This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set of resources identifies three case studies of how states have utilized research on adverse childhood experiences to inform child abuse and neglect prevention. The case studies reflect research to practice implications for service delivery in Alaska, Oklahoma, Washington State, and Wisconsin.

More than one-quarter of maltreatment victims are under the age of 3, and these children often encounter additional trauma due to their family’s interaction with the child welfare system; this involvement can involve separations from the family and placements. According to research, these types of separations can result in lifelong trauma. This strategy brief describes the Safe Babies Court Team™ (SBCT) approach, which strives to minimize trauma when court involvement is needed by improving the collaboration of the courts, child welfare agencies, and other organizations in supporting young children and their families. SBCT involves meetings of both family and community court teams. The brief includes SBCT’s key components, key success factors, and an example of how the SBCT approach has impacted Florida.

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database tracks the policies for how federal monies for states and territories are used to subsidize the cost of child care for low-income families. These fact sheets provide guidance on how to use the database and provide information on the different policies for family eligibility, family copayments, provider payment rates, and provider eligibility requirements.

The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management developed and launched this database, which is an updated index of 29 neighborhood-level indicators pointing to opportunities for child well-being in about 72,000 neighborhoods. The indicators reflect three data components: education, health and environment, and social and economic domains. The education component reflects access to quality early childhood education, quality of elementary and secondary schools, and educational supports. The health and environment domain covers access to healthy food and green space as well as exposure to industrial pollutants. The social and economic data captures indicators that measure access to employment and family economic resources.

This Urban Institute report examines the professional development and workforce development systems in place for home visiting staff funded under the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. The report includes analysis of a national survey of all MIECHV-funded local implementing agencies (LIAs) and 26 LIAs. The survey assesses why home visitors enter, stay in, or leave the home visiting field; their backgrounds and qualifications needed to enter the field; and their work environments and opportunities for advancement.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation issue brief examines how two agencies, Alameda County, California and the Colorado Department of Human Services use continuous quality improvement (CQI) in implementing their programs that address youth at risk of homelessness. CQI is a process-oriented evaluation that supports the enhancement of programs and practices through ongoing collection analysis of real-time data to identify and test changes in program implementation. Key components of this brief look at the CQI process design features at these two agencies, how the CQI process affected the operation of the agency’s interventions to prevent homelessness among youth and young adults who have been involved in the child welfare system, and what advice the two agencies have for other entities that may use CQI in their program reviews.

The Office of Family Assistance hosted a webinar on Wednesday, February 26 entitled Improving Employment Outcomes for TANF Recipients with Substance Use Disorders. The webinar outlined employment-focused strategies that can contribute to, rather than inhibit, substance use treatment and featured experts with backgrounds in research and practice on working with TANF recipients who have substance use disorders. Speakers discussed national trends in substance use disorders and strategies to move those with substance use disorders towards treatment, employment, and economic stability.

Speakers included:

• Dennis Romero, Regional Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Dr. Christine Cauffield, Chief Executive Officer, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Managing Entity, Lutheran Services Florida

• Kim Griswold Releford, University of Kentucky, Opioid Use Disorder Project, Targeted Assessment Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued this guide to assist health care providers, health care systems, and community leaders who seek knowledge about strategies and approaches to prevent substance misuse among young adults, ages 18 to 25. The guide includes research findings, identifies emerging and best practices, and points out knowledge gaps and challenges to implementing these practices within communities. The guide also lists resources on how to monitor outcomes and conduct evaluations, and guidance on how to improve quality of existing practices.