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Family Strengthening News is a monthly e-newsletter produced by the Family Strengthening Policy Center, an initiative of the National Human Services Assembly funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Family Strengthening: A deliberate and sustained effort to ensure that parents have the necessary opportunities, relationships, networks and supports to raise their children successfully, which includes involving parents as decision-makers in how their communities meet family needs. - Annie E. Casey Foundation
Family Economic Success
Making the Most of New TANF Work Requirements
New work requirements for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can be structured to benefit both families receiving TANF and states implementing the changes. Expanding income supplements for working families is a key strategy. To guide state policy makers in capturing these opportunities, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities updated their essential resource, Implementing the TANF Changes in the DRA: "Win-Win" Solutions for Families and States, with a second edition. This updated report reflects the Interim Final Rule and guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, click here.
Results from Program to Help Welfare Recipients Increase Earnings
Although much is known about how to help welfare recipients find jobs, little is known about how to help them and other low-wage workers keep jobs or advance in the labor market. A report from MRDC presents information on the effectiveness of a program in Chicago that aimed to help employed welfare recipients increase their earnings. The program modestly increased employment and generated large reductions in welfare receipt; some people left welfare because their earnings rose while others left to avoid participating in the program. For more information, click here.
Rural Workers Will Benefit from Increase in Federal Minimum Wage
As Congress considers increasing the federal minimum wage for the first time in ten years, a Carsey Institute fact sheet shows that this increase will benefit an even higher percentage of workers in rural areas than urban areas. A slightly higher share of rural workers than urban workers are in low-wage jobs (15.4 percent of all rural hourly workers compared to 13.5 percent in urban areas). In rural America, 52 percent of workers making less than $7.25 an hour live in low-income families (less than $30,000 a year) compared to 43 percent of urban low-wage workers. For more information, click here.
Study Examines Cost of Payday Loans for Working Families
Predatory payday lending now costs American families $4.2 billion per year in excessive fees, according to a report from the Center for Responsible Lending. The typical payday borrower pays back $793 for a $325 loan. Financial Quicksand: Payday Lending Sinks Borrowers in Debt calculates the cost of payday lending state-by-state and also estimates that borrowers save $1.4 billion in states that enforce reasonable interest rate caps. For more information, click here.
Family Support Systems
Study Calculates Benefits and Identifies Strategies for Increasing High School Graduation Rates
The U.S. could save $45 billion annually if the number of high school dropouts were cut in half, according to a new study released by the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education (CBSE) at Columbia University. The savings would be achieved via extra tax revenues, reduced costs of public health, crime and justice, and decreased welfare payments. The study identifies cost-effective educational strategies already shown to boost high school graduation rates, such as small-size schools; personalization; high academic expectations; strong counseling; parental engagement; extended time; and competent and appropriate personnel. For more information, click here.
Tapping the Potential of Community Health Workers
Community health workers are a promising strategy for helping low-income families access timely, quality services necessary to protect their health. A new online toolkit empowers community health workers to conduct outreach and patient education for people with type 2 diabetes. To access Amigos en Salud®/Friends in Health™, sponsored by Pfizer Health Solutions, click here (free registration required). To learn about community health workers as a family-strengthening strategy, download our Community Health Workers: Closing Gaps in Families’ Health Resources policy brief by clicking here.
Report Explores Migration's Effects on Family and Child Well-Being
A new report from the American Humane Association and Loyola University Chicago contains an analysis of issues impacting immigrant families and children, using the framework of the child welfare goals of safety, permanency and well being. The report is based on a roundtable on migration held in July 2006 to stimulate new research and program innovation, inform and shape policy development, and focus greater attention on improving child welfare systems practices and professional training. Suggestions for further research and implications for policy and practice are also presented. For more information, click here.
Free Cover the Uninsured Week Planning Materials Available
Cover the Uninsured Week 2007, April 23-29, will focus on the importance of children's health coverage and the success of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is up for reauthorization in Congress. To help promote the importance and availability of SCHIP, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has created planning guides for health and enrollment fairs and campus events, as well as guides for working with the media and placing editorials. For more information, click here.
Federal Nutrition Programs Have Positive Effects on Child Outcomes
Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Food Stamp Program reduces the risk of child abuse or neglect and several nutrition-related health problems, such as anemia, failure to thrive, and nutritional deficiency. The study, conducted by the Chapin Hall Center for Children for USDA's Economic Research Service, examines the relationship between WIC and Food Stamp Program participation and young children’s health and mistreatment outcomes. For more information, click here.
