NAWRS Virtual Workshop Series 2020

NAWRS convened virtually in 2020 with free web-based sessions. In each of these sessions, experts shared insights and best practices for researchers and practitioners working across the spectrum of human services. Learn more and view the recorded sessions below.

April: TANF Responses to COVID-19 – Voices from the Field

The first session of the NAWRS 2020 Virtual Workshop Series featured a discussion with four senior TANF leaders about the experiences of TANF programs and the individuals and families they serve during the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists discussed recent changes in their caseload, policy changes made in response to the pandemic, transitions to remote work and service delivery, and key challenges that clients are facing.
  • Erin Oalican – Director, Vermont Reach Up/TANF Program
  • Babette Roberts – Director, Community Services Division, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
  • Avis Hunter – Program Administrator, Alabama Department of Human Resources
  • Katherine Smith – Director, Employment and Benefits Division, Office of Economic Security, Colorado Department of Human Services

View the webinar at: https://youtu.be/KN-vDdqm_LU

Organized by Asaph Glosser (MEF Associates)
Sponsored by MEF Associates

May: Domestic Violence during COVID-19 – Voices from the Field

As a result of COVID-19, children and families are at higher risk of experiencing domestic violence. In this session, human service agencies and domestic violence experts provided an overview of the unique challenges facing low-income populations and strategies that providers can use to support families. NAWRS community members also learned about recent federal attention to domestic violence issues in light of COVID-19.
Rachel Orsinger – Family Violence Specialist, Family and Youth Services Bureau, Administration for Children & Families
  • Marium Durrani – Director of Policy, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
  • Samantha Hinchey – Domestic Violence Response Coordinator, Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence
  • Amanda Vazquez – Division Chief of Program Innovation, Texas Office of the Attorney General
Panelists provided NAWRS members with a set of resources for domestic violence and sexual assault programs, advocates, and survivors. See the list of resources by checking out the Resources page. 

View the webinar at: https://youtu.be/82t-YEJvISc

Organized by Asaph Glosser (MEF Associates)
Sponsored by Manhattan Strategy Group

July: The Family First Prevention Services Act: A Two-Part Series from Introduction to Implementation

Part One: An Overview of Family First Requirements

In Part One, federal staff and their contracting partner provided a high-level overview of the Family First legislation, with an emphasis on the Title IV-E Prevention Services Program, and an overview of the OPRE evidence review and the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. The session provided state administrators and evaluators with an understanding of what study designs and statistical analyses are required for future studies to meet the clearinghouse’s evidence review standards.

Panelists:

  • Dori Sneddon, Child Welfare Program Specialist, The Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families
  • Christine Fortunato, Senior Social Science Research Analyst, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families
  • Sandra Wilson, Principal Associate, Social & Economic Policy, Abt Associates
  • Lauren Antelo, Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives, Administration for Children and Families
  • Meg Dygert, Policy Associate, Child Welfare & Family Well-Being, APHSA

View the webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKQH0pExMzU

Organized by Lauren Antelo (Administration for Children and Families)
Sponsored by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and the Public Consulting Group

Part Two:  Moving to Application

In Part Two: Moving to Application, researchers from Chapin Hall discussed how states have approached the requirements for Kinship Navigation and Prevention Plans, including important decision points.  Representatives from Arkansas discussed how they approached the evaluation requirements in their approved prevention plan.  Representatives from Ohio discussed how their state approached the requirements for Kinship Navigation. 

Panelists:

  • Dori Sneddon, Child Welfare Program Specialist, The Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families
  • Christine Fortunato, Senior Social Science Research Analyst, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families
  • Lauren Antelo, Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives, Administration for Children and Families
  • Leanne Heaton, Senior Researcher, Chapin Hall
  • Latisha Young, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services
  • Veronica Burroughs, Project Manager, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services 
  • Sarah Kaye, Principal Investigator, Kaye Implementation and Evaluation
  • Meg Dygert, Policy Associate, Child Welfare & Family Well-Being, APHSA

View the webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuILhbagrT0&feature=youtu.be

Organized by Lauren Antelo (Administration for Children and Families)
Sponsored by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and the Public Consulting Group

August

August 20th: Serving SNAP Participants during COVID-19 – Voices from the Field

State SNAP administrators shared their experiences providing SNAP to individuals and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panelists:

  • Todd Trapp, Division of Family Support, Kentucky Department for Community Based Services
  • La Sherra Ayala, Deputy Executive Director of Operations, Maryland Department of Human Services
  • Alex Mayer, Program Administrator, Division of Economic Assistance, South Dakota Department of Social Services

Moderated by: Gretchen Rowe, Deputy Director for Nutrition Policy Research, Mathematica

Recording coming soon.

Organized by Elizabeth Brown (Mathematica)
Sponsored by Mathematica

August 31st: Machine Learning in Human Services Contexts

Machine learning and predictive analytics techniques represent a powerful but controversial tool for targeting and improving service delivery. The third webinar in the NAWRS virtual workshop series provided an overview of machine learning and predictive analytics techniques (and their drawbacks) and featured examples of how state and county agencies are using these techniques in their human services work.

Panelists:

  • Sung-Woo Cho, Global Lead for Digital Transformations, Abt Associates
  • Diana Barrett, Assistant Director, Research and Analysis, Indiana Department of Workforce Development
  • Carol Rogers, Co-Director and Chief Information Officer, Indiana Business Research Center
  • Ruby Richards, Deputy Director, Douglas County (Colorado) Human Services Department
Moderated by Hannah Betesh (Abt Associates)
 
 
Organized by Hannah Betesh (Abt Associates)
Sponsored by Abt Associates

October: Family Well-Being and Child Welfare Services Against the Backdrop of COVID-19

In the spring and summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought school closures and stay-at-home orders, followed by reports that calls to child maltreatment hotlines were decreasing dramatically. With less exposure to mandated reporters, children appeared to be less likely to be the subject of reports to the child welfare system. But have maltreatment dynamics changed? If so, how? And how are child welfare systems responding during this unprecedented time?

In this webinar, panelists shared research findings about maltreatment reports and substantiations, described how some systems have responded to changes brought on by the pandemic, and discussed the role of the child welfare system now and into the future.

Panelists:

  • Kerri Raissian – Associate Professor, University of Connecticut, Department of Public Policy
  • Kelley Fong – Assistant Professor, Georgia Tech, School of History and Sociology
  • Danielle Martin – Acting Director, Division of Continuous Quality Improvement, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Discussant:

Angela Green – Region V Administrator, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Moderated by:

Kate Stepleton – Senior Research Associate, MEF Associates

View the webinar at: https://youtu.be/_fIGxYgzLLM

Sponsored by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)

December: Cross-System Collaboration to Serve Justice-Involved Clients

Families accessing human services programs may also be involved with the criminal justice system. The seventh webinar in the NAWRS 2020 Virtual Workshop Series discussed how counties are leveraging collaborations between the justice system and other systems—such as the child welfare system and workforce development system—to better meet the needs of justice-involved families.

Panelists:

  • AshLee Smith, University of Minnesota
  • Edward Sajor, Ventura County Human Services Agency
  • Walter Jackson, Prince George’s County Child, Adult and Family Services Division
  • Kwabena Tuffour, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services

Moderator:

  • Hannah Betesh, Abt Associates

View the webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E9aQS8JMoM&feature=youtu.be

Panelists and audience members shared the following resources:

Organized by Elizabeth Brown (Mathematica) and Hannah Betesh (Abt Associates)
Sponsored by Abt Associates