Tag Archives: US Department of Health and Human Services

New Guide for Providing a Trauma-Informed Approach in Human Services

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January 13, 2017

By Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families and Kana Enomoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
We’re very pleased to announce that the Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Administration for Community Living and the Offices of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS have developed a Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services. The Guide is intended to provide an introduction to the topic of trauma, a discussion of why understanding and addressing trauma is important for human services programs, and a “road map” to find relevant resources.

Staff from our divisions have been working together for the last year to develop this guide. We did so because we know there is increasing recognition in human services programs about the importance of being “trauma-informed,” but there are often important questions about what it means to be trauma-informed, what such an approach implies for service delivery and staff training, and how the answers are similar and different across the array of human services programs. The Guide seeks to address these and related questions, and we hope it will be both immediately helpful and a “living” document to be updated over time as our knowledge and experience grow. Trauma is generally described as an especially stressful experience or event which results in physical or mental stress or pain. All of us may experience trauma at one time or another, and for many people, there may be few or no sustained effects, while for others, longer-term impacts and consequences result. This resulting physical or emotional harm could have lasting adverse effects on the individual’s physical, social or emotional well-being.

Research tells us that experiencing traumatic life events can affect the way people learn, plan, and interact with others. Providing human services to individuals who have experienced trauma calls for an approach that takes into consideration their trauma histories. This guide is designed for professional human services providers to help them decide if their services are trauma-informed and how best to deliver and design those services using evidence-based, evidence-informed, and innovative practices most relevant to their needs.

The guide is a web-linked compilation of resources from a range of HHS agencies, federal partners, and respected sources outside government. The site will contain both information and resources for human services leaders at the state, tribal, territorial, and local levels on recent advances in our understanding of trauma, toxic stress, and resiliency and specifically what these advances mean for program design and service delivery.

Some general trauma resources in the guide, which are applicable to all human services programs, include:

  • What is Trauma?
  • What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)? How are they different from trauma experienced at other times during the life course?
  • What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
  • How does exposure to trauma affect brain development?
  • What do we mean by trauma-informed services and why is such an approach important?

Other trauma resources for specific human services programs or populations include topics such as aging populations, child welfare agencies, domestic violence programs, victims of human trafficking and victims of abuse.

Becoming trauma-informed is one part of ensuring that human services programs are informed by emerging work linking traumatic experiences and physical, mental and emotional health and the underlying brain science. Our agencies welcome hearing from those involved in program administration and service delivery about the issues and experiences faced in efforts to become trauma-informed, and how our agencies can support these efforts and build the knowledge base for the future.

Access the Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services.

This is posted on The Family Room Blog at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/blog/2017/01/new-guide-for-providing-a-trauma-informed-approach-in-human-services.

Getting Ready for Kindergarten: Children’s Progress During Head Start – FACES 2009 Child Outcomes Report

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7/7/2013

This report describes the family backgrounds and developmental outcomes of children as they completed the program and also describes progress in children’s outcomes between Head Start entry and exit. It focuses on the population of children who entered Head Start for the first time in fall 2009 and completed one or two years of the program in spring 2010 or spring 2011 before entering kindergarten. This report on children’s kindergarten readiness is the third in a series of reports describing data from the 2009 cohort of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2009). Previous FACES 2009 reports described the characteristics of children and their families and programs as they entered Head Start in fall 2009 and at the end of one year in the program.

Source: Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families

Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/getting-ready-for-kindergarten-childrens-progress-during-head-start-faces

Proposed Changes to the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge | NewAmerica.net

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5/31/2013

This month the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services released proposed changes to future Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge competitions, which would be limited to states that have not already received a RTT-ELC grant.

For the most part, the requirements proposed by ED and HHS are identical to previous rounds. But there are five main changes, two of which have to do with the competition’s priorities.

The topics of the proposed priorities for future competitions are essentially the same as the first round. (These include: promoting school readiness for children with high-needs; including all early learning programs in quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS); understanding the status of children’s learning and development at kindergarten entry; sustaining improved early learning outcomes through the early elementary grades; and encouraging private-sector support.) In future rounds, however, the departments have discretion on which priorities they select and the weight each priority is assigned. For example, in the first RTT-ELC competition, “Sustaining Program Effects in the Early Elementary Grades” was an invitational priority, which means it did not earn an applicant any extra points. It appears that in future competitions, this could be elevated to a competitive (optional and point-earning) or absolute (required) priority.

