February 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.
Save the Date! We are excited to announce the return of our in-person National Health and Human Services Summit, June 12-15, in Arlington, VA. Learn more about the focus areas and session types in our Call for Proposals Guide and be sure to submit your proposals by March 4. It’s APHSA's 90th anniversary this year, so come celebrate with us at the Summit!
Check out the results from a national survey conducted by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, showing the preferred channels for disseminating research findings about child and family well-being to service providers.
Join our team—APHSA has two new job openings! We are seeking an Organizational Effectiveness Consultant and an Instructional Designer.
Apply now or share with interested parties in your network.

Announcements
A new series of case studies provides an overview of the Coordinating SNAP and Nutrition Supports (CSNS) cohort program funded by Share Our Strength | No Kid Hungry, and administered by APHSA. Five states and one county agency are funded through this initiative to streamline equitable access and reduce systemic barriers across nutrition supports.

REDF, in partnership with Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) and Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), is launching a SNAP E&T webinar series designed to help employment social enterprises (ESEs), community based organizations (CBOs), and other groups learn more about the SNAP E&T program and their organization’s capacity to serve SNAP recipients with employment and training activities. Webinars will take place every other Wednesday from March 2 - May 11.
Resources
Vice President Kamala Harris Leads Biden-⁠Harris Administration Day of Action to Ensure Americans Get the Tax Credits They Deserve, February 8, 2022 - Vice President Harris, Secretary Yellen, and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling hosted the White House Day of Action Event on February 8th to encourage families to claim the Expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. APHSA’s commitments to aid in this effort are featured alongside the commitments of federal agencies, state and local governments, non-profits and community-based organizations in a Briefing Room Fact Sheet.

Hardly Working Podcast: Dr. Alex Ruder on Benefits Cliffs, October 21, 2021 - This podcast from the American Enterprise Institute features Dr. Alex Ruder, the principal advisor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Community and Economic Development team, discussing his work in workforce development policy and the Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecasting (CLIFF) tool that he helped develop. 

Tracking Progress Toward Upward Mobility, January 12, 2022 - The Urban Institute has developed a framework to help local governments understand and measure the key factors that influence upward mobility in their communities. Through a set of key community metrics, local policymakers can use this framework to assess conditions that boost or block upward mobility, support racial equity, and inform policy decisions.

Demanding Change: Repairing our Child Care System, February 2022 - This report from Child Care Aware of America examines the changes in the child care system since the pandemic. Through several cases studies, this report addresses four critical tenets of child care, including child care supply, demand, affordability, and workforce. It proposes several policy changes to transform the child care system and achieve sustainability.  
Events
February 1-March 4, 2022 - Part A
March 8-April 8, 2022 - Part B
Online Entrepreneurship Institute - For Service Providers & Adult Educators teaching entrepreneurship skills; Coalition on Adult Basic Education.

Tuesday, February 15, 1:00-2:30 PM EST
Webinar: Centering Equity in TANF Data Use - Office of Family Assistance (OFA).

Headlines
Resources
The Foster Care System Turns to Big Data: Promising or Profiling, February 2022 - This report from the Imprint assesses the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services' latest use of predictive analytics and advanced algorithms to identify families that need child welfare services. This report also addresses how those new data tools can worsen systemic and racial inequalities in the child welfare system.

Need for Long-term Strategies to Address Children’s Mental Health Underscored by COVID-19 Era, February 3, 2022 - The era of COVID-19 has shed light on several dimensions of children’s mental health, including crisis management and law enforcement, the role of schools as hubs for services, and the need to expand and coordinate services for children and youth. JAMA Network’s new blog post highlights key initiatives aimed at providing mental health services in school settings, expanding the children’s mental health workforce, and promoting crisis intervention teams.
Events
Tuesday, February 15, 10:00-11:30 AM PT

Thursday, February 17, 2:00-3:30 PM EST

Announcements
Code for America, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that uses human-centered design and technology to enable more equitable, efficient, accessible, and accurate human services delivery, is offering states the opportunity to freely consult with staff data scientists, engineers, user researchers, service designers, and program experts. Code for America has partnered with 7 states on digital implementation support, and provided research and technical assistance to 10 states and federal agencies. State leaders can reach out here for assistance with emerging questions or needs including design, evaluation, or digital delivery of SNAP, WIC, P-EBT and/or integrated benefits.
Headlines
Resources
Colorado’s ‘Evidence Continuum’ Promotes Efficient, Effective Public Programs, PEW, January 31, 2022 - This brief from The Pew Charitable Trusts provides a detailed look at the characteristics of Colorado’s evidence continuum, its use in budget planning, the collaboration across government branches and with nongovernmental stakeholders who developed the continuum, and ways in which the continuum continues to evolve to meet stakeholder needs.

Integrating Social Safety Net Benefits: Options for State and County Agencies Informed by Recent Integration Successes - This guide from the Beeck Center demonstrates how government agencies across states have partnered with nonprofit and civic tech organizations to successfully pilot and scale different ways to integrate benefits.

Accessible Benefits Information: Reducing Administrative Burden and Improving Equitable Access through Clear Communication about Safety Net Benefits - This guide from the Beeck Center offers best practices and resources for making benefits simpler to understand, plus case studies detailing how four localities have used plain language, multilingual translation, co-creation and testing with residents, and technology tools to provide better information about benefits.
Events
Thursday, February 10, 12:00-1:00 PM EST

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).