December 2016Vol. 17, No. 9Print issueSpotlight on Teen Pregnancy and Child Welfare

According to child protection educators, more research is needed to determine the benefit of using anatomical dolls and body diagrams in forensic interviews in child abuse cases,.

The Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center, in conjunction with the ChildFirst/Finding Words Forensic Interview Training Programs, has a new position paper on the use of anatomical dolls and body diagrams in investigations of child abuse. The group is calling for enhanced and more neutral research on the use of such media aids in child abuse cases. Specifically, the group advocates the following:

• Undertaking more studies on the use of anatomical dolls and body diagrams in forensic interviews
• Designing studies that more accurately reflect scenarios of abuse and that employ media relevant to actual forensic interviewing practices
• Understanding the potential for bias in study designs
• Consulting frontline professionals in the design of future studies
• Encouraging a respectful dialogue on the use of such media
• Recognizing dolls and diagrams are useful in multiple forms of abuse investigations and should not be confined to potential instances of sexual abuse
• Considering the use of dolls and diagrams within a context that goes beyond the forensic interview process to the entire investigation of purported abuse
• Acknowledging that child abuse investigations have multiple checks on false positive charges but comparatively few checks on false negatives

The position paper, Anatomical Dolls and Diagrams, is available at http://www.gundersenhealth.org/ncptc/trainings-education/newsletters/anatomical-dolls-diagrams/.

A new study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that using tools specifically designed to measure the impact of proposed policy changes on racial and ethnic groups is an effective way of gauging how a specific proposal might benefit or hurt communities of color. The study also concludes that these tools can be a meaningful way of increasing understanding and buy-in among communities of color when potential policy changes are being considered.

The study is the third installment in the Race for Results case study series, which was launched to give policymakers more data-informed and evidence-based choices for eliminating the inequities in opportunity faced by children of color.

The study explores how data and racial equity impact assessment (REIA) tools have been successfully used in both Seattle and Minneapolis to inform the decision-making process and yield policy changes resulting in greater equality of opportunity. According to Race Forward, an organization promoting racial equality and one of the first to introduce the use of REIAs in the United States, a REIA is defined as a "systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision."

The study points to the following benefits of using REIAs in decision-making:

• REIA is focused on data and facts versus assumptions.
• REIA provides a systematic way for considering those groups most affected by a decision.
• The REIA process can expose the potentially unintended consequences of a decision before it is set in stone.
• The REIA process can yield a wider range of potential policy options.

Tools for Thought: Using Racial Equity Impact Assessments for Effective Policymaking is available at http://www.aecf.org/resources/tools-for-thought-a-race-for-results-case-study/.

A new report on extensive and ongoing efforts by three States to help families break the cycle of poverty and achieve sustainable well-being offers lessons and opportunities for other States, according to the National Human Services Assembly (NHSA).

The Two-Generation Approach Framework: A Closer Look at State-Level Implementation was released recently by NHSA with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The report looks at efforts in Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by providing low-income families with access to early childhood education and job training for achieving financial stability. The Two-Generation (Two-Gen) approach to family well-being, which focuses on both the children and parents together, is designed to build sustainable family foundations by providing high-quality and integrated services in early childhood education, elementary education, economic stability, and family engagement. The goal is to provide families with resources for overcoming the multiple challenges that can threaten stability, by ensuring access to quality daycare, education, job skills training, and financial help.

The report looks at how pioneers in the Two-Gen field—Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut—are implementing the Two-Gen practice and their implications for other States. NHSA chose to focus on these three States because they had established support for their Two-Gen projects and already had work underway. NHSA conducted interviews with State, local, and private sector stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the Two-Gen infrastructure emerging in each of the three States and how ongoing efforts in each might contribute to overall statewide systems change to help families achieve well-being and break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

Utah's approach was initiated in 2012 by the State legislature, which enacted the Intergenerational Poverty Mitigation Act to identify target populations and strategies for increasing the coordination of services to families. Colorado launched its initiative in 2013 under its Department of Human Services and State policy changes and, at the same time, made more low-income families eligible for Colorado's child care subsidy program. Connecticut's Commission on Women, Children and Seniors identified the Two-Gen approach as a priority in 2013, and the State's General Assembly funded $3 million in 2015 for testing Two-Gen strategies in six pilot communities.

