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To subscribe, submit the form in the left column of this e-newsletter or visit www.nassembly.org. HSN: Human Service Newsbytes June 10 , 2008 Human Service Newsbytes is the biweekly e-newsletter of the National Human Services Assembly that contains information for and about the nonprofit health and human services sector. Please pass this timely information along to your network.
Paid Maternity Leave on the Wishlist for Many U.S. Mothers The United States passed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, giving eligible parents 12 weeks unpaid leave to care for a new child. But aside from being unpaid, it is limited to workplaces of more than 50 employees, which excludes more than 41.3% of working Americans, or about 48.1 million people. Most recently at the federal level, the Family Leave Insurance Act of 2008 (H.R. 5873) was introduced in April to provide paid leave to care for a new child and to cover workplaces with fewer than 50 employees. Policies that guarantee adequate leave are increasingly valuable not only for working families, but also for employers, who benefit from the retention of skilled personnel in the workplace and improved employee morale. To see the Economic Policy Institute’s chart on maternity leave benefits in 19 countries click here. What Makes Foster Care Adoption Successful? A new report from the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids, Barriers and Success Factors in Adoption From Foster Care: Perspectives of Families and Staff, presents results from two longitudinal research studies spanning the first 5 years of the AdoptUsKids project. The first study examined the barriers experienced by families seeking to adopt children from foster care, while the second explored factors that contribute to successful adoption outcomes for families adopting children with special needs from foster care. Key findings include: Attachment issues, significant child behavioral problems, and lack of services were the problems cited most often by families who felt their adoption was not successful and the most helpful postadoption services cited by families were routine dental and medical care, counseling, training, support groups, and individual child therapy. To read more.. Social Entrepreneurship as a New Way to Address Old Problems The Aspen Institute and Root Cause have released a new report, Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Recommendations for Policy Makers and Government Agencies, that explores how government leaders can address major community challenges through partnerships with social entrepreneurs. The report offers 13 specific models that help illustrate how such partnerships can be carried out. One of the highlighted programs is ReServe, a New York-based nonprofit whose novel approach to volunteer coordination could serve as a model for government. ReServe acts as a placement service, which manages a reserve of skilled retirees interested in stipended volunteer positions in nonprofits and government agencies. The full report is available here. Health Savings Accounts Primarily Benefit High-income Individuals A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds: Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are used disproportionately by affluent households; many HSA participants appear to be using their accounts purely or primarily as a tax shelter rather than paying for out-of-pocket health care costs and many employers offering high-deductible health insurance plans and HSAs did not contribute to their workers’ HSAs. This may mean that some lower-income workers who cannot make substantial HSA contributions on their own, and whose employers make no contributions on their behalf, may be unable to afford the high deductibles required under HSA-eligible plans when they or their families need health care. To read more.. News from Capital Hill... Senate Passes Supplemental Spending Bill On May 22, the U.S. Senate passed domestic spending provisions as part of the war supplemental spending bill (H.R. 2642) by a vote of 75-22. The domestic spending provisions include an extension of unemployment benefits, an expansion of veteran education benefits, a one-year moratoria on seven harmful Medicaid regulations, funding for gulf coast recovery, and funding for a low income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP). To read more details of the bill click here. House Passes Critical Tax Legislation The U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008" (H.R. 6049) at the end of May. This legislation, introduced by Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), would provide tax breaks to certain individuals and other incentives to promote renewable energy. The Child Tax Credit is designed to supplement the incomes of low-income working families with children. However, millions of families are currently excluded from this credit because they do not earn enough to be eligible. H.R. 6049 would lower the income eligibility threshold for the refundable Child Tax Credit from $12,050 to $8,500 in order to provide tax relief to more than 12 million children. This tax credit expansion would provide critical help to the lowest paid workers who are struggling to make ends meet for their families. To read more… Senate Committee Approves Housing Package with Trust Fund On May 20, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee overwhelmingly approved, 19-2, its compromise housing package. The "Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008" (H.R. 634) combines two pieces of legislation. It would expand