This bulletin briefly overviews racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system and the factors that contribute to the problem. It then describes practices that child welfare caseworkers, administrators, program managers, and policymakers can implement to address these issues in general and at specific decision-making points along the child welfare continuum (such as prevention, reporting, screening and assessment, service delivery for children and affected families, and permanency for children in out-of-home care in a child welfare case). Further, the bulletin also stresses the importance for State and local child welfare agencies to understand Tribal sovereignty within the relationship between the two agencies. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) allows for the formation of Tribal-State agreements which often serve to improve ICWA compliance and outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native children, and to increase Tribal access to Federal child welfare funding.

This guide provides tools for case workers and other frontline staff to use in collecting demographic data from young people and families. Tools included are best practices for data collection, a sample script, and a list of questions to engage this population in discussions about their identities.

Jobs for the Future will host a virtual event on November 16, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET which will discuss the promise of apprenticeship for in-school and out-of-school youth. Participants will learn how apprenticeship is being advanced at the federal and state level, how states are using those opportunities to create and expand youth apprenticeship programs, and how partnerships help to build and sustain Registered Apprenticeship for young people.

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison hosted a webinar on November 4, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT, which explored ways that fathers’ roles and responsibilities shifted during the pandemic. Topics included father involvement in childcare and support for virtual learning, how the pandemic heightened existing challenges for low-income and noncustodial fathers, insights from practice and research, and supports that fathers may need to maintain positive changes or recover from negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the City of Milwaukee, the University of Michigan, and the 4Dad Fatherhood Initiative in Kalamazoo, Michigan made presentations.

The deadline for families to submit information to the IRS for advanced payments of the Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) is November 15. The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is hosting a webinar series for human service agencies and community providers to highlight the tools and resources states are using to assist eligible families in receiving this credit. A webinar was held on October 13, 2021, during which representatives from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) and Code for America discussed on-the-ground efforts to connect eligible non-filer families to the CTC. Available resources include a webinar recording, the Code for America Navigator Resource Page to help navigate GetCTC (a web portal that makes it easier for families with low incomes to get the Child Tax Credit), a New Partner Form for tracking outreach efforts, and CTC Outreach Toolkits from GMMB and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The deadline for families to submit information to the IRS for advanced payments of the Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) is November 15. The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is hosting a webinar series for human service agencies and community providers to highlight the tools and resources states are using to assist eligible families in receiving this credit. APHSA will convene the third webinar along with GMMB on October 22, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss the CTC Message Toolkit for Human Services Agencies and demonstrate how these resources can be used to spread the word to families about the CTC.

The deadline for families to submit information to the IRS for advanced payments of the Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) is November 15. To assist in ensuring that eligible families receive this credit, the American Public Human Services Association is hosting a webinar series for state agencies to discuss the CTC tools they are using. The first webinar was October 1, when the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center (TPC) discussed how TPC’s data visualization map can inform a strategic approach to targeting CTC outreach, and what Colorado is doing today to reach eligible families.

The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will host a webinar on October 26, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT to take a deeper look into case management for the young adult population. The webinar will offer innovative and hands-on approaches for developing this segment of the emerging workforce. Highlights will include: making beneficial interactions (not just checking off a box); engaging your customers; and developing intentional programming. Webinar presenters are Kim Meadows of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission and Jon Ryce of Action, Inc. There is a fee for participation.

NPR, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a five-part polling series in July – August 2020 to examine the most serious health and financial problems facing households across America prior to the expiration of federal coronavirus support programs, with an aim to identify vulnerable populations in urgent need of government help or charitable aid. The findings detailed in this report raise important concerns about disproportionate impacts of the coronavirus outbreak reported by Latino, Black, and Native American households beyond the elevated health risks they face battling COVID-19. In particular, these findings show these racial/ethnic minority households may have limited financial resources to weather long-term financial and health effects of the coronavirus outbreak, as large shares have already depleted their savings and are having major problems paying for basic costs of living, including food, rent, and medical care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the livelihoods, finances, and well-being of millions of individuals in Indian Country. Compounding the burden of job losses are widespread school shutdowns and the lack of affordable child care, which simultaneously hinder TANF-participating parents, particularly mothers, from gaining meaningful employment while imposing additional costs on already tight family resources. These trends present urgent and essential demands on Tribal TANF programs. To respond to these challenges, the Office of Family Assistance hosted a webinar on October 27, 2021, which provided insights on Federal and State resources that can assist parents in transitioning into employment, as well as innovative practices from Tribal TANF, child care, and community organizations to support low-income families. The webinar also identified strategies for coordinating Tribal TANF and Child Care offices.