Federal Resources

Based on the lessons learned from the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, the toolkit cultivates an approach that has left a legacy of success in schools and communities. This toolkit will show you how partnerships with representatives from sectors including education, law enforcement, mental health, juvenile justice, children’s services, families, and faith-based associations can take Three Bold Steps to create positive lasting change among our nation’s students.

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.

This blog entry from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, contains tips from staff of the William T. Grant Foundation on applying for local and regional funding.

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.

The new Simple Crosstab/Frequency tool from SAMHDA allows users to create their own tables and graphs using SAMHSA behavioral health data. No prior experience with the data is needed as users can simply choose variables from the presented options and click the submit button to create tables and graphs. 

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. 

CDCynergy is a multimedia CD-ROM used for planning, managing, and evaluating public health communication programs. The tool was originally created for use within CDC. In addition to the basic edition, CDC program and partners have created additional versions of the tool focused on specific health topics. Copies of the CD can be ordered from the Public Health Foundation.

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

This tool is intended to help the growing number of new after school partnerships create a shared vision for their work.

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. 

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Student (WSCC),  is recommended by CDC as a strategy for improving students' health and learning in our nation’s schools. These site outline the rationale and goals for WSCC, provide a model framework for planning and implementing WSCC, and offer resources to help schools, districts, and states improve their school health programs.

This 10-page document outlines typical stakeholder groups in public health programs, explains why stakeholders are important to evaluations and their role in evaluations, and also includes a checklist for steps in engaging stakeholders as well as a number of worksheets to help identify key stakeholders and determine what program related issues matter to them.

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. 

This series of articles from the Department of Health and Human Services, Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, articulates the FYSB’s position on implementing evidence-based practices in youth programming, provides the perspective of an FYSB grantee on implementing an evidence-based program, and discusses working with researchers to illustrate the effectiveness of programs.

The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth recently profiled The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Funding and Programs List, which outlines which federal departments have programs that help prevent and end homelessness and includes programs specifically designed to assist homeless youth.

This is a 58-page report which introduces the CDC’s framework for program evaluation and its key concepts.  It provides in-depth outline of the 6 six steps in program evaluation (engaging stakeholders, describing the program, focusing the evaluation design, gathering credible evidence, justifying conclusions, and ensuring use and sharing lessons learned), as well as 4 standards for effective evaluation (utility, feasibility, propriety, and accuracy).

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.

Systematic reviewers routinely prioritize evidence in numerous ways. This paper provides a framework for understanding the possibilities, considering influential factors, and choosing among the myriad options. This will help enhance the transparency of review processes, which in turn may help users determine how different reviews of the same topic can reach different conclusions.

This review surveys 125 published and unpublished studies related to fidelity and adaptation balance, spanning more than 25 years.

Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services' National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, this guide provides information for adults and teens interested in starting a youth-serving non-profit. The guide walks users through four distinct stages, each including interactive videos and helpful tools.

This resource provides technical assistance to health centers. The Bureau of Primary Health Care has developed partnerships with state, regional and other national organizations to provide:

• Training and technical assistance on fiscal and program management
• Operational and administrative support
• Program development/analysis
• Primary care/clinical care development and operations
• Support to meet the needs of special populations
• Support to develop and implement health and other information technology systems

Grants.gov is a secure, reliable entry way to discretionary federal grants from multiple agencies. Applicants can use a single comprehensive site to discover and apply for opportunities from all 26 federal grant-making agencies.

CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health provides evaluation technical assistance to Funded Partners through a variety of evaluation resources and tools.

This guidance document, developed in collaboration with the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health, is designed to help guide state and local agencies and organizations through public health processes that address important adolescent health and safety issues

This document is a "how to" guide for planning and implementing evaluation activities. The manual is based on CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health, and is intended to assist state, local, and community managers and staff of public health programs in planning, designing, implementing, and using the results of comprehensive evaluations in a practical way.