Thriving and Nurturing Communities
Lifelong Connections to Caring Adults
Across the country, a national movement is emerging to ensure all children have a connection to a caring adult that will last a lifetime. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Casey Connects newsletter reports on current efforts by the Foundation, grantees and policy makers to build long-lasting “family” ties. Readers will also learn about four organizations honored in the Foundation's FAMILIES COUNT program. The newsletter is available by clicking here.
Improving Access to Healthy Foods in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
Fast food restaurants and convenience stores often dominate food choices in low-income neighborhoods. To improve access to healthy foods in these communities, advocates can now use a new toolkit that explains the fundamentals of economic development and redevelopment, available tools and their use, and effective participation in community economic development decisions. Released by the Land Use and Health project of the Public Health Institute (California), the new resource, Economic Development and Redevelopment: A Toolkit on Land Use & Health, is available by clicking here.
Report Shows How Effective and Sustainable Rural Development Can Be Achieved
A new report from NeighborWorks America provides action steps to help nonprofit organizations deliver the types of services and programs that will sustain the nation’s rural communities. The report includes guidance on building relationships with county- and state-level officials; development of technology-based tools for communication and information sharing; and strategies to foster economic development in areas where significant portions of the community live below the federal poverty line and unemployment is in the teens. For more information, click here.
States Coordinating Housing and Economic Development
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released a report on achievements and lessons learned from its policy academy on housing and economic development. The NGA Center and the Fannie Mae Foundation partnered with other experts in housing and community development to provide intensive technical assistance to state teams developing policies to better coordinate state housing and economic activities to create stronger communities. The report highlights some successes of the efforts, from simplifying housing funding applications in Iowa to comprehensive mapping of Pennsylvania investments to support housing and community development. For more information, click here. (Source: KnowledgePlex)
Legislative Updates
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Paid Sick Days
On February 13, the Senate Health, Education, Labor (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the ways paid sick days impact working families. Currently, almost half of private-sector workers are denied paid sick days and of the lowest quarter of wage earners, 79% have no paid sick days at all. The Healthy Families Act would require employers with 15 or more employees to provide seven paid sick days to care for their own and their families’ medical needs, benefiting 66 million Americans. To watch the hearing or read the witness testimony, click here. The Center for Law and Social Policy is hosting an audio conference on paid sick days on March 15. For more information, see the Conferences & Events section below.
Two Congressional Hearings on Poverty
On January 24, the full House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the economic and societal impacts of poverty. Witnesses included representatives of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Brookings Institution, and National Center for Children in Poverty. For more information, click here. On February 13, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Supports held a hearing on economic opportunity and poverty in America. The hearing featured people relating their experiences living in poverty as well as public policy experts. For more information, click here.
Hearing and Report on Prescription Drug Coverage for Low-Income Beneficiaries
At a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on January 31, the Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC) and National Council on Aging (NCOA) released a report showing that between 3.4 and 4.4 million Medicare beneficiaries remain eligible for the low-income subsidy (or Extra Help) through the Medicare’s Prescription Drug program, but still have not signed up. In testimony before the committee, NCOA called for increased outreach activities, including $4 million in federal funding to support the National Center on Senior Benefits Outreach and Enrollment, which was recently authorized under the Older Americans Act. For the report and testimony, click here.
Congressional Scorecard on Children's Issues
The 2006 Children's Defense Fund Action Council Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard grades every member of the House and Senate based on key votes affecting children. Find out who got a perfect score, who "failed," and how your elected officials rate when it comes to protecting children with their votes. For more information, click here.
Announcements & Additional Resources
DiversityData.org Profiles Social and Health Opportunities
Program planners, policy makers and advocates can now log onto Diversitydata.org and explore how their metropolitan areas perform on a diverse range of social measures that comprise a well-rounded life experience. The Web site offers profiles, rankings and maps based on indicators of health, educational, employment and housing opportunities and disparities. The project is a joint effort of Harvard School of Public Health and the Center for the Advancement of Health. To access the interactive data resource, click here.
Report Describes How Metropolitan Areas Are Failing U.S. Children
A new report from the Harvard School of Public Health that scores the living conditions experienced by children in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas reveals a consistently bleak picture for black and Hispanic children compared to white and Asian children and suggests approaches to address some of the factors behind whether or not a child thrives. The report is the first in a series of data analyses that will be developed from the DiversityData.org website. For more information, click here.
