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.
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We are excited to welcome Sheila Poole, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), to our team as Vice President of External Relations in 2023! Learn more about Commissioner Poole and this new, key leadership position for APHSA in our recent press release. | |
Check out the latest episode of our newest podcast, Disrupt the Dialogue, featuring insights from the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Vannessa Dorantes. Listen on our podcast page or search for Disrupt the Dialogue on your favorite streaming platform. | |
And our latest blog post is the fifth installment of, "The Core—A Cutting Edge Blog Series Getting to the Core of Modern TANF Reform." In this post, Erin Oalican, Director of Reach Up, Vermont’s TANF Program at the Department for Children and Families - Economic Services Division, shares their process of creating a mission and vision that empowers families. | |
Employment and Economic Well-Being | |
Expanding TANF Program Insights: A Toolkit for State and Local Agencies on How to Access, Link, and Analyze Unemployment Insurance Wage Data, November 2022 - The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) toolkit was created to help TANF professionals develop more robust, data-driven practices using administrative data on earnings. This toolkit is designed to help TANF professionals explore strategies to access and use earnings data for program improvement purposes.
RECS 2022 Conference Sessions: Recordings from the 2022 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) convened by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). Conference topics include TANF program policies and research, assessments of employment and workforce data, and using data and evaluation to promote economic mobility.
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Child and Family Well-Being | |
Relationship-Building Tools, November 2022 – The Children’s Bureau has released their list of grantees who will receive discretionary funds for projects working to eliminate barriers to adoption and permanency. This source provides information on the grantees as well as a collection of resources for relationship-building with young people, as strong relationships are key to successful outcomes.
Our Identities/Ourselves: Know Your Rights Guide for Young People and Families, November 2022 – The Children’s Bureau has released a collection of youth-oriented resources to be shared. This guide was co-created by individuals with lived experience, youth, and caregivers to promote self-advocacy through insight into the rights of youth involved with child welfare agencies.
Maximizing Impact of Direct Cash Transfers to Young People, November 2022 – Chapin Hall released a policy toolkit to explain the implications of direct cash transfers to youth and young adults. Among the benefits are housing stability, effective transitions to adulthood, and racial justice. The toolkit is intended for use by policymakers, practitioners, and program funders and is one of the most comprehensive dives into the implications of cash transfers available today.
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Health & Human Services Integration | |
Understanding the Use of Family Input for Improving Services in the Human Services Field, November 2022 - This brief from the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE) summarizes available literature and practice wisdom on gathering and using family input in program improvement across the human services field, with a particular focus on TANF and child support programs. It provides concrete examples and considerations for practitioners and administrators of child support, TANF, and more. | | | | | |