the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan program and allow homeowners to avoid foreclosure by refinancing into FHA-insured loans. The agreement reached would finally create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The Trust Fund would be used to develop, repair, and preserve affordable housing for extremely and very low income persons. However in its first three years, Trust Fund dollars would be used to pay for the expanded FHA loan program. After the fourth year, the Trust Fund dollars could be used towards affordable housing. For more info.. To read the Washington Post article on the legislation click here Senator Grassley Introduces Child Welfare Legislation On May 20, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) held a press conference to discuss legislation he introduced to strengthen the child welfare system. "The Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support Act of 2008" (S. 3038), would extend and improve adoption incentives, improve supports for relative guardianship, and provide state child welfare agencies direct access to federal child locator services. Specifically, the measure would provide an incentive to increase the number of older and special needs children being adopted. It would also permit states to claim federal reimbursement under Title IV-E for subsidized guardianship payment made on behalf of eligible children who leave foster care for legal guardianship with a relative caretaker. More information on the bill is available here.Lifelong Learning Accounts Bill Introduced Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) has introduced H.R. 6036, the Lifelong Learning Accounts Act, to create employer-matched, portable educational accounts that workers can use to finance their education and training. With surveys repeatedly showing that the majority of baby boomers expect to remain in the workforce well beyond traditional retirement age, this bill could have a huge impact on seniors who want to transition to a new field. For more info.. Congress Passes Budget Resolution The House and Senate approved the FY 2009 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 70) by a vote of 214-210 and 48-45, respectively. This is the first time since 2000 that Congress has adopted a budget in an election year. The budget resolution conference report calls for $3.03 trillion in FY 2009 spending. This includes $24.5 billion above the $991.6 billion requested by the President for domestic discretionary programs. The budget conference agreement provides needed funding for home energy assistance (LIHEAP), children's health; nutrition assistance for women, infants, and children (WIC); and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). Click here. Other News... For teens, jobs do more than provide spending money, they are an important part of development and can teach key skills for life and the transition to adulthood. The following 2 articles highlight how the struggling economy makes it hard for younger workers. To read the New York Times article click here. Chicago Sun Times click here. What Features of Fatherhood Programs Really Matter? An increasing number of programs focus on improving fathers' involvement with children and families. What features of fatherhood programs really matter? A new National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse brief authored by Child Trends examines experimental evaluations of fatherhood and parenting programs to identify ten promising practices: Teaching methods and materials that are culturally appropriate for fathers being served; staff members who believe in the program and have relevant training and coaching and a high staff-participant ratio. Click here. To read about the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2007 click here. 10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals To Strengthen U.S. Communities Mobilizing Change: 10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals To Strengthen U.S. Communities, puts together in one place the proposals of leading thinkers in the field who are working to address social problems and improve the lives of those in need through improved nonprofit-government policies. An example of a proposal discussed in the report include: Creation of a Social Investment Fund Network, which would generate growth capital for nonprofits with pioneering approaches to solving difficult social problems. (Aspen Institute). To read more.. New Resources... Employers may use Idealist.org for FREE the month of June - Yes, FREE! Click here for more details. Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives. Idealist.org is a member of the National Assembly. Prince Caspian curriculum available now Coming soon! The 2008 Kids Count Data Book The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 19th annual Kids Count Data Book will be released on June 12, 2008. The annual Data Book is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key measures and provides data on the economic, health, education, and social conditions of America’s children and families. This year, the Kids Count Data Book essay, “A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform” looks at the nearly 100,000 children confined to juvenile facilities on any given night in the United States, and what can be done to reduce unnecessary and inappropriate detention and incarceration and increase opportunities for positive youth development and community safety. www.kidscount.org. Quick Health Facts 2008: A Compilation of Selected State Data This publication from AARP provides a snapshot of each state’s health care landscape by providing comparable state-level and national data for over 30 indicators. Click here.. New 50-State Profiles on Family Economic Security The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) newest 50-state profiles provide data on low-income children and families in each state and highlight state policy choices regarding families’ work attachment and advancement, income adequacy, and asset development. Click here
