Policy & Practice articles from December 2007

Policy & Practice archives from December 2007

APHSA conferences and major meetings in 2008.(American Public Human Services Association)(Brief article)(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... Information about upcoming conferences and meetings is posted, once available, on the APHSA web site at www.aphsa.org. Click on "Conferences and Events" on the home page. Please join us. March 13-15 National Association of Public Child...

From tragedy to action.(director's memo)
December 1, 2007... No man is an island, entire of itself... Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. --JOHN DONNE [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I think...

Your industry bible.(editor's note)(Editorial)
December 1, 2007... As the year draws to a close, we would like to take stock of our accomplishments and setbacks. As an organization, APHSA has gone through--and is going through--much change, with an unusual number of staff members taking opportunities to move...

An opportunity to cure.(my turn)
December 1, 2007... Today's environment for health and human services presents significant challenges and opportunities. Every day we see tremendous advances within health care, yet the number of those unable to access basic medical care continues to grow. We live...

Caring for foster youth past age 18 improves their transition to adulthood.(first things first)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Foster youth allowed to remain in care past age 18 are more likely to go to college, according to a study released in December by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. The study, the most comprehensive examination of...

Anti-hunger groups want Congress to pass new farm bill.(first things first)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Hunger-relief workers are urging Congress to quickly pass a new farm bill with robust funding for federal nutrition programs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two programs in the bill, food stamps and emergency assistance for food banks, help...

CBO: Medicare and Medicaid spending growth unsustainable.(first things first)(Congressional Budget Office)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Medicare and Medicaid spending would, if unaddressed, continue to grow faster than the economy over the next 75 years, but don't blame it all on the baby boomers. Instead, look at the way physicians and hospitals are paid and how technology and...

Maryland takes initial step to shrink ranks of uninsured.(first things first)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... A Medicaid bill that Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed into law in November to extend health coverage to an estimated 140,000 people puts Maryland among a growing group of states attempting to chip away at their soaring numbers of uninsured. ...

Nanette Relave.(staff spotlight)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Name... Nanette Relave Time at APHSA... Seven months [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Title... Director, Center for Workers with Disabilities Place of Birth... Dayton, Ohio A Typical Day Starts With... ...

The legacy that you can pass along: all of us are creating legacies every day. It is good to be able to step back now and again to consider what we have been bequeathed, and by whom, and what we, in turn, are passing along to others.
December 1, 2007... I am retiring after 37 years in state and local government service and feel exceedingly lucky to have been bequeathed a number of legacies that have stood me in good stead in different organizations and different positions. I like to think I...

Legacy in terms of tradition and principles.
December 1, 2007... The issue of legacy must be divided into two parts: the tradition we are trying to establish and the principles we are promoting. These should not be confused with programs and policies that can change with new directors and new governors. We...

Vision to lead, skills to make changes.
December 1, 2007... A fairly daunting prospect to think about, never mind write about, particularly since it has tinges of "ancient" and "old" or, as the dictionary says, "anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor." So, while I was...

The six commandments to leave behind.
December 1, 2007... I rather hate the word legacy because it sounds so final, but as I'm just ending 24 years of public work in my 33-year (and counting) career, it is worth thinking about some things I learned, some I intended and some I believe I've left behind....

Legacy through the eyes of others.
December 1, 2007... Before I came to Casey, I was the director of Children and Family Services for Los Angeles County. Los Angeles is a large and politically complex community, and any conversation about the Department of Children and Family services begins...

Learning from Ben.(LEAVING A LEGACY)(Benjamin Franklin)
December 1, 2007... I work in Washington D.C., which is sort of a Hall of Fame for many who have, through personal skill and sacrifice, left a legacy for future generations. I still get goose bumps whenever I drive through the city and see the limestone and...

Legal notes.
December 1, 2007... Reasonable efforts. The term became a part of child welfare culture as a result of the Adoption Assistance Act of 1980. It has largely been used as a part of a conversation and functional practice. It is taking on new meaning and should cause...

Campaign aims to reduce unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults.(focus)
December 1, 2007... Teen pregnancy is closely linked to many other social issues--poverty and income, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, responsible fatherhood, health issues, education, child welfare and other risky behavior. Like teen...