Source: Early Ed Watch, The New America Foundation

Available at: http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2013/proposed_changes_to_the_race_to_the_top_early_learning_challenge-84994

Report of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality: Recommendations for HHS Action and Framework for a National Strategy

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January 2013

Infant mortality is a reflection of a society’s commitment to ensuring access to health care, adequate nutrition, a healthy psychosocial and physical environment, and sufficient income to prevent the adverse consequences of poverty. While progress has been made in reducing U.S. infant mortality rates, the nation must do more. Inequality is shown in substantial and persistent racial/ethnic and income disparities. Moreover, in 2010, the U.S. ranked 24th in infant mortality compared to other industrialized nations of the world.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Available at: http://www.hrsa.gov/advisorycommittees/mchbadvisory/InfantMortality/Correspondence/recommendationsjan2013.pdf

ACF Announces Proposed Changes to Child Care Regulations

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May 16, 2013

Keeping Children Safe and Helping Families Find Quality Child Care
-by Shannon Rudisill, Office of Child Care Director

As a working mom, I know how hard it is to find good child care so that I can have some peace of mind when I come  to work.   At ACF, we’ve been working hard to strengthen the nation’s child care system so that  moms and dads, especially moms and dads with the fewest resources,  can have better child care choices while they work to support their families.

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama made a historic commitment to young children, making it a priority to ensure that “none of our children start the race of life already behind.”  Improving child care is an important part of this effort and a key component of the President’s Plan for Early Education for All Americans.

Today, HHS announces a big new step in this direction –  new proposed regulations for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which is administered here at the Office of Child Care. CCDF supports 1.6 million children in child care each month and invests over $1 billion each year in quality improvements like teacher training and grants to child care programs. All over the country, child care providers are dedicated to preparing children for school success. Despite the terrific efforts of public and private organizations around the country, there are some critical gaps in our child care programs. Some children are in child care settings that don’t meet basic health and safety standards. Often, there is a lack of useful comparative information for parents choosing child care. The new regulations are intended to close some of those gaps…

Source: Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/news/acf-announces-proposed-changes-to-child-care-regulations

Two OPRE Graduate Research Grant Announcements

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The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recently published two discretionary research funding announcements titled “Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants” and “Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Research Scholars,” which are summarized below.

If you have questions regarding either or both grant announcements, please email the OPRE grant review team at HSGraduateResearchReviews@icfi.com or call 1-877-350-4624.

Grant Opportunity 1: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grant

The full announcement for “Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants” is available online at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/view/HHS-2012-ACF-OPRE-YR-0281. These grants are meant to facilitate high quality research that directly addresses the needs of low-income children, families, and their early childhood educators, to inform and improve Head Start policies and practice, and to foster mentoring relationships between faculty members and high quality doctoral students.

Who is eligible to apply? Head Start Graduate Student Research grants are available to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students from relevant disciplines who are working in partnership with Head Start or Early Head Start programs and faculty mentors.

Eligible applicants include doctoral level graduate students enrolled in accredited public, State-controlled, and private institutions of higher education. The institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional accrediting commissions recognized by the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

What is the funding award limit and project period? Applicants may apply for project periods up to 24 months with two 12-month budget periods. Up to $25,000 may be awarded for each budget period. For information about previous Head Start Graduate Student Grantees, seehttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/grad_student/index.html.

What types of research are supported? Proposed projects must represent high-quality research (including research using different methodologies, designs, or secondary data analysis) and must address applied research questions that will inform and improve Head Start policies and practice on topics of current interest. Topics of current interest for this announcement include, but are not limited to (please see announcement for further details):

  • Needs of families from diverse backgrounds
  • Family involvement and family outcomes
  • Issues related to children who are dual language learners
  • Professional development of staff
  • Community engagement and collaboration
  • Health and health services
  • Transition to kindergarten or from Early Head Start to Head Start
  • Teacher and classroom characteristics that influence children’s academic readiness
  • Leadership and management in Head Start programs

When is the application deadline? Letters of intent are due April 16, 2012 and applications are due May 14, 2012.

