Dear Donna,

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.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Understand the interplay of child welfare and human trafficking, and develop comprehensive responses that assist victims and potential victims with resources from Child Welfare Information Gateway.

A new podcast from Mathematica features our President and CEO Tracy Wareing Evans, APHSA members Michael Becketts, Director of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services, and Shavana Howard, Assistant Secretary of Family Support for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. The panel makes the case for state and local human services agencies to play a central role in advancing environmental justice.

We are happy to have provided insight into this new playbook from Benefits Data Trust that helps government agencies use data sharing to improve benefits access and help more eligible families connect to vital programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC. On January 25, join a webinar for an introduction to the playbook with a panel of agency leaders speaking on using data sharing to improve benefit systems and help more eligible families access critical assistance.

Our latest Catalyst blog post, by Lofaine Bradford of our OE team, shares how investing in young parents and their children is key to building thriving communities, and introduces our new microsite featuring our System Alignment for Young Families Project.

Employment and Economic Well-Being

Headlines

How Community Colleges Fit in to the Promise of the CHIPS and Science Act - Politico, 01/09/23

Massachusetts Resources on the End of Emergency Allotments - Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Sanctioning and Child Support Compliance Among Black Families in Illinois, December 2022 - This report from Health Affairs identifies barriers to TANF among families with young children in Illinois. Using TANF administrative data and semi-structured interviews with TANF participants, this study reveals racial disparities with child support compliance and the challenges that domestic violence victims face with child support compliance. Lastly, this study shares some policy recommendations regarding the alternative cash assistance model and pass-through policies to maximize child support benefits.

Food Insecurity Was Associated With Greater Family Health Care Expenditures In The US, 2016–17, January 2023 - This report from Health Affairs evaluates the relationship between food insecurity and family health care expenditures with the goal of providing a better understanding of the financial implications of food insecurity intervention. Using nationally representative data, they found that food-insecure families had 20 percent greater total health care expenditures than food-secure families, for an annual difference of $2,456. A key insight was that positive intervention helped not only the recipient of benefits, but their entire family.

Events

Webinar - NSDTA January 2023 Show Case Series: Transfer of Learning in Today’s Training Environment - National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA).

Thursday, January 19, 3:00 PM EST

Understanding and Addressing Gender, Class, and Racial Disparities in College Enrollment - Brookings.

Monday, January 23, 1:30-3:00 PM EST

NCSEA Policy Forum - National Child Support Enforcement Association.

February 2-4, 2023, Washington DC

NASWA’s 2023 Winter Policy Forum - National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA).

Wednesday, February 15, 8:30-5:00 PM EST

Child and Family Well-Being

Announcements

ACF Releases Report to Congress on 2022 State Child Welfare IV-B Expenditures, January 2023 - This report to Congress provides national totals of planned spending by service category for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services program, along with planned and actual spending by service category for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program.

Headlines

More Foster Parents Sought to Help Meet Needs of Youths in Care - NBC, 01/10/23

Policy Highlights from “Lessons from a Historic Decline in Child Poverty”, December 2022 - This policy brief from Child Trends shares key findings and policy recommendations from their September 2022 report, “Lessons from a Historic Decline in Child Poverty.”

Overdue: A New Child Care System that Supports Children, Families, and Providers, December 2022 – This report from RAPID uses the latest data from national parent and provider surveys. The findings illustrate the significant need to establish better systemic resources that ensure providers are adequately compensated, supported, and able to offer accessible high-quality care.  

Teacher Shortfall Means Some are Unable to Enroll in Preschool, December, 2022 – This article discusses the recent National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) survey that found federal relief dollars kept the system from collapse. However, as those funds are discontinued, the future of child care is uncertain. The article further describes the staffing shortages that curtailed participation of over 30% of children from the tuition free Preschool Promise program in Oregon.



Toolkit: Maximizing Impact of Direct Cash Transfers to Young People, December 2022 – This policy toolkit from Chapin Hall contains detailed resources for practitioners to use when designing cash transfer programs and highlights potential areas for complexities.

New Study to Apply Race Equity Lens to Federal Child Welfare Data, December 2022 – This new study from Chapin Hall tests whether state-level performance in race equity efforts is associated with reducing disparity. Chapin Hall, in partnership with Georgia State University, applied a race equity lens to the third Child and Family Service Reviews data to complete their review. 

Strategic Planning In Tribal Welfare Programs, December 2022 – This resource from the Center for Tribes provides an overview of the strategic planning process, resources detailing particular steps, and sample plans from tribal communities to get you started on your own path.

Events

Webinar - Fostering School Success: How Caregivers and Social Workers Can Support the Educational Needs of Children - Child Welfare League of America (CWLA).

January 24, 12:00-2:00 PM EST

Webinar - Proven Approaches to Increase Workforce Resilience - Social Current.

Tuesday, January 24, 2:00-3:00 PM EST

Health & Human Services Integration

Announcements

The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University and the National Governors Association are accepting Data Labs project proposals until February 15. States will receive hands-on support in kickstarting a thoughtfully designed data project and securing support from key stakeholders.

Headlines

Can Moving to a Different Neighborhood Improve Life’s Chances? Econofact, 11/28/22

Municipal Water Leaders Want More Federal Help for Poor Customers - Route Fifty, 12/14/22

How Technology Can Reduce the Emotional Toll on the Public Safety Workforce - Route Fifty, 12/19/22

How States Can Fill the Tech Workforce Gap - Route Fifty, 12/20/22

Resources

New Webinar posted from CMI Data Linkages Project, December 2022 - This webinar from the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE) shares findings from a feasibility study conducted as part of the Child Maltreatment Incidence (CMI) Data Linkages project. The webinar highlighted promising practices and contextual and organizational factors related to using linked administrative data to understand the incidence of risk, and protective factors associated with child maltreatment.

Events

Webinar - Supporting PHE Coverage and Navigating Transitions for Medicaid Populations - Deloitte, APHSA.

Wednesday, January 18, 3:00 PM EST

Webinar - Collecting and Disseminating Public Health Data Disaggregated by Race and Ethnicity to Advance Health Equity: Navigating the Legal Issues - The Network for Public Health Law.

Thursday, January 19, 1:00 PM EST

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