Technology advances child care system.(technology speaks)
December 1, 2007... Pennsylvania's vision was to end its two-door system for the Child Care Works subsidized child care program in which families participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance program gained access to services through...

North Dakota gets Innovations award.(state and local news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Bismarck, N.D. -- The Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments honored North Dakota's Parental Responsibility Initiative for the Development of Employment program with the 2007 Innovations award, which recognizes...

Oregon to hold hearings on foster kids and psychiatric drugs.(state and local news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... PORTLAND, Ore. -- The state legislature will hold hearings in February on the use of psychiatric drugs given to foster children in Oregon. During one 12-month period, nearly 30 percent of the children in foster care received drugs such as...

Virginia's child support program wins national honor.(state and local news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... RICHMOND, Va. -- The Council of State Governments has given Virginia's Division of Child Support Enforcement the Innovation Award for the Southern Region for its Cell Phone Initiative, which collected more than $608 million in child support in...

New Wisconsin department will help families, children.(state and local news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle has named a former child welfare worker and foster parent to head the newly created Department of Children and Families. Reggie Bicha, 38, of Eau Claire, is a division administrator at the Department of...

ISM Executive Committee meets.(affiliates' corner)(Institute for Supply Management)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The ISM Executive Committee met recently in Reston, Va., to start the planning process for the 41st Annual ISM Conference, to be held in San Francisco from Aug. 24-27, 2008. The 2007 ISM conference, held in Cambridge, Mass., was an unqualified...

News from NASTA.(affiliates' corner)(National Association of State TANF Administrators )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Representatives from the National Association of State TANF Administrators are leading a rigorous effort to challenge the state TANF improper payment audits being conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the...

NASCCA Annual Meeting held in Rhode Island.(affiliates' corner)(National Association of State Child Care Administrators )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Members of the National Association of State Child Care Administrators came together for their 2007 Annual Meeting with a wide of array of policy and practice issues to discuss. On Oct. 25-26, the group met in conjunction with the National...

NASMD holds fall conference.(affiliates' corner)(National Association of State Medicaid Directors )(Conference news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The National Association of State Medicaid Directors held its fall meeting in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 12-15, with more than 700 attendees and 48 state Medicaid directors and four Territories directors in attendance. Among the featured plenary...

Organizational effectiveness: evolution of training.(the field works)
December 1, 2007... The quest for effectiveness is centuries old. Plato wrote about the correlation of system processes around 300 A.D. and spoke of "what we put into something" should reflect "what we get out of it." Peter Drucker, a more recent thought leader,...

Tommy G. Thompson has been elected to the Board of Directors of Harmony Information Systems Inc.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Tommy G. Thompson, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and governor of Wisconsin, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Harmony Information Systems Inc., a provider of software solutions and consulting...

Oregon Department of Human Services' Children, Adult and Families Division.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Bryan Johnston is the interim director of the Oregon Department of Human Services' Children, Adult and Families Division since the retirement of former Director Ramona Foley.

Vincent Colonno has been named director of the Albany (N.Y.) County Department of Social Services.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Vincent Colonno has been named director of the Albany (N.Y.) County Department of Social Services, succeeding Elizabeth Berlin, who left to work for the governor. Colonno has been commissioner of the county Department for Aging since 2000.

James Edge has been named assistant director for the Division of Medical Assistance Programs at Oregon's Department of Human Services.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... James Edge has been named assistant director for the Division of Medical Assistance Programs at Oregon's Department of Human Services. He has served as interim State Medicaid Director since March.

Colorado Division of Child Welfare Services.(newsmakers)
December 1, 2007... Jim Snyder is acting director at the Colorado Division of Child Welfare Services, replacing Ted Trujillo.

Massachusetts Department of Social Services.(newsmakers)
December 1, 2007... Angelo McClain is the new commissioner in the Massachusetts Department of Social Services.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.(newsmakers)
December 1, 2007... Dempsey Benton is secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Ohio Office for Children and Families.(newsmakers)
December 1, 2007... Sandra Holt is deputy director of the Ohio Office for Children and Families, replacing Thomas Roelant.

