Here are a few human services items that have crossed my screen in the past month:

Child Welfare Services with Families Experiencing Family Violence. Participant Guide: Available from the Georgia Department of Human Resources, this guide presents participant materials for a workshop for Georgia child welfare workers working with families that are experiencing family violence. The training focuses on incorporating knowledge of the co-occurrence of family violence and child abuse into practical application when working with families, including: developing skills for engaging and interviewing family members, assessing safety and risk in these families, and exploring collaboration as best practice.  

Criminal Justice System's Involvement in Child Welfare Families: This brief shares findings from a study that investigated the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in the child welfare system and the criminal justice system's involvement in these families. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) was funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and collected information on more than 5,000 children from 92 different communities in 36 States. Findings indicate as many as 1 in every 8 children who are reported victims of maltreatment have parents who were recently arrested; if arrests at any time during a parent's adult life are considered, the criminal justice system has intervened in at least 1 in 3 families with which child welfare agencies have contact; about 1 in 10 children in in-home settings lives with a primary caregiver who was arrested and sentenced to probation in the year prior to coming into contact with child protective service agencies. Implications for policies and practices are discussed, along with recommended reforms. (7 pps.)

Double Jeopardy: New Brief on Repeat Births to Teens: Twenty percent of births to female teens ages 15-19 in 2004 were to teens who were already mothers. Child Trends' new research brief, Repeat Teen Childbearing: Differences Across States and by Race and Ethnicity, highlights state-level data on second and higher order births. Teen mothers and their children face educational, economic, health, and developmental challenges, and a second teen birth compounds these problems.  The brief presents factors and programs that can help to prevent repeat births to teenage mothers. (7 pps.)

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: The majority of food stamp recipients last year were either children or elderly and were very poor, according to Characteristics of Food Stamp Households:  Fiscal Year 2006 Summary recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).   Nearly half (49 percent) of those receiving benefits were children and nine percent were over age 60.  Thirty-nine percent of households had incomes at, or below, half the poverty line and one-seventh had no cash income of any kind. Long-term caseload trends have become even more pronounced:  There are more working families - almost 30 percent of food stamp households had earnings in 2006, compared to 19 percent in 1990; fewer are receiving cash welfare benefits - 13 percent last year compared to 42 percent in 1990; and households with zero gross income doubled from seven percent in 1990 to 14 percent in 2006.

The average household size was 2.3 persons and the average monthly benefit per household was $208.  Outside of food stamps, households had few resources to draw on.  The average food stamp household possessed only $137 in countable resources, including checking and savings accounts.  Seventy percent had no resources at all.  For additional information, click here.

USDA Releases FY 2005 Food Stamp Participation Rates: The national average food stamp participation rate in FY 2005 improved to 65 percent, but still left one in three eligible people unserved, according to a new report issued by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. USDA reports that in FY 2005 food stamp participation rates for eligible persons ranged from just below 50 percent in several states to more than 85 percent in several others. Over the period FY 2003 to 2005, some states had consistently higher participation rates than other states, including Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon, Maine, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kentucky. The Midwest region ranked at the top of participation among working poor households, increasing from 57 percent in FY 2003 to 65 percent in FY 2005.  Click the following links to read more:  USDA Summary and Full Report.

Respite CareFact Sheet:This fact sheet provides information about respite care, including the different types of respite that can be offered, and model programs that can be replicated. Through the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) receive funding to provide respite services to grandparents and other relatives raising children. If there is already an established respite program being administered by a local mental health agency, the AAA in that area may contract with that agency to provide services to these families with NFSCP funding.  

Elder Abuse Website Launched: The Administration on Aginghas established a new website for the National Center on Elder Abuse. The Center serves as a resource center dedicated to the prevention of elder mistreatment. Among the resources on the redesigned website, users will find information about:  How to find help if you are worried about a senior in your community; definitions, signs, and risks of elder mistreatment; and, resources for caregivers.

Pennsylvania Children's Ombudsman: The state is considering establishing an Office of Children's Ombudsman in the PA Dept. of Public Welfare to handle complaints with the children and youth system above and beyond existing remedies. The counties there are interested in other states' efforts in this area. The Pennsylvania Association of Children and Youth Administrators (PCYA) provided testimony in opposition to the bill (HB 1709) stating that they "are not convinced that this will improve the safety, permanency or well being outcomes for the children and families of the Commonwealth". Concerns highlighted by PCYA included: the "remediable action" language is believed to be too broad, belief that the county children and youth agencies already have "considerable oversight", concern that HB 1709 would provide a vehicle for individuals to "go around" established appeals processes, and concern that the records of the Ombudsman would not be able to be subpoenaed. During the hearing, PCYA conveyed willingness to work with the committee on the bill. If you have information to share with the PCYA on your states' experience, please contact:

Charles R. Songer Jr., Executive Director
Pa. Children & Youth Administrators Association 
csonger@pacounties.org;  717-232-7554   

New NACHSA Job Listings: NACHSA has posted a few new employment opportunities recently. Contact Tom Joseph at tj@wafed.com to post your senior staff openings free of charge.   

Save the Date: NACHSA will meet on the afternoon of March 1 in Washington, DC as part of the National Association of Counties' Legislative Conference.  More information will be available soon.