The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention published a technical package based on evidence-based strategies and approaches to help communities and states focus on prevention activities and provide victim-centered services to survivors and their families. The package features a multi-level, multi-sector approach to supporting survivors, which incorporates social services, justice, housing, advocates, community organizations, and the health care sector working collaboratively to support children, youth, and families. Teaching healthy relationship skills and effective parenting, strengthening economic supports for families, creating protective environments, and civil legal protections are prevention strategies addressed in this technical package.

This research-to-practice brief identifies the positive outcomes of preserving sibling relationships within child welfare agencies and the barriers for joint sibling placement. Strategies that support joint sibling placement and adoptions are presented from initiatives in Connecticut, Idaho, and New Jersey; they include prioritizing kinship relationships regarding placement and establishing clear operating policies, involving children in placement decisions, and using retention strategies for adoptive and foster parents.

The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center will host this webinar on October 21, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. The webinar will feature a discussion of the causes of domestic violence in Indigenous communities. The goal of the webinar is to explain the dynamics of intimate partner violence (IPV) from a survivor's perspective and to highlight the importance of cultural practices in building capacity to provide respectful and effective advocacy with those surviving IPV and other types of domestic violence.

The economic shocks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic along with social distancing and stay-at-home orders have dramatically reshaped the approach social service programs are taking to support employment for low-income populations. The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) will sponsor a webinar on October 28, 2020 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET featuring leaders from three employment and training programs (Climb Wyoming, Rhode Island Works, and Community Action Organization of Scioto County). The speakers will describe their approaches to continuing training programs and other employment services during the pandemic. These programs participated in OPRE’s State TANF Case Studies project to explore different approaches to providing employment-related and supportive services to TANF recipients and other low-income populations. The panelists will discuss the operational implications of the pandemic for their programs; how participants of their services are balancing participation in employment services with competing life demands and suspension of supportive services, such as child care; and the implications of shifting labor market conditions.

In Spring 2020, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Center for Urban Families (CFUF) hosted a two-part roundtable with practitioners from 10 youth-serving organizations that provide outreach and services to young fathers. This CFUF brief highlights strategies the practitioners developed to improve services for fathers of color, ages 18-24. The practitioners also shared their engagement approaches and their perspectives on program research and evaluation.

The National Community Action Partnership, Third Sector, and the American Public Human Services Association will host this webinar on October 19, 2020 from 12 noon to 1:15 p.m. ET. Representatives from the National Community Action Partnership, Third Sector, and the Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council (WEOC) from South Carolina will discuss the importance of elevating young parent families as a priority population. Representatives will also present on leveraging a 2Gen approach within Community Action Agencies. A key topic will include how to measure program performance to achieve 2Gen outcomes using Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) with ongoing young parent and provider feedback.

Third Sector and the American Public Human Services Association will host this webinar on October 15, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET. Representatives from the Kentucky Department of Family Support and the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (MA DTA) will discuss how they are working to better meet the needs of young parent families through TANF-funded programs. Kentucky Works Program representatives will share how they are working to establish participant and frontline staff “feedback loops” to better understand the needs of young parents and to identify more enhanced, targeted TANF-funded services that promote economic stability. In addition, MA DTA will share its new approach to using TANF funding in flexible and effective ways to support young parents through the Young Parents Program. Examples will include place-based adjustments, cross-agency coordination, and gathering ongoing feedback from participants to inform program improvements.

The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on October 14, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET to discuss how county governments can respond to housing unstable and unhoused populations during the coronavirus pandemic. This webinar will cover how the intersection of economic security, public health, and access to housing impacts this vulnerable population.

Vicarious trauma can occur when indirectly exposed to another person’s trauma through images or verbal, written stories; it is an occupational challenge for people working in victim services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and human services. Individuals who experience vicarious trauma may develop a shift in their world view and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Organizations with staff experiencing vicarious trauma may face higher instances of staff turnover, absenteeism, and reduced work quality. Developed as a resource for the Online Work Readiness Assessment, this August 2020 training session defined vicarious trauma, identified its common symptoms, and offered strategies for organizations and workers to address vicarious trauma.

The SNAP participation rate is the percentage of eligible people across the U.S. actually participating in the SNAP program. This research brief presents estimates of State SNAP participation rates for all eligible people and “working poor” people for fiscal year 2017. These estimates can be used to assess program performance and improve program access. The brief also includes a chart on participation rates by state comparing all eligible people and the working poor in 2015, 2016, and 2017.