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.

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) highlights key points addressing intimate partner violence and child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, where staying at home may not be safe for those who have previously experienced mistreatment or where current economic conditions might spark mistreatment that would not have otherwise existed. The brief also provides links to resources from the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the National Hispanic and Latino Addiction Technology Transfer Center, and SAMHSA’s partner, the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health.

This set of audio interviews features birth parents and foster parents discussing the need for strong birth and foster parent relationships. Co-parenting approaches are being implemented by state and local child welfare and adoption agencies across the country, and these field interviews cover potential ways to help birth and foster parents directly work toward reunification. These first-hand accounts also illustrate ways to generate support to implement this co-parenting approach nationally.

As a part of continued support to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs and their endeavors to serve individuals and families virtually during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Family Assistance recorded a PeerTA webinar on June 24, 2020. TANF staff and those they serve had to retool quickly to adapt to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Staff who conduct in-person case management and coaching are looking for ways to continue these needed services virtually in order to protect the health and safety of individuals and families, ensure the health and safety of their own families, and maintain confidentiality by using virtual services that are secure. Luckily, remote case management services are not new concepts, as they are increasingly being used across TANF and other client/student serving organizations to provide efficient and effective support to those they would normally see face-to-face.

This panel webinar discussed virtual TANF case management and coaching strategies considering the risks associated with COVID-19. Information was delivered in a panel format with question and answer dialogue with panelists. Through the panel webinar registration process, registrants had the opportunity to pose questions for the panelists and the field to consider as they make critical decisions about their ongoing operations, including use of virtual tools and processes to conduct coaching/case management sessions.

Speakers included:

• Annette Waters, Ph.D., Social Science Analyst, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
• DaiJuan Wade, Supervisor -- Special Projects, Operations and Training, District of Columbia Department of Human Services
• Suzie Miller, Workforce Programs Manager, Arapahoe/Douglas Workforce Center 
• Mary Roberto, PeerTA Project Director, Manhattan Strategy Group (Panel Moderator)

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration discusses the impact of the opioid crisis on the Black/African American population. Key elements of the brief include: most recent data on the prevalence of opioid misuse and opioid overdose death rates; contextual factors that impact the opioid epidemic, including challenges in accessing early intervention and treatment; innovative outreach and engagement strategies for evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery; and the importance of the community voice to develop and implement solutions to the opioid crisis.

This podcast, as part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families project, includes interviews with developers of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model in San Diego County, California on the model’s implementation. IPS intends to help people with serious mental illness access and find employment. The podcast discussion also reflects IPS’ impact in serving individuals with a range of physical disabilities and health conditions other than mental illness.

The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on May 21, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on county workers and county budgets and local economies and how counties are developing policies, programs, and services to save residents’ lives and prepare for recovery in the future.

This fact sheet offers tips, guidance, and resources on how grandfamilies can stay healthy, informed, and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include practicing excellent hygiene, accessing food and medicine, accessing technology, staying connected, talking with kids about coronavirus, managing anxiety and stress, resources and activities for children at home, and back-up planning.

This set of resources includes upcoming and previously recorded webinars on the impact of COVID-19 in rural communities, current and continuously updated data, state-by-state responses to COVID-19, and Federal responses regarding rural health, rural small business development, rural housing, and Tribal communities.

This compendium covers the impact of COVID-19 on early child development and offers a set of briefs and tool kits on how to support children and caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic. There is also a podcast on the brain science of how responses to COVID-19 effect healthy child development.