The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will host an e-learning event on July 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. ET to cover approaches for managing teams in a remote environment. Key objectives include identifying the common struggles with leading remote teams, the four principles to help lead remote teams more effectively, and tools to build trust and influence while working remotely. A registration fee is required for participation.

This research-to-practice brief explores different types of guardianship arrangements as part of a kin-first continuum as well as the positive impact and benefits of kinship care for placement. The brief also covers Federal programs and policies that support guardianship and the challenges to using guardianship as a permanency option.

The post-COVID-19 economic recovery presents challenges for governors and state leaders seeking to identify and address barriers that keep the workforce from returning to work and filling job vacancies. This National Governors Association report examines state actions to address these barriers, increase labor force participation among low-income populations, and engage employers to address hiring challenges. The report highlights initiatives that provide monetary incentives to return to work, ensure access to affordable child care, reinstitute job search requirements, utilize TANF waivers, and address hesitancy to return to workplaces due to health and safety concerns.

The Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare project is testing a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) methodology to improve placement stability and permanency outcomes for children by strengthening the engagement of fathers and paternal relatives. The pilot study described in this report documents the BSC implementation, as well as how designated Improvement Teams worked with system partners to plan, test, and adjust engagement strategies.

This Office of Child Care dataset identifies the Grant Year (GY) 2021 discretionary base, discretionary per child, and total base allocations under the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) for tribes, listed by tribe for each state. The table also presents other supplemental funding allocations for tribes.

This Office of Child Care dataset identifies the Grant Year (GY) 2021 allocations by state and territory for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). The table also notes the state share for matching funds and state maintenance of effort (MOE) levels, as well as other relevant data on appropriations.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation research-to-practice brief assesses how Tribal HPOG 2.0 grantees incorporated tribal culture and practices into their healthcare training programs. The Tribal HPOG 2.0 Program includes projects that connect eligible individuals with education and training in a healthcare-related field or occupation. Integrating tribal values into the curricula helped students to deliver culturally sensitive healthcare services. Attention is paid to how these grantees offered events and supportive services to connect students with their respective culture to build community and provide culturally specific gathering spaces for trainees of similar backgrounds.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report explores different measures of child care access and uses a multi-dimensional, family-centric definition to assess center-based and non-relationship home-based child care. Using 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education data, the report provides national estimates of families’ local access against the four identified dimensions of this broader understanding of child care. The report illustrates gaps in child care access beyond a “slot to tot” analysis and the persistence of low child care availability for families with infants and toddlers.

The Institute for Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison hosted a webinar on June 9, 2021 to discuss how human services providers have changed operations to deliver services virtually since the spring of 2020. This webinar covered what worked well and what did not, lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these lessons can inform client needs in a post-pandemic world. Speakers included Annette Waters of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Matthew Lyons of the American Public Human Services Association, and Nadeem Siddiqi of the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency.

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation seeks applications for cooperative agreements to create an African American Child and Family Research Center. The proposed Center will lead and support research on the needs of African American populations that are served by ACF programs and will help identify promising approaches to promote social and economic well-being among low-income African American populations. Key topics of interest for the Center will include research on educational and employment experiences and outcomes, experiences with human services, discrimination, effects of criminal justice system involvement, program evaluation, and distinctive experiences in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Applications are due by July 12, 2021.