The following are among the report's recommendations for developing the Two-Gen approach:

• Cultivate political leadership
• Build program sustainability
• Create State-level management and oversight
• Establish State-level planning and implementation

The report, which features extensive details on each State's approach, is available on the NHSA website at http://www.nationalassembly.org/Uploads2/Resources/2GenFramework_Sept2016.pdf (836 KB).

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released a guide to help engage youth in government-sponsored meetings and events. Although the guide was produced by SAMHSA, which focuses on substance use and mental health, and was intended for use by Federal staff and contractors, it focuses on general youth engagement strategies that could also be used by nongovernment staff or those in other fields.

The guide includes goals and strategies for youth engagement and tools, resources, and tips to support it. It also includes sample documents, such as a youth engagement agreement and a youth feedback form, for staff to use in planning, implementing, and evaluating their work. Three specific goals for supportive and meaningful youth engagement are outlined, including strategies for achieving each goal. The goals include:

• Prioritize gaining youth perspectives to inform programs, policies, and practices.
• Develop an agencywide culture that is inclusive and respectful of youth.
• Adopt best practices for youth engagement in activities, meetings, and events.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Youth Engagement Guidance: Strategies, Tools, and Tips for Supportive and Meaningful Youth Engagement in Federal Government-Sponsored Meetings and Events is available at http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA16-4985/SMA16-4985.pdf (7 MB).

According to the United Nations (UN), over 1 billion people have some form of disability, and more than 100 million disabled persons are children. Since 1992, December 3 has been declared International Day of Persons With Disabilities (IDPD). On this day, people around the world are called upon to improve awareness and take action to increase accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. This year, the theme for IDPD is "Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want," referencing the goals the UN adopted last year to end poverty, protect the planet, and improve well-being across myriad factors over the next 15 years. Children and youth with disabilities are overrepresented in the child welfare system and need specialized support for them and their families to help improve their well-being. IDPD is only once a year, but children and families need support from communities and professionals year round.

Caregivers and child welfare professionals who serve families with disabilities face unique challenges. It can be difficult to find families who are trained, prepared, and willing to become caregivers for children with disabilities. Professionals need to understand the different barriers to permanency these children and youth can face and be knowledgeable about the different practices and resources available to families. The following resources provide insights to working with this vulnerable population from both professionals and youth, as well as examples of practices that help.

• Health-Care Coverage for Youth in Foster Care—and After
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue-briefs/health-care-foster/
• CW 360: The Intersection of Child Welfare and Disability - Focus on Children
  http://cascw.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Spring2013_360_web-FINAL.pdf (PDF - 2 MB)
• The Connection: News and Information from the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association
  http://nc.casaforchildren.org/files/public/site/publications/theconnection/Connection_Spring2009.pdf (2 MB)
• Permanency for Children With Disabilities
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/specific/disabilities/
• Reunification With Parents Who Have a Disability
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/reunification/disability/
• Services to Children and Youth With Disabilities
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/service-array/services-to-children-and-youth-with-disabilities/
• Services for Parents With Disabilities
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/service-array/services-to-children-and-youth-with-disabilities/youth/disabilities/

Cross-system collaboration is crucial to developing effective efforts to address human trafficking. The Children’s Bureau's podcast Interagency Collaboration to Address Human Trafficking highlights an integrated approach to preventing, identifying, and responding to human trafficking across the service continuum.

Interagency collaboration increases each service provider's ability to provide successful interventions. The Miami CARES project unites 12 agencies into a coordinated child welfare system designed to work with at-risk and trafficked youth in Florida's Miami-Dade County. This podcast shares best practice techniques and lessons learned and enables professionals in the field to identify ways in which agencies can build their collaborative capacity.

The podcast covers the following topics:

• Communicating between agencies
• Providing therapeutic services
• Recruiting and training foster families
• Achieving interagency buy-in

Access Interagency Collaboration to Address Human Trafficking on the Children's Bureau website at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/child-welfare-podcast-interagency-collaboration.

Social Work Helper—a news website dedicated to providing information and resources related to social work—released a new mobile application (app) that connects individuals and professionals to timely and available local services and supports. The app was designed to meet the needs of individuals and professionals seeking quick referrals, especially in times of crisis. It also functions as a social networking tool with a social media (Facebook and Twitter) integration component. Social workers may find it particularly useful when searching for specific programs and services that may be not easily accessible.

