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.

APHSA announces a new technical assistance opportunity to advance human services for young families. Building off Working Together – A Roadmap to Human Services System Alignment for Young Families, the six-month training and technical assistance initiative will help state and local public-sector teams advance a whole-family, cross-system approach for serving young families. Interested teams representing state or local public-sector human services should apply by Wednesday, February 2. Apply here.

Catch up on our latest podcast episodes in the Our Dream Deferred: Fulfilling the Nation’s Promise series. You can find us on your preferred streaming platform by searching for “Our Dream Deferred,” as well as on YouTube or our podcast page. Share with your network, write us a review - and send us your feedback and questions!

Join our team—APHSA has a job opening for a Senior Policy Associate for Knowledge Mobilization. Apply now or share with interested parties in your network.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is facilitating an Applied Data Analytics training program through the Coleridge Initiative/TANF Data Collaborative for TANF data teams. Applications for the training are due by February 28.

Strengthening Work-Based Learning Programs - National Governors Association, 01/10/22

Economic Mobility Enacted Legislation Database, December 2021 - The National Conference of State Legislature has launched a new database to track state enacted legislation related to issues such as tax credits and deductions, financial literacy, SNAP and TANF, workforce development, supplemental social security, and more.

Issues in Child Benefit Administration in the United States: Imagining the Next Stage of the Child Tax Credit, December 2021 – This report from the Niskanen Center and Urban Institute considers temporary expansions that made the CTC fully refundable in 2021 and explores how implementing a tax credit designed to more closely resemble a child allowance raises administrative challenges. The report offers principles for efficiently administering a permanent child benefit in the U.S. policy context.

Fighting Hunger by Connecting Cross-Sector Partners and Centering Lived Expertise, December 2021 – This report from the Center for Health Care Strategies offers recommendations for policymakers to integrate individuals with lived expertise as partners in program and policy design, implementation, and evaluation to more effectively address food insecurity.

Research Roundup of the Expanded Child Tax Credit: The First 6 Months, December 22, 2021 - This roundup from the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University compiles what is known so far about families’ awareness of the new CTC program, who has received it, how families are using it, and how it is impacting their lives.

Human Services to Support Rural Health, January 2022 -This guide from the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) provides resources and tools to address rural health and human services needs including income and housing support, job training, child care assistance, and child welfare. As a national clearinghouse on rural health issues, RHIhub includes a state-by-state breakdown of rural resources, and data visualization of health care access and disparities.

Balancing the Edge of the Cliff, January 11, 2022 – This Urban Institute report includes insights from current or former TANF recipients about their experiences with benefit cliffs and tradeoffs between benefits, taxes, and work. The report includes data from Colorado, Minnesota, and New York.

Nutrition Incentive Hub 2022 National Convening, Nutrition Incentive Hub.

Partnering to Fight Hunger: Breaking-Down Silos and Incorporating Lived Expertise - Center for Health Care Strategies.

Navigating the Benefit Cliffs of Guaranteed Income Pilots - APHSA and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Online Entrepreneurship Institute - For Service Providers & Adult Educators teaching entrepreneurship skills; Coalition on Adult Basic Education.

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) is seeking 5 to 8 public and tribal child welfare agencies that are interested in examining their available human resources (HR) data to address child welfare workforce challenges. The QIC-WD’s Child Welfare Workforce Analytics Institute (The Institute 2.0) is for teams of child welfare and HR professionals. Applications are due on January 21.

ACF Releases ARP Child Care Stabilization Grants Report and Instructions, December 29, 2021 - ACF released the provider-level data form and instructions for states and territories. The first reports are due January 31.

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, January 2022 - The Administration for Children and Families is highlighting this month as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, by calling attention to the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.

California Program Brings Free Teletherapy to Foster Youth with Milder Mental Health Symptoms, January 2022 - This report from The Imprint discusses a new 18-month pilot teletherapy program in Northern California that provides free weekly therapy sessions to foster youth aged 12 through 18 lacking access to mental health through other means, or whose symptoms are not severe enough to receive services in foster care.

Pathways to Prevention Webinar Series: Translating Child Maltreatment and ACEs Prevention Research into Practice - Injury and Violence Prevention Center.

The USAC, with oversight from the Federal Communications Commission, has launched the new Affordable Connectivity Program to help low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices, replacing the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Applications are now open to consumers.

The Welcome Fund is launching its first Welcome Fund request for proposals (RFP), which will commit at least $3 million dollars to support innovative community-based work that broadens community participation in resettlement. This RFP is for national, regional, and local efforts, outside of the resettlement agencies/affiliates, that are engaging community members to address the needs of Afghan newcomers. The Welcome Fund will accept proposals until 5 PM EST January 21.

The Power of Linked Administrative Data + Integrated Data Systems, December 2021 - This new three-part series from the Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) explores the benefits of integrated, cross-sector administrative data for studying the factors, programs, and policies that drive mobility out of poverty. Each report provides conceptual framing, examples of “work in action,” and recommendations for research and practice.

Young People’s Lived Experiences with Safety Net Programs: Insights from Young People and Youth-Serving Organizations, December 16, 2021 - This report from Urban Institute summarizes findings from a research project examining key barriers and supports available for young people (ages 14 to 24) seeking benefits, including housing assistance programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Consumer Outreach Toolkit, January 2022 – The FCC is mobilizing people and organizations to help raise awareness about the new ACP. This toolkit offers materials including flyers, fact sheets, newsletter posts, and press releases for public use that can be downloaded and customized.

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.

Building Healthier Communities: The Power of Technology to Facilitate Community - Investment Social Current.