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 Economic Success

Employers Struggle with Ill-Prepared Workforce

A new report shows that U.S. employers continue to struggle with an ill-prepared workforce, finding new hires lack crucial basic and applied skills. Employer-sponsored readiness training is not successfully correcting these deficiencies, according to a new report from Corporate Voices for Working Families, ASTD, The Conference Board, and SHRM. The results of this study demonstrate how critical it is for companies to be more strategic and focused on efforts such as providing internships and working in partnership with community colleges on workforce readiness initiatives to prepare new entrants before they enter the workplace. Click here.

Violations of Employment Laws in U.S. Cities

Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study. The study, the most comprehensive examination of wage-law violations in a decade, also found that 68% of the workers interviewed had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week. (NELP). Click here.

Asset Building Critical in Low-Income Communities of Color

A new report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies identifies practices and policies that would be most effective at enabling low-income communities of color to build wealth. The report examines 10 states that effectively promote asset-building for low-income people. Click here.

Workplace Supports

Workplace Flexibility During the Recession

There has been a great deal of debate about what is happening with flexibility during the recession. The Families and Work Institute has found that most employers are either maintaining the workplace flexibility they offer (81%) or increasing it (13%) during the recession. Perhaps they view flexibility as affecting employee engagement, or perhaps they want to focus on retaining the key employees who remain. To read more..

Increasing Access to Needed Benefits: The New Technologies

One critical way human service organizations can strengthen families is by helping them access income-support benefit programs. This brief from the Family Strengthening Policy Center looks at the impact of automated systems on how families can access a wide range of economic benefits and suggests strategies for harnessing these tools for public benefit. Click here.

Family-Friendly Employers

The Sloan Work and Family Research Network has compiled information on employers selected to be “the best” in various categories: attention to gender issues; recruiting diverse employees and more. Click here.

Family Support Systems

Brief Asserts Public Plan Choice Key to Quality Coverage

This policy brief asserts that public insurance has distinct strengths and thus, offered as a choice on a level playing field with private plans, can serve as an important benchmark for private insurance within a reformed health care framework. This is an argument for a “hybrid” approach that builds on the best elements of the present system while putting in place a new means by which those without access to secure workplace insurance can choose among health plans that provide strong guarantees of quality, affordable coverage. (Institute for America’s Future). Click here. Also check out EPI’s Public Plan Option Backup Insurance for All Americans

Cash Assistance Since Welfare Reform

This Policy Brief summarizes trends in cash assistance since welfare reform - declining caseloads, progress in employment and poverty reduction in the early years, with setbacks since 2001, and an intense focus on meeting work participation rate requirements. (Clasp). Click here.

Strengthening Mentoring Opportunities for At-Risk Youth

Mentoring the next generation of youth is critical to the future health and prosperity of our nation. This brief summarizes the latest research on youth mentoring. Several new directions for programs and policies aimed at connecting young people with caring adults are outlined that build on current knowledge, i.e. policies to increase the supply of committed mentors for programs, such as college tuition reimbursement, employer partnerships and tax credits. (NWREL). Click here.

Thriving and Nurturing Communities

State Mental Health Agencies Prevent Homelessness

A new report highlights state mental health agencies and their approaches to helping clients access housing. The paper shares examples of how states engaged governors and mayors, created housing positions within the mental health agency, partnered with other state agencies and organizations, participated in plans to end homelessness, provided housing technical assistance throughout the state and used data to promote programs. (Alliance to End Homelessness). Click here.

Act Introduced to End Long Term Homelessness
Last month the Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act was re-introduced in the Senate. The legislation, S. 1523, was introduced by Senators Richard Burr and Jack Reed. SELHA would create a new program within SAMHSA at HHS to fund an array of services in permanent supportive housing, with a focus on helping people move toward recovery and self-sufficiency. (Open Congress). Click here.

Youth from Distressed Neighborhoods

Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, this fact sheet compares the adolescent risk behaviors and young adult outcomes of youth from distressed neighborhoods with those of youth from non-distressed neighborhoods. For example, twice as many youth from distressed neighborhoods, 32%, do not earn a high school diploma as youth from non-distressed neighborhoods, 15%. (Urban Institute). Click here to read more..

Announcements & Additional Resources

Strategies for Effective Program Replication

P/PV designed this guide for policymakers, practitioners and philanthropists who are interested in a systematic approach to program replication. It lays out the key structures that should be in place before wide-scale replication is considered, as well as the steps needed to ensure the replication's success. With details on when in a program's life to replicate, where the replication should take place, and the staff resources needed. Click here.

Midterm Scorecard: How US Senators Vote on Children and Family Issues

Last week Vote Kids release this report that scores each senator on 12 key votes on policies and budget items that would impact children and families. These include votes to expand health care to children, increase funding for children’s programs in the budget and stimulus, protect children’s programs in state budgets, pay equity for single moms, provide for greater opportunities for people to volunteer with children, help keep people in their homes, reduce child and teen smoking, among other things. Click here.

Toll-Free Crisis Hotline Numbers

This directory lists toll-free telephone numbers for various crisis organizations that can help with child abuse, child sexual abuse, crime victims, family violence, mental illness, missing/abducted children, rape/incest, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and youth in trouble/runaways. Click here.

Data Integration

Child Bureau Express spotlights data integration in child welfare as well as examples from across the country of the innovative ways jurisdictions and organizations are beginning to share, integrate, link, and better use child welfare data. Click here.

Do Something Grants
Do Something aims to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of doers: people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. DoSomething.org provides the tools and resources for you to convert your ideas and energy into positive action. Application Due Date: Rolling

UnitedHealth HEROES Grants
Educators, service-learning coordinators, students in the health professions, public health professionals, and community partners are eligible to apply for the UnitedHealth HEROES service-learning project grants.  Grant recipients will receive up to $1,000 in support for service-learning projects that focus on childhood obesity, engage youth ages 5-25 in the planning and implementation process, and take place during Semester of Service 2010. Deadline: October 22.

Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders
This manual examines: substance use disorders; The impact of parental SUDs on child development; In-home examination, screening, and assessment for SUDs; treatment goals and approaches; and more. Click here.

Conferences & Events

Strengthening Families Leadership Summit
October 28-29, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia

For other conferences and events, click here.

Family Strengthening Policy Center Briefs

In addition to producing this newsletter, the Family Strengthening Policy Center has produced analyses of the following promising practices and policies that advance place-based family strengthening.  We do the research and analysis so you don't have to! Please check them out, and please feel free to reference those you find helpful. Click the titles below to view the briefs in PDF format. We particularly commend to you the most recent and over-arching policy brief: Family Strengthening Writ Large: On Becoming a Nation That Promotes Strong Families and Successful Youth

Integrated Materials:

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For more resources from the National Assembly, please visit our other sites:

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 Web site 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.