March 9, 2022
Greetings!

Welcome to the latest issue of The Connection, APHSA’s newsletter offering updates and resources pertaining to employment and economic well-being, child and family well-being, and H/HS integration.
After 25 years of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, APHSA is embracing the call to reimagine how it can work in support of the families it serves. Working with human services leaders nationally, we are pleased to release Core Principles for TANF Modernization: A Legislative Framework for TANF Reform. We look forward to further discussions needed to fully realize TANF to support thriving communities built on human potential. There is no limit to what we can achieve together when our work is centered on people and public service, building common ground, and partnering across sectors. 
APHSA Event Updates
The Economic Mobility and Well-Being (EMWB) Conference Call for Proposals is now open! The EMWB 2022 Conference will be held August 14-17 at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront in Savannah, GA—save the date and learn more about the focus areas and session types in our proposal guide. Be sure to submit proposals by April 8.
The National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) Annual Education Conference call for proposals is now open! The NSDTA 2022 Conference will be held October 16-19 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Spokane City Center, Spokane, WA—save the date and learn more about the focus areas and session types in our proposal guide. Be sure to submit proposals by April 8.
The ISM Call for Proposals is open for state and local government agencies! The ISM 2022 Annual Conference and Expo will be held October 23-26 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD—save the date and learn more about the focus areas and session types in our proposal guide. Be sure to submit proposals by March 18.

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Announcements
APHSA recently released the SNAP E&T Third-Party Partnerships: A Framework to Collaboration and Communication for Improved Participant Outcomes. Driven by feedback and responses gleaned from state agency staff administering SNAP E&T and third-party direct-service providers, the framework is a reflection of stakeholder voices that examines the mechanics of strong partnerships between agencies and providers, fostered by communication, trust, and collaboration. 
Resources
The Case for Making SNAP Benefits Adequate: Reflections from Interviews with Older Adults, February 2022 - This research brief from the Food Research & Action Center and the AARP Foundation sheds light on the importance of SNAP for older adults and the positive impacts of the temporary increase in SNAP benefits (i.e. SNAP Emergency Allotments) during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

SNAP “Program Integrity”: How Racialized Fraud Provisions Criminalize Hunger, March 3, 2022 – This report by the Center for Law and Social Policy discusses the racialized history behind SNAP fraud, details the significant damage caused by efforts to “rein in” this perceived problem, and offers policy recommendations for reversing the harm. 
Events
March 8-April 8, 2022 - Part B
Online Entrepreneurship Institute - For Service Providers & Adult Educators teaching entrepreneurship skills; Coalition on Adult Basic Education.

Monday, March 14, 3:00 PM EDT

Tuesday, March 22, 2:00 PM EDT - Part 2
Spanish-language Webinar Series on the Child Tax Credit - UnidosUS, Coalition on Human Needs, Partnership for America’s Children, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Tuesday, March 22, 1:30-4:00 PM EDT
Thursday, March 24, 1:30-4:00 PM EDT

Announcements
Human Services Agency CTC & EITC Outreach Toolkit, March 2022 - APHSA partnered with GMMB, a communications firm, to produce this toolkit with customizable mail inserts, social media posts, website copy, sample text messages and more, for HHS agencies to adapt and use in their customer communications to spread awareness of tax credits this tax season.
Headlines
SCOTUS Agrees to Hear ICWA Case - National Law Review, 03/02/22 
Resources
Systemically Neglected: How Racism Structures Public Systems to Produce Child Neglect, March 2022 - This Center for the Study of Social Policy’s report outlines the history of child protective services, examines how policy pushes families of color into the child welfare system today, and provides recommendations for adequately supporting children and families of color and keeping families together in the future. 
 
Strategies to Guide the Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Relief Funding for Early Care and Education, December 2021 - The purpose of this brief is to highlight strategies that states are pursuing to address equity in allocating their ARPA child care funds. The brief also provides a framework to support decision making around how to use recovery funds that focuses on the needs and preferences of families that face barriers to accessing high-quality ECE. 

Defining and Measuring Access to Child Care and Early Education with Families in Mind, February 2022 - This Child Trends brief is part of the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis (CCEEPRA) project. The brief details the four dimensions of child care and early education access: 1) reasonable effort to find care, 2) affordability of care, 3) care that supports the child’s development, and 4) care that meets parents’ needs. It also details the first application of the access definition to national data. 

Strengthening Connections: State Approaches to Connecting Families to Services, 2022 - Zero To Three’s new case studies illustrate how states can help families locate and access appropriate supports. The companion brief highlights the innovative partnerships and initiatives being taken by five states at both the state and community levels. 
Events
Friday, April 22, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT
NDACAN Office Hours Spring 2022 - National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN).

Tuesday, April 26, 10:00-11:30 AM EDT

Announcements
The NewDEAL Forum Broadband Task Force outlines a blueprint for how states and cities can tackle their own unique broadband needs and close gaps with federal funds, with case studies from states, counties, and cities that are making progress on five key areas. Read their report, Bridging the Digital Divide. 
Headlines
Resources
Increasing WIC Coverage Through Cross-Program Data Matching and Targeted Outreach - March 1, 2022 - Benefits Data Trust (BDT) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released this toolkit designed to help state and local WIC agencies increase WIC participation using cross-program data matching and targeted outreach. The toolkit focuses on strategies that leverage data to measure enrollment gaps and enroll more families in WIC who are already receiving SNAP or Medicaid. State and local teams that complete the toolkit will come away with a workplan for increasing WIC enrollment among adjunctively eligible families. 
 
Florida Guaranteed Income Pilot Focuses on Formerly Incarcerated, March 2, 2022 - This Spotlight Commentary features Just Income GNV Director Kevin Scott who spoke about the approach of offering guaranteed income benefits exclusively to formerly incarcerated persons in the community, and his hopes that it can provide evidence that unrestricted cash benefits can help ease the trauma many returning prisoners experience.
Events
March 30-31, 2022
National Convening: Multi-state Data Collaboratives: From Projects to Products to Practice - National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), and the Coleridge Initiative.

Human Centered Design Self-led Practica - Online courses from Civilla designed for government staff and advocates to help build capacity and deliver impact at scale. This coursework is currently in a pilot phase and is on-demand.

2022-2024 Training & Technical Assistance Program to Center Racial Equity in Data Integration Efforts - Application deadline is March 25. Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP).

Driving Digital Equity – New Funding Opportunities, New Strategies - Governing, Cisco. On-Demand Webinar designed to help build a strategy for increasing digital equity within your community, provide solutions for addressing accessibility and affordability, and share available funding sources.