Greetings NACHSA Members:

As Washington experiences a very early spring, the House is in recess and the Senate is debating a massive two-year transportation bill. NACHSA members attending the recent National Association of Counties' Legislative Conference have returned home. During the NACHSA meeting, Mark Greenberg, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Administration for Children and Families, spent an hour conversing with county directors on a whole host of federal and county issues. Also featured at the meeting were the winners of the 2012 NACHSA Innovations in Human Services Award. To be highlighted in a future NACHSA Networker, Wilson County, NC's Success in School program has turned around its dropout rate for teen parents and La Plata County, CO has demonstrated success in its Senior Outreach Nurse Program.

NACHSA Dues are Due: Make sure you don't miss future e-Alerts and other membership benefits! NACHSA will soon stop sending these e-Alerts to counties that have not paid in 2012.  

Click here to access the dues form. If you have questions about membership, please contact Tom Joseph at tj@wafed.com. Thanks for your support!    

TANF Caseload Data Now Available: HHS has recently posted the latest FY 2011 and CY 2011 TANF caseload and application data.  Also posted is a recent report on Engagement in Additional Work Activities and Expenditures for Other Benefits and Services. These reports include state-level data and may be found here. 

Drug Testing for Federal Programs: Given recent state-level legislation to require drug tests for TANF applicants, the Congressional Research Service has published a report on state and federal drug- and crime-related restrictions, including state-by-state data.

Building Links Between Child Welfare & Substance Use Disorders: The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare has posted this video featuring the key elements of system linkages to overcome barriers and identify strategies to create effective partnerships between mental health, substance use treatment, child welfare, and family courts. Two county programs are highlighted; one in Miami-Dade County, Fla. and one in Sacramento County, Calif. Each addresses the challenges across service systems to ensure that families affected by mental and substance use disorders who are in the child welfare system get the support they need to live safe, productive lives. (36 mins.)

Website Promotes Homeless Awareness: A new website, http://homelessnothopeless.net, aims to provide San Luis Obispo County, Calif. residents with information about homelessness in the county. In addition to highlighting a local documentary on the issue, the website provides a chance to learn more about local services that are available as well as ways that the community can get involved in alleviating homelessness.

CWS and Reducing Teen Pregnancy: Slated for March 15 at 2 pm EDT, this webinar will describe President Obama's FFY 2013 proposed initiative to allocate approximately $13 million in competitive funds to state and local child welfare agencies with strong and innovative plans to reduce pregnancy for youth in foster care. Funding would be awarded to the most effective approaches to pregnancy prevention in the foster care population, including evaluating approaches that work with court systems and train foster parents and caseworkers.

To learn more about this proposal, register for this webinar co-hosted by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and their affiliate, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA). Featured speakers include: Bryan Samuels, Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, and Renée Wilson-Simmons, Annie E. Casey Foundation.