The Annie E. Casey Foundation released a working paper on the Federal child welfare financing system and its need to be supported by best practices in order to ensure that all children have the opportunity to grow up in strong families. This paper outlines a policy framework and recommendations to encourage best practices in four areas: permanence and well-being; quality family foster care; a capable, supported child welfare workforce; and better access to services.

The Assets for Independence (AFI) Resource Center released an article introducing and explaining the 529 plan. The State of Kansas is promoting savings for postsecondary education by offering this unique 529 plan for noncustodial parents. The 529 plans are investment accounts for postsecondary education expenses that may increase in value over time. Contributions to 529 plans may be deducted from income taxes. In the State of Kansas, under the Child Support Savings Incentive (CSSI) Program, eligible noncustodial parents can now open and contribute to 529 savings accounts for their children and receive a reduction in State child support arrears of double the amount deposited. For every one dollar saved towards their education, they receive a reduction in arrears of two dollars.

This report from Mathematica and the Social Security Administration provides the findings of a longitudinal study of when and if Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability recipients return to work and utilize the SSI work incentives such as Ticket to Work. Though the data varied widely across States, it was found that younger SSI recipients are more likely to return to work and forfeit benefits than older recipients. A brief history of the Ticket to Work program is provided.

The National Poverty Center released a working paper discussing low-income families and their interactions with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Food Stamp program. This working paper combines State-level policy data with rich data on a national sample of low-income families to investigate family and State-level predictors of TANF and Food Stamp receipt. Two key findings are discussed: 1) families experiencing more economic hardship are more likely to receive benefits, and 2) States' coverage is associated with families' receipt of TANF, but not Food Stamps. The paper closes with a discussion on the implications for policy and research.

The Department of Workforce Services for Utah released their second annual report discussing intergenerational poverty, welfare dependency, and the use of public assistance. This report offers data and analysis to address themes presented by policymakers represented by the Intergenerational Welfare Report Commission and the Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Committee. This report also offers detailed analysis on labor force attachment, public assistance programs from the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), and a lifetime use of public assistance.

The Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) was authorized by Congress to reduce teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and associated risk behaviors. Grantees across the country had flexibility in how they would implement their programs. This report is the first report from the PREP evaluation sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research. Authors interviewed State grantee officials to document the program decisions made across 44 States and Washington DC in designing the program. Among the key findings, researchers found that many of the programs are evidence-based and targeting high-risk youth. Additionally, States have developed their programs in different ways to educate on abstinence and contraception. The evaluation will include an additional round of interviews in 2014, performance management data analysis, and an analysis of program impacts using random assignment across four to five sites.

Brookings released a social mobility memo discussing how poor health as a child hinders future success. It states that health inequality may play a large role in holding back mobility in the United States. Examples of evidence-based relationships between income and health are given, as well as suggestions on how to use this information to better promote an improved health and social environment in the United States.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released a Data Spotlight report addressing the reasoning behind why over five million adults every year have an unmet need for mental health care and do not receive mental health services. According to the 2009 to 2011 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), cost/insurance issues were the most frequently mentioned reasons for not receiving mental health services. Unmet mental health needs can have a direct effect on the well-being of the individual, their relationships, and their employment.

The National Women's Law Center (NWLC) released a report that provides a gender analysis of national and State poverty and income data for 2012, released by the Census Bureau in September 2013. The National Women's Law Center supplies this analysis because little information broken out by gender is available directly from the Census Bureau's series of reports titled "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States." The report found that poverty rates among women, like poverty rates overall, remained at historically high levels last year. Women's poverty rates were once again substantially above the poverty rates for men. The data also show that income supports such as Food Stamps/SNAP benefits kept millions of Americans out of poverty last year. The wage gap remained unchanged in 2012, with women working full time, year round typically earning 77 cents to every dollar paid to their male counterparts – the same level at which they have remained for a decade.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the 2013 Tribal TANF--Child Welfare Coordination Projects Annual Grantee Meeting on August 14-15, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The meeting provided Tribal TANF--Child Welfare Coordination Project grantees with the opportunity to share information with their peers regarding their program structure and performance. The meeting also addressed grant requirements for Year Two of the projects, strategies for building coalitions in Native American communities, home visiting programs, program sustainability, and approaches for documenting cross-agency coordination and collaboration.