Do Parents Spend Enough Time With Their Children?
Recently published research concludes that today's U.S. mothers and fathers spend at least as many hours caring for their children each week as parents did four decades ago during an era that in the popular imagination was a golden age of family togetherness. Parents today correctly believe they are busier than mothers and fathers of past decades, but they use a variety of strategies to maintain the hours they spend with their sons and daughters. Mothers have reduced their housework hours and cut their free time, including hours spent on civic activities, fathers have reduced the hours they spend on personal care, and
parents also try to make more time for their children by doing two things at once. For more information, click here. (Source: Population Reference Bureau)
Conferences & Events
National Parent Leadership Month
Parents Anonymous
February 2007
A series of national, state, and local activities to recognize, honor, and celebrate parents for their leadership roles in their homes and communities. Highlights the many opportunities available for parents, professionals, policymakers and other community members to engage in partnerships with the goal of building and supporting strong, safe families.
2007 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference
Food Research and Action Center & America's Second Harvest
February 25-27, 2007, Washington, DC
8th National Conference on Fatherhood and Families
Arizona Fathers & Families Coalition
February 28-March 2, 2007, Phoenix, AZ
Scholars, practitioners, policy makers, parents and community leaders will share information and develop strategies to reduce fatherlessness, improve strategies to develop father inclusive services and provide a forum of networking opportunities.
Government Spending on Children: Aligning Priorities & Resources
Chapin Hall Center for Children & Urban Institute
March 8, 2007, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m, Washington, DC
Panelists will review federal spending trends in programs devoted to children, analyze how those programs have fared against other national priorities, and look at what the future holds for state and federal funding of children's programs.
Audio Conference: Paid Sick Days: Why it Matters to Families and the Latest Developments
Center for Law and Social Policy
March 15, 2007, 3:00 - 4:00 PM (ET)
There is no minimum standard for paid sick days for workers and about half of workers do not have them. This is a family, public health, and employer issue that impacts all workers, and particularly those in low wage jobs. Learn about paid sick days policy developments around the country and in the new Congress.
Lessons from Katrina: The Role of Philanthropy in Strengthening Communities
Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families
March 28-30, 2007, New Orleans, LA
This two-day experiential learning summit will explore the role of philanthropy along a continuum from proactively strengthening families and communities to responding to crises in the short- and long-term.
Financing Community Development
Federal Reserve System
March 29-30, 2007, Washington, DC
This conference provides a great opportunity to hear and discuss original studies about the opportunities and obstacles to helping low- and moderate-income communities and people build wealth through home loans, small business loans, or other financial services.
Afterschool for All Challenge
Afterschool Alliance
April 23-24, 2007, Washington, DC
The two-day program will include special topic forums, networking sessions, the Breakfast of Champions and visits to Capitol Hill offices.
Cover the Uninsured Week 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
April 23-29, 2007
Parent-Child Home Program Annual Conference
April 30-May 1, 2007, Garden City, NY
The conference is designed for the professional development of those involved in home visiting, early childhood, and family support programs. For further information, or to register, contact: Michele Morrison, Parent-Child Home Program, at 516-883-7480 or e-mail mmorrison@parent-child.org.
Generations United's 2007 Conference
July 24-27, 2007, Washington, DC
The conference will feature presentations that emphasize the positive difference intergenerational programs and practice have made in the lives of young and old, how to substantiate these findings through evaluation and research, and how to use the results to promote sound public policy at the local, state, and national levels.
For other conferences and events, click here.
Family Strengthening Policy Center Briefs
Click on the title to view the brief in PDF format:
Related Materials:
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National Human Services Assembly
www.nassembly.org
The National Human Services Assembly (National Assembly) is an association of the nation’s leading national nonprofits in the fields of health, human and community development, and human services. The National Assembly's mission is to engage leaders of the sector in collective efforts to advance the effectiveness of health & human services in the United States.
National Collaboration for Youth
www.collab4youth.org
The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 30-year old affinity group, is a coalition of National Assembly member organizations that have a significant interest in youth development. This website includes NCY's public policy agenda and issues and information about NCY's F.I.L.M. (Finding Inspiration in Literature and Movies) and juvenile justice projects.
National Youth Development Information Center
www.nydic.org
A one-stop website for youth workers with information on funding, programming, research, policy, job and training opportunities. NYDIC also provides current news to the youth development field and has one of the largest online libraries, providing practice-related information at low-cost or no cost.
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