Grant Opportunity 2: Child Care Graduate Student Research Grant

The full announcement for “Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Research Scholars” is available online at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/view/HHS-2012-ACF-OPRE-YE-0306. These grants are meant to build capacity in the research field to focus research on questions that have direct implications for child care policy decision-making and program administration and to foster mentoring relationships between faculty members and high quality doctoral students.

Who is eligible to apply? Funds for Child Care Research Scholars are available to support dissertation research on child care policy issues by advanced graduate students from relevant disciplines.

Eligible applicants include doctoral level graduate students enrolled in accredited public, State-controlled, and private institutions of higher education. The institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional accrediting commissions recognized by the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

What is the funding award limit and project period? Applicants may apply for project periods up to 24 months with two 12-month budget periods. Up to $25,000 may be awarded for each budget period. For information about previous Child Care Research Scholars, seehttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/cc/ccr_scholars/index.html

What types of research are supported? Proposed projects must represent high-quality research (including research using different methodologies, designs, or secondary data analysis) and must address applied research questions that will inform and improve child care policies and practice. Topics of current interest for this announcement include, but are not limited to (please see announcement for further details):

  • Understanding the child care needs of diverse low-income families and/or improving child care programs and policies for various subpopulations.
  • The effects of alternative State/Territory/Tribal- and local-level child care subsidy policies and practices on children and families served
  • Issues related to Tribal child care
  • Features of child care that are most critical to support children’s development and family well-being
  • Factors that play a role in parents’ decisions about work, child care, and subsidy access
  • Examination of family-level processes that might be influenced by child care or child care subsidy use or might moderate the relationships between care and children’s development;
  • Examination of context-level factors that influence availability of and access to quality child care in rural United States
  • Issues related to the participation of various minority groups in different types of early care and education programs and how these types of care/programs meet their needs
  • Cost-effective investments to improve child care quality in all settings
  • Impact of changes in the early child care sector on the delivery and quality of child care and access to high-quality care by low-income, at-risk families
  • Issues and outcomes related to early childhood workforce development
  • Factors promoting or hindering collaboration among child care providers and other early childhood systems
  • Issues related to the participation of home-based providers in professional development initiatives and other systemic approaches to improve quality of care received by low-income children
  • Development/validation of measures/instruments to assess the characteristics of care or needs of caregivers
  • Issues related to child care licensing

When is the application deadline? Letters of intent are due April 13, 2012 and applications are due May 21, 2012.

Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines

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1/26/12

SUMMARY: This notice provides an update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to account for last calendar year’s increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

DATES: Effective Date: Date of publication, unless an office administering a program using the guidelines specifies a different effective date for that particular program.

Source: Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 17

Available at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/html/2012-1603.htm

HHS releases more than $845 million to states to help low-income households with energy costs

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12/22/11

More than $845 million is being released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to states to help low-income households with their heating and home energy costs under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The continuing resolution currently in place allows HHS to release these funds to states, territories, tribes and the District of Columbia.

“Even as the economy shows signs of improvement, many Americans are struggling to make ends meet,” said George Sheldon, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families. “We are making funds available today to help vulnerable families and seniors pay their heating bills and stay warm during this holiday season and into early 2012.”

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/12/20111222a.html

Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation. (MIHOPE): Site Recruitment.

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12/22/11

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have launched a national evaluation called the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Evaluation Project (MIHOPE). This evaluation, mandated by the Affordable Care Act, will inform the federal government about the effectiveness of the newly established MIECHV program in its first few years of operation, and provide information to help states develop and strengthen home visiting programs in the future. By systematically estimating the effects of home visiting programs across a wide range of outcomes and studying the variation in how programs are implemented, MIHOPE will provide valuable information on the effects of these programs on parents and children. This includes investigating the effects of home visiting on maternal and child well-being, how those effects vary for different home visiting approaches, and how variations in program design and implementation influence program fidelity and impacts.

Source: Federal Register

Available at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-22/html/2011-32824.htm

HHS to give states more flexibility to implement health reform

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12/16/11

The Department of Health and Human Services today released a bulletin outlining proposed policies that will give states more flexibility and freedom to implement the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act ensures all Americans have access to quality, affordable health insurance.  To achieve this goal, the law ensures that health insurance plans offered in the individual and small group markets, both inside and outside of the Affordable Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges), offer a comprehensive package of items and services, known as “essential health benefits.”

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/12/20111216c.html