Policy & Practice articles from June 2008

Policy & Practice archives from June 2008

Retreat, a wonderful way to move forward.(director's memo.)(Personal account)
June 1, 2008... There is an old adage that if you ride the tiger, you can never dismount. Given the daily pressures faced by the nation's human service leaders, sometimes it is important to dismount from the interruptions of normal workday activities in order...

Editor's note.(Editorial)
June 1, 2008... Amid the worsening state of the nation's economic and housing crisis, skyrocketing fuel costs and rising food prices, we are mindful that public human service professionals provide a beacon of hope and a sense of stability for our nation's...

Get our priorities straight with foster children.(my turn)
June 1, 2008... My wife and I are very proud of our three children. They are young adults, college-educated and gainfully employed-not "kids" but they certainly still need us on occasion. So, how does one explain to a young person in the foster care system,...

Building to honor former APHSA chief bill Waldman.(first things first)(American Public Human Services Association)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Bill Waldman, former executive director of the American Public Human Services Association, will be honored in a building dedication ceremony by the New Jersey Community Development Corporation. Waldman is a former N.J. human service...

Evaluation confirms Reality Tour's beneficial role for youth.(first things first)(Candle Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... An evaluation study of the Reality Tour, a project of Candle Inc., suggests that the Butler, Pa., group shows promise as a drug and alcohol awareness and education program. According to the study by The National Registry of Evidence-Based...

Low-income workers hit hardest by economic decline.(first things first)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... For the fourth consecutive month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in May that U.S. employers eliminated jobs from their payrolls. In addition, the number of unemployed people who had lost permanent jobs reached 2.1 million, nearly half a...

First Star grades states on child death information release policies.(first things first)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... On April 29, First Star, a national advocacy organization, released a report, State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S. The report is based on state disclosure policies surrounding child abuse and neglect fatalities or near fatalities that...

SAMHSA announces availability of new Drug-Free Workplace Kit.(first things first)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has developed a Drug-Free Workplace Kit. The kit provides public and private workplaces with practical information, resources and tools for producing and maintaining drug-free...

CMS releases letter clarifying 2007 'crowd-out' policy.(first things first)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... On May 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a State Health Official letter clarifying the previous "crowd-out" letter sent on Aug. 17, 2007. The letter indicates that states can use data from Medicaid, the State Children's...

United States at threshold of dramatic demographic shift.(first things first)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The United States is nearing the start of a tremendous demographic shift. Beginning in 2011, the first of 78 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) will start the transition to retirement, kicking off an expansion in the...

staff spotlight.(first things first)(Ngozi Onunaku)(Interview)
June 1, 2008... Name... Ngozi Onunaku Time at APHSA... Six months Title... Program Associate with APHSA's NAPCWA affiliate Place of Birth... Washington, D.C. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Typical Day Starts With... ...

Violence against workers: a shortcoming in public human services.
June 1, 2008... It was just another day doing her job helping children. Little did Boni Frederick know that this would be her last day on earth. On the afternoon of Oct. 16, 2006, while overseeing a home visit between a mother and her infant, Boni was beaten...

Human service worker safety; a view from the top.
June 1, 2008... We all see our share of crises as state commissioners, Cabinet secretaries and county social service directors. We face challenges ("911's") ranging from child fatalities to day-today opportunities ("411's") that consume our time and...

'My wife should not have been killed.(Matt Zenner)
June 1, 2008... In August 2004, a Kansas mental health worker made a home visit to one of her clients. During what would have been a normal visit, this worker was killed by the young man. The pain and suffering for her family was and remains deep and...

Words from the field.
June 1, 2008... It has been almost 20 years since the first "field" day of my graduate school internship in child welfare. I was working toward my master of social work degree and my one distinct memory of that day is of my supervisor, after giving me my...

Fallen heroes of public human services.
June 1, 2008... APHSA would like to serve as the custodian of information of public human service wokers who die in the line of duty. Please contact Frank Solomon at fsolomon@aphsa.org if you have such information 1964 MISSISSIPPI Michael Schwerner...

2008 Spring conference.(APHSA-NAPCWA)(Photograph)
June 1, 2008... Washington, D.C. Bruce Goldberg (second from right), director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, and Jerry Friedman, APHSA executive director, talk to Richard Nathan of the Rockfeller Institute of Government [ILLUSTRATION...

Shared parenting is better than sole custody.(legal notes)
June 1, 2008... The headlines tell it all: a father shoots his three children, his ex-wife, then kills himself in the middle of a custody dispute; a mother drowns her children by driving them in a car into a lake; a father kills his three children, then tries...

Federalism is good for you.(focus)
June 1, 2008... No matter who wins the presidential election, state and local governments will be crucial actors in human services. While policy and politics in Washington are dominated by foreign affairs, we're fortunate to have a vibrant federal system that...

The big apple gets connected.(technology speaks)(New York, New York's Health and Human Services-Connect Roadmap)
June 1, 2008... Old Blue Eyes once sang, "New York, New York, a wonderful town." Soon it will be even more wonderful for those in need of the wide range of health and human services that the city offers. Currently these services are delivered by nine agencies...