This app primarily focuses on the following key areas:

• Food banks
• Senior centers and services
• Domestic violence shelters
• Crisis hotlines
• Support groups
• Affordable daycare
• Low-cost prescriptions
• Mental health treatment providers

The app can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store and can be used on Android and iOS devices.

For more information about the Social Work Helper app, visit https://www.socialworkhelper.com/download-social-work-helper-app/.

Family engagement is recognized as a foundation for success across the human services and education fields. Child Welfare Information Gateway recently updated information and resources on the Family Engagement Inventory (FEI). The FEI is an interactive web-based tool designed to provide professionals in child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, education, and early childhood education with a rich inventory of resources about family engagement and how it is defined and implemented across these fields of practice.

The FEI aims to help practitioners, managers, and system leaders understand the commonalities and differences in family engagement in order to support cross-system collaboration among multiple systems that often work with the same families. Whereas most evidence reviews focus on the effectiveness of a program within a given discipline, the FEI focuses on a strategy across disciplines and puts the latest and most reliable, practical information about engaging families into the hands of those who work directly with families, manage programs, and lead systems.

Information Gateway staff conducted an extensive review of published literature and information about family engagement best practices, consulted with experts from all five disciplines, and incorporated expert feedback into the inventories for the respective disciplines. This feedback process ensured a continuous focus on both the utility and the rigor of the review and distilled the information gathered into four aspects (domains) of family engagement: (1) definitions, (2) themes, (3) benefits, and (4) strategies at the practice, program, and system levels. In addition, the FEI includes a resources section that offers links to information and websites that provide additional information about family engagement processes, methods, and programs.

The FEI is accessible through the Child Welfare Information Gateway website at https://www.childwelfare.gov/fei.

Upcoming national conferences on child welfare and adoption through March 2017 include:

December 2016

• ZERO TO THREE’s Annual Conference 2016
  ZERO TO THREE
  December 7–9, New Orleans, LA
  http://www.zerotothree.org/annualconference

January 2017

• 2017 Children’s Law Institute
  Southwest Region National Child Protection Training Center at New Mexico State University
  January 11–13, Albuquerque, NM
  https://swrtc.nmsu.edu/cli-2/
• SSWR 21st Annual Conference
  "Ensure Healthy Development for All Youth"
  The Society for Social Work (SSWR)
  January 11–15, New Orleans, LA
  http://secure.sswr.org/2017-conference-home/
• 31st Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
  Chadwick Center for Children and Families & Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego
  January 29–February 3, San Diego, CA
  http://www.sandiegoconference.org

February 2017

• 2017 National Conference on Juvenile Justice
  National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
  February 12–15, New York, NY
  http://www.ncjfcj.org/2017-national-conference-juvenile-justice
• 13th Annual Childhood Grief and Traumatic Loss
  Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect
  February 16, Los Angeles, CA
  http://ican4kids.org/grief%20conference.html

March 2017

• 2017 SAHM Annual Meeting
  "Cultivating Connections: The Importance of Relationships in Adolescent and Young Adult Health"
  Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM)
  March 8–11, New Orleans, LA
  http://www.adolescenthealth.org/Meetings/2017-Annual-Meeting/Annual-Meeting-Home.aspx

Further details about national and regional child welfare and adoption conferences can be found through the Conference Calendar Search feature on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website at https://www.childwelfare.gov/calendar/.

On September 13, 2016, the Urban Institute and the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics hosted a panel discussion titled "Reducing Poverty and Increasing Opportunity: Envisioning the Next 20 Years." The 90-minute long event included panelists from diverse professional backgrounds with experience at the local, State, and national levels. The experts shared their research, findings, and insights on reducing poverty and promoting opportunity for families and individuals. The discussion primarily focused on strategies that can be implemented over the next two decades.

The following questions were addressed during the discussion:

• What do we need to do to encourage innovation? How do we support and encourage work in the modern economy?
• What's the future role of the Federal Government, States, and cities in developing and implementing strategies?
• What should the framework for the next 20 years on policy and opportunity look like?

To view panelist biographies or watch a recording of the discussion, visit http://www.urban.org/events/reducing-poverty-and-increasing-opportunity-envisioning-next-20-years.