Say what?(newsmakers)
December 1, 2007... I've received a variety of queries, along with examples of jargoneering social service bureaucrats, this time around. Perhaps we should first remind ourselves that human service agencies are often far from the worst offenders. Consider this gem...

Hope Matters: The Untold Story of How Faith Works in America.(Book review)
December 1, 2007... Hope Matters: The Untold Story of How Faith Works in America By John Calhoun/Bartleby Press/hard cover/238 pages/ First Edition/ISBN 978-0-910155-72-4/$23.50 There are so many ways that one can be touched by the incredible storytelling...

Immigrant integration in low-income urban neighborhoods.(noted studies)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The paper explores the financial well-being and economic integration of immigrant groups compared with native-born minorities and whites in vulnerable urban neighborhoods. Among the main findings from the analysis is that immigrants and native...

Study of Healthy Kids programs finds dramatic gains in well-being of children and families.(noted studies)(Report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... This study presents highlights from rigorous, independent evaluations of the Healthy Kids programs in three California counties--Los Angeles, San Mateo and Santa Clara. The three programs provide children with comprehensive health insurance...

Professor presents Disability report in Washington.(noted studies)(Andrew Houtenville )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Despite accounting for many ethnic, age and gender groups, the U.S. Census Bureau's data on the current population fail to include statistics regarding the disabled population, according to researchers at Cornell University. Professor...

Principles for immigration reform.(noted studies)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The U.S. immigration system is in need of fundamental reform, according to a report by the Center for American Progress. According to the report's authors, a series of piecemeal initiatives at the local, state and federal levels have sought...

Title I and early childhood programs: a look at investments in the NCLB era.(noted studies)(No Child Left Behind Act )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... This paper explores the wide range of ways in which school districts are using funds from Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act for early education through kindergarten and examines how implementation of the NCLB has affected those...

Child welfare reviews need clear, open communications strategy.(communications corner)
December 1, 2007... The key to a successful communications strategy for the federal Child and Family Services Review is to focus on continuous improvement. Improving the state's system and outcomes for children and families in crisis is, after all, the reason for...

Pennsylvania blazes a trail in early childhood systems collaboration.(making things happen)
December 1, 2007... In May 2007, Speaker Nancy Pelosi convened the National Summit on America's Children on Capitol Hill to bring national focus to early developmental needs and issues among children from birth to age 5. A panel of experts drawn from diverse...

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The number of adolescents using marijuana on an average day vastly exceeds half the number of all students registered in New York City schools. On an average day, nearly 1.2 million teenagers smoked cigarettes, 631,000 drank alcohol, and...

The Urban Institute.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Despite the recent housing market slowdown, home prices and rents remain out of reach for many Washington-area residents, especially those with physical and mental disabilities, elderly people who can no longer live independently, and the...

The Urban Institute.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... While Congress and the administration debate the future of the 11-12 million unauthorized immigrants, it is easy to overlook the more than 5 million children in families with unauthorized parents. Two-thirds of these children are U.S.-born...

Child Trends.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The percentage of all children under age 18 with private health insurance coverage decreased from 71 percent in 2000 to 65 percent in 2005. During the same time period, the percentage of children with Medicaid increased from 20 percent to...

Child Trends.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Among custodial parents with a child support award, the percentage who received a full payment of all support owed them in the previous year increased from 37 percent in 1994 to 46 percent in 1998, and was 45 percent in 2003. In 2002, over...

National Indian Child Welfare Association and Kids Are Waiting.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Washington and Idaho are among the 10 states with the greatest over-representation of Native American children in foster care. While Native Americans represent 1 percent of Idaho's child population, they make up 6.6 percent of children placed...

U.S. Government Accountability Office.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Nationally, blacks make up about 15 percent of the childhood population, yet account for 34 percent of children in foster care. Black children on average stay in foster care 9 months longer than white children -- U.S. Government Accountability...

Our do'ers profile.
December 1, 2007... In Our Do'ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Bob Butterworth, former Florida attorney general and current secretary of the Florida Department of Children and...