Got Jobs? Members and friends of the National Assembly can post positions on the National Assembly's web site. Click the link. Create your own password, and post the job. Got Conferences, Events? Post events that are open to the broad human service sector (i.e., not just your own members). Click the link. Click on "Add Your Own Event," and follow the instructions. Got News? Email your news and grant announcement suggestions to newsletters@nassembly.org. Grants, Notices & Awards (listed in chronological order by deadline) Funding for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced funding opportunities for demonstration housing programs designed for intergenerational families. According to the Federal Register announcement, "The purpose of the program is to expand the supply of intergenerational dwelling units for very low-income grandparent(s) or relative(s) heads of household 62 years of age or older raising a child." Eligible applicants should be private nonprofit owners of a Section 202 project. The application deadline is July 2, 2008. To read the full Federal Register announcement, click here Funding opportunity to support evidence-based home visitation programs to prevent child maltreatment. These grants will be awarded for a 5-year period to include a 1-year planning phase and 4-year implementation phase. Projects will be expected to focus on collaboration in planning to leverage other funding streams, while the implementation phase should include the use of proven effective models, rigorous evaluation, and dissemination of results to the field. The application deadline is July 21, 2008. Read the full announcement for details. $5 Million in Grants Available for Student Service and Service-Learning Projects More than $5 million in Learn and Serve America grant funding will be available to support community service and service-learning through three new grant competitions: the 2008 College Student Social Media Initiative, School-Based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Curriculum (STEM), and the Indian Tribes Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative. For more info.. Three national housing organizations—HomeFree-USA, National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), and NeighborWorks America—have announced new financial support in response to the homeownership financing needs of existing and prospective homeowners. The Homeownership Helps initiative, being funded with a two-year total of $2 million, will help households looking to purchase a home and those struggling with their current mortgage. For more info.. Literacy, Youth Leadership and Volunteerism Grants – Deadline: Rolling. The Comcast Foundation supports organizations that make communities stronger through literacy, youth leadership development and community service programs. Award amounts range from $1,000 to $570,000. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status that operate within a Comcast service area.
FREE Audioconference to Focus on Connecting Families to Mainstream Financial Services. The National League of Cities’ Banking the Unbanked: City Partnerships to Connect Families with Mainstream Financial Services will take place Thursday June 19, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Click here for more info and to register Bold Ideas for Making Work Work – Free Webinar August 19th from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm ET Innovations in “how, when, and where works gets done” are making organizations more effective and successful, while supporting the needs of employees, including working parents and caregivers. President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute Ellen Galinsky, will discuss providing effective workplaces for our paid and volunteer staff. This free webinar will be open to all Assembly members, their affiliates, and select other national nonprofit human services organizations. For more information please contact Natalie Thompson nthompson@nassembly.org 2008 Nonprofit Human Resources Conference: Advancing Mission Through People The 2008 Nonprofit Human Resources Conference is the first of a series of planned annual events designed to bring together nonprofit human resources practitioners, executives, thought leaders, and researchers to not only discuss human resources issues of critical importance to the nonprofit sector, but also to identify resources – human, financial, and programmatic – that will advance the missions and organizational effectiveness of individual organizations and position the sector more effectively for the future. National Assembly members will receive a discount on registration. Click here to register. September 28-29, 2008 Washington, DC The Magic of Connections National Mentoring Summit The purpose of the summit is to invigorate and mobilize the mentoring community, while motivating and inspiring business and civic leaders to increase their support for mentoring efforts. Click here to register September 18 - 19, 2008 Disneyland Resort
Advanced Volunteer Management Conference For information on more events and to post events click here
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