Food Stamp Program reauthorization becomes law.(Washington update)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... After numerous delays, extensions of prior law, and a presidential veto that was overridden, the farm bill (H.R. 2419) finally became law in late May. The legislation contains reauthorization of the Food Stamp Program and includes a number of...

Medicaid regulations moratorium faces veto threat.(Washington update)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... At press time, the House had approved a moratorium that would halt implementation of seven Medicaid program regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The moratorium, which APHSA and its affiliate, the National...

APHSA presents at the National Pathways to Adulthood Conference.(Washington update)(American Public Human Services Association)(Conference news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... On May 15, APHSA hosted a session titled "State Solutions to Support Youth in Transition" at the National Pathways to Adulthood Conference in Pittsburgh. This annual event is sponsored by a host of organizations and spearheaded by the...

University helps overhaul Alabama Human Resources.(State and local news)(University of Alabama at Birmingham)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A partnership between the Alabama's Department of Human Resources and the University of Alabama at Birmingham is expected to bring much-needed oversight to the way DHR contracts with mental health professionals, and will...

Florida program helps families remain intact.(State and local news)(Neighborhood Partnership)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... MIAMI - The Neighborhood Partnership program, a small Liberty City agency at the Belafonte Tacolcy Center - a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people-is working to keep families together by dismantling negative perceptions about inner-city...

Maryland revamps dental care for children.(State and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland children have a new reason to smile. The General Assembly has approved sweeping legislation to overhaul the state's Medicaid dental health system. Despite a sluggish economy, lawmakers voted to include millions of...

N.J. Child welfare agency praised for progress.(State and local news)(New Jersey)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... TRENTON, N.J. - The state's once-troubled child welfare agency made "significant progress" on a broad reform plan last year, according to a federal monitor's report. But the monitor said the improvements were at a fragile stage and could...

Cuts in Medicaid may mean billion-dollar loss to New York for training doctors.(State and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's public and private hospitals stand to lose more than $1 billion in state and federal funds for training doctors because of changes to the Medicaid program backed by the Bush administration, according to an analysis by...

American Indians in Oklahoma exceed most in science and math.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... OKLAHOMA CITY - American Indian students in Oklahoma are outperforming their counterparts in nearly every other state in reading and math, according to a report released in May. The National Indian Education Study, conducted by the U.S....

Pennsylvania welfare officials object to 'F' on child-abuse report.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania public welfare officials are disputing a report that says the state fails to release adequate information about fatal and life-threatening cases of child abuse and neglect. The state was among 10 given...

800 workers punished for abusing disabled in Texas since '04.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... DALLAS - More than 800 employees were suspended or fired for abusing mentally and developmentally disabled people at 13 state institutions in the past four years, officials said Tuesday. The Department of Aging and Disability Services...

Washington revamps 'flawed' office to help black children in welfare system.(state and local news)(Office of African-American Children's Services)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Office of African-American Children's Services, once considered a national model in the way it tried to address the high number of black kids in the child welfare system, has officially closed. In its place is a new...

Public welfare attorneys' September conference.(affiliates' corner)
June 1, 2008... Planning is under way for the 41st Annual National Training and Continuing Education Conference of the AAPWA, which will be held in Minneapolis on Sept. 21-24, 2008. The conference will be located at the Hyatt Regency on Nicollet Mall, within...

IT solutions management for human services releases 'ISM NEWS'.(affiliates' corner)(information technology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... One of the ISM goals for this year is to keep its membership more engaged during the time between its annual conferences. Toward that end, ISM released its first electronic newsletter in April titled "ISM NEWS" to all of its membership. It...

National Association of State Medicaid Directors to get new director.(affiliates' corner)(Ann Kohler)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Ann Kohler, deputy commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, will lead the National Association of State Medicaid Directors, an affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association. She will begin her duties as the...

The future of social services.(the field works)
June 1, 2008... The ongoing debate on the future of social policy is dominated by discussion of devolution and privatization. Yet the discourse of devolution and privatization masks the extent to which the federal government has emerged in recent years as more...

Say what?
June 1, 2008... Lawyers love to lay it on. A friend in the federal government showed me a lawsuit settlement document drafted by a young legal scribe in which the federal agency was called on to "concur, assent and stipulate" when a simple "agree" would do....

Child welfare in the legal setting.(Book review)
June 1, 2008... This is a revolutionary study of the child welfare system for practitioners, educators and students interested in public child welfare work. The book examines standardization of the organizational activities of child welfare systems and how...

Textbook of social administration: the consumer-centered approach.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... This classroom resource is a how-to guide to developing the management abilities needed to maintain an effective client-centered approach by using a social program framework that uses information, personnel and additional resources to support...

Kevin Concannon.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Kevin Concannon has retired effective the end of June from the Iowa Department of Human Services. Concannon has 42 years of experience in human services, including heading agencies in Oregon and Maine. During his five years as director,...

