over time they may acquire the resources, skills, and sustained behavior changes necessary to attain and preserve their economic independence. Included on the webpage are links to a set of four blogs which cover the model’s four essential elements: Coaching for Economic Mobility, the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency^®, Goal Setting, and Recognition.