This blogpost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service identifies the activities and experiences that occurred at the first SNAP E&T State Institute, “Taking SNAP E&T to Scale.” The blog highlights best practices shared, as well as the strategic planning processes used to develop a road map for an effective state SNAP E&T program. Successful programs find in-demand jobs and pair them with skills training that employers need for high-growth occupations.

The Administration for Children and Families developed the Prevention Services Clearinghouse to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) of 2018 funded under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. The Clearinghouse evaluates programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. The Clearinghouse rates programs and services in the areas of mental health prevention and treatment options, substance abuse prevention and treatment services, in-home parenting programs, and kinship navigator programs. Their Handbook of Standards and Procedures describes the standards used to identify and review the programs and services, as well as the procedures followed by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse staff.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Office of Justice Programs issued a solicitation for grant funding to support probation and parole agencies in identifying effective practices that reduce recidivism and create comprehensive violent crime reduction strategies. Required deliverables for grant recipients are: an action plan to design and implement an evidence-based program or practice, a mid-term (at 30 months) analysis and research report, and a final (at the conclusion of the four-year grant period) analysis and research report. Five grants of up to $1,000,000 each will be awarded, starting on October 1, 2019. Applicants should submit grant applications via Grants.gov by June 25, 2019.

This National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report to Congress identifies evidence-based programs and policies intended to reduce child poverty. The report, drawn from experts in psychology, cognitive science, public policy, education, sociology, and pediatrics, presents four packages of policies and programs. Within the existing set of programs, the report discusses expansion of SNAP, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit programs; it also offers new ideas for a national job training program and universal child allowance.

This Corporation for Supportive Housing policy brief is the first in a series, offering guidance on how to build and enhance collaboration between affordable housing and substance abuse treatment providers. The brief is in response to the SUPPORT Act of 2018 (Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities) which created additional opportunities for treatment services expansion, overdose prevention, and training for addiction treatment counselors.

This Urban Institute report examines a case study of the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA’s) work requirement, which has been in existence for 10 years. The study covers the CHA staff and resident perceptions of the work requirement’s implementation and outcomes.

This report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) describes major welfare and family self-sufficiency research that OPRE’s Division of Economic Independence sponsored in Fiscal Year 2018. The five areas of research explored by OPRE projects are: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, employment and the labor market, education and training, behavioral science, and cross-cutting and other safety net research. The report provides project summaries and highlights key findings.

This Administration for Children and Families blog post from the Office of Child Support Enforcement Commissioner presents examples of how states are taking the lead in testing and implementing child support-led employment services. These projects, funded under the National Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration program, IV-D incentive funds, and waiver authority granted under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act (to support programs in Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin), include intensive case management, parenting peer support, and related employment services. A final evaluation report expected in April will demonstrate the positive outcomes of these programs that lead to increased capacity of noncustodial parents to support their children financially.

This National Conference of State Legislatures blogpost identifies state initiatives and model programs that support early education and child care. Highlighted are initiatives on parental leave programs; home visiting; improving infant and toddler child care supply and quality; well-being and developmental physical and mental health screenings for 9-, 18-, and 30-month-olds; and child care funding and early education subsidies.

This Russell Sage Foundation research journal article identifies changes in the spatial distribution of returning citizens in greater Chicago. While traditional reintegration among ex-offenders typically occurs within urban communities, this article also identifies changes in the spatial makeup of metropolitan regions, such as demolition of public housing and greater poverty in suburbs. These changes dispel the conventional wisdom for the reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons using 16 years of prisoner release data.