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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
ACYF Protective Factors Framework
The final report and materials from the ACYF Protective Factors Framework project are now available. The project, conducted by Development Services Group (DSG) from FY2011 through 2013, involved conducting a systematic literature review to identify protective factors across five ACYF populations (children and youth who are victims of child abuse or neglect; runaways and/or homeless; in or transitioning from foster care; exposed to domestic or community violence; pregnant and/or parenting teens) and developing a protective factors conceptual model and tools that can be useful to the field. Building on the literature review and input from experts and practitioners, development of the conceptual model included the preparation of: (a) crosswalks identifying and synthesizing the protective factors identified for ACYF populations, the populations and developmental stages for which they are most relevant, and evidence to support their inclusion and (b) models that depict the relationships between the identified factors and positive outcomes. The executive summary, literature review, appendices (with crosswalks and models), and accompanying research brief are available.
Ask NCFY: 'How Do I Help Clients Try to Clear an Arrest Record?’
Many young people who have arrests on their record may have difficulty obtaining a job or securing housing. In this blog post, a lawyer provides advice for youth-serving professionals who help their clients move on by clearing their arrest records.
Child Welfare Information Gateway Logic Model Builder
The Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed two new Logic Model Builders, Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and Family Support Programs and Postadoption Services Programs. These Logic Model Builders can help programs define their goals, outcomes, and indicators of success and select appropriate evaluation instruments.
Community Mapping Connects Youth to Their Neighborhoods
This podcast from the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth describes the work of a nonprofit organization that uses a tool called community mapping to help young people understand the assets and deficits that exist in their communities
Creating a Vision for Afterschool Partnerships
This tool is intended to help the growing number of new after school partnerships create a shared vision for their work.
Children’s Bureau Spotlight Videos
The Children’s Bureau has developed a suite of seven new videos that feature Children’s Bureau staff and leadership discussing their work with states, tribes, grantees, and community organizations and sharing insights about what they have learned through this work.
Enhancing Cultural Competence in Social Service Agencies: A Promising Approach to Serving Diverse Children and Families
This brief from HHS's Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation summarizes the state of the field on cultural competence in social services and provides service providers and administrators with concrete strategies for ongoing self-reflection and development. The brief also includes links and references for additional relevant resources, tools, and information.
Don't Call Them Dropouts
A report from America’s Promise Alliance encourages readers to think differently about youth who have left school, suggesting a change in terminology, from “dropouts” to “nongraduates” or students who have had “interrupted enrollment.” As this article explains, youth voices are featured prominently in the report, which also highlights factors that influence students to leave school and the supports that can help them to return to and remain in school.
Four Tips for Serving LGBTQ Young People in Rural Communities
This blog post addresses the unique challenges of serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in rural places. Written by the executive director of Tumbleweed Runaway Program in Billings, MT, it also suggests how youth-serving professionals in rural areas can make their services and communities welcoming to all young people.
Fundraising Solutions for Youth-serving Nonprofits
In an interview with the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, Kim Klein, an Oakland, CA fundraising consultant, shares five resolutions youth-serving nonprofits should make in 2012 to help them increase the amount of money they raise from donors.
Identifying and Serving LGBTQ Youth: Case Studies of Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Grantees
This report from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) highlights the findings from case studies of four agencies receiving grants from the ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. It includes information on the collection and use of sexual orientation and gender identity data, needs and capacities among LGBTQ runaway and homeless youth, approaches to serving this population, and gaps in research and services for practitioners and policymakers to consider.
LGBT Populations: A Snapshot of the Knowledge Base and Research Needs
These chapter briefs summarize the knowledge base and research needs related to low-income, at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their interactions with human services. The briefs are separated into three topic areas:
- Low-income and at-risk LGBT populations
- The child welfare system and LGBT youth and LGBT adults
- LGBT youth, particularly related to runaway and homeless youth and sexual health
Meeting the Needs of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Youth
The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth released a Q&A with Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, featuring tips for working specifically with transgender and gender non-conforming youth.
New Online Training: Logic Models and Theories of Change
“Logic Models and Theory of Change” is a new, free online course from NCFY that walks users through the basics of each model while presenting examples from the field. This training can help staff working for family and youth-serving agencies make plans to establish a new program or update an existing one.
Podcast: Teen Pregnancy Prevention for LGBTQ Youth
In a podcast featured in the latest update from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, Bryan Samuels, commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, and Andrew Barnett, executive director of the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, discuss the need to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in teen pregnancy prevention efforts.
Primary Sources: Learning How Service Providers and Policy Makers Can Help LGBTQ Homeless Youth
This article provides information about a research review that aimed to determine directions for research, public policy, and practice related to serving homeless youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning. The article also includes potential implications of the research for policies and practices of youth-serving organizations. Researchers at Harvard Medical School conducted the research review.
Q&A: Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom on Choosing the Right Outcome-Measurement Tool
The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth spoke with Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom, a lead author of the report, From Soft Skills to Hard Data, to learn more about how to choose the right outcome-measurement tool for a youth program.
Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services: Model Terms of Service
This Model Terms of Service (PDF, 9 pages) document is intended to assist schools and school districts in implementing the PTAC-issued guidance, Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services: Requirements and Best Practices (PDF, 14 pages). The Model Terms of Service helps school officials evaluate terms of service agreements from providers of online educational services and mobile applications.
Resources for Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth
The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) provides a list of resources for those serving LGBT youth including helpful publications and LGBT-youth focused organizations.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Centers - Community of Practice
This site is a meeting place that provides members of the RHYTTAC CoP with opportunities to participate in discussion forums, member profiles, photo gallery, file storage, and more.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Centers
This resource provides technical assistance to runaway and homeless youth programs.
The Economic Well-Being of LGB Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care
This report describes the characteristics and economic well-being of young people aging out of foster care who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB).
Voices from the Field: LGBT-Friendly Teen Pregnancy Prevention
This podcast by the National Clearinghouse on Youth and Families (NCFY) features program coordinator at the Bristol HUB Youth Center in Vermont, Ryan Krushenick, who leads a popular teen pregnancy prevention curriculum tailored to be welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. He talks to NCFY how to practice inclusive teen pregnancy prevention work.
When a Local Partner Closes, a Response Plan Keeps Youth Services Constant
This article provides insights about how social services organizations can ensure that services to young people continue to be delivered seamlessly after a longtime source of support is no longer available
Youth Leadership Toolkit: Youth Engagement
Young people are valuable contributors in the planning and implementation of programs that impact them. This section of the Toolkit discusses strategies for increasing the effectiveness of their participation and engagement in the process.