Adelita Orefice.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Adelita Orefice has been named deputy secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services. She replaced Jane Hayward, who was secretary.

Eileen Crummy.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Eileen Crummy is the acting commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. She replaced Kevin Ryan.

Pierre Vigilance.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Pierre Vigilance is the acting director of the District of Columbia Department of Health. He replaced Carlos Cano.

David Maxwell-Jolly.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... David Maxwell-Jolly has been named director of the California Department of Child Support Services. He replaced Greta Wallace. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Karen Timberlake.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Karen Timberlake is now secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. She replaced Kevin Hayden.

Julie Mogavero.(newsmakers)(Hocking County Children's Services)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Julie Mogavero, executive director of Hocking County (Ohio) Children's Services, retired in May after having served in that capacity for the past 26 years. She began working for Hocking County Children Services in 1972 as a caseworker....

Elliott Robinson.(newsmakers)(Hocking County Children's Services)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Elliott Robinson, director of social services at the Monterey (Calif.) County Department of Social and Employment Services, now serves on the National Policy Council of the American Public Human Services Association.

Patricia Wilson.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Patricia Wilson is the new commissioner at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services. She replaced Mark Washington.

Susan Loew.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Susan Loew is the director of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services in California. She replaced Dennis Boyle.

Alan Levine.(newsmakers)
June 1, 2008... Alan Levine is the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; he replaced Frederick Cerise.

Karleen Jackson.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Karleen Jackson, Alaska commissioner of health and social services, resigned in May. She has been with the department since 2003, when she became deputy HSS commissioner in the Murkowski administration.

Of false titles and writing peculiarities.(words on words)
June 1, 2008... If you are a neophyte in writing, you probably want to learn to write the way the old pros do. And if you are an old pro, you might want to test your performance. Here is the lesson: Journalistic writing, like business writing and academic...

PIO affiliate will help CEO mission and department bottom line.(Communications corner)(public information officer, chief executive officers)
June 1, 2008... Most chief executive officers agree that a key component to achieving their organizational goals is a strong public relations team, or in the case of public service, a good public information officer. A seasoned PIO is an instrument in shaping...

CLASP releases publication on reducing poverty.(noted studies)(Center for Law and Social Policy, Seizing the Moment: State Governments and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... By the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity "Seizing the Moment: State Governments and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America." This joint report discusses the efforts 15 states have taken...

Report on Florida Food Stamp Modernization effort.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture This FNS report, "Modernization of the Food Stamp Program in Florida," provides a comprehensive description of Florida's modernization effort (Automated Community Connection to...

Adopted youth more likely to have mental disorders.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... They're twice as likely as nonadopted peers to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or oppositional defiant disorder, according to a study of adolescents adopted as babies. Adolescents who were adopted as infants are significantly...

Building on the promise: state initiatives to expand access to early head start for young children and their families.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... This report examines actions states have taken to enhance Early Head Start. Less than 3 percent of babies and toddlers who are eligible for EHS are reached at current federal funding levels. Twenty states use at least one of four main...

Using media to promote adolescent well-being.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Adolescent media use has exploded. Parents are worried that teens are drowning in messages about sex, smoking, drinking, consumer goods and a host of other behaviors and products that threaten their health and well-being. This brief advocates...

How much does the federal government spend to promote economic mobility and for whom?(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... This report tallies all federal spending and tax subsidies aimed at promoting the economic mobility of Americans for 1980, 2006 and 2012. This first effort at defining a mobility budget - $746 billion in 2006 - reaches two major conclusions: 1)...

Arizona's experience in continuous improvement.(making things happen)
June 1, 2008... Over the past 15 years, Arizona has been on a performance roller coaster of highs and lows regarding Food Stamp Program accuracy. In 1996, the Food and Nutrition Service levied a hefty penalty for substandard performance during the prior three...

U.S. Census Bureau.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Monthly child support payments averaged $425 in 2005 in the United States. Across the nation, nearly 8 million people provided $43 billion in monetary support to people living in other households in 2005. Seventy-three percent of support...

Center for Labor Market Studies.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... In April 2008, the percentage of the nation's 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed was about half a percentage point lower than it was in April 2007-Center for Labor Market Studies

Congressional Budget Office.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... As of January 2008, 27.7 million people were receiving food stamp benefits, up 5 percent from a year ago. More than 28 million people are expected to receive benefits this year, the most in the Food Stamp Program's history, and 14 states...

Bureau of Labor Statistics.(numbers in the news)
June 1, 2008... In April 2008, nearly 18 percent of unemployed workers had been out of work for more than six months-Bureau of Labor Statistics

Government Accountability Office.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Only about two out of five unemployed individuals receive unemployment insurance benefits. Low-wage workers are twice as likely to be unemployed as high-wage workers, yet they are half as likely to receive unemployment insurance...

American Cancer Society.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... For Americans with less than a high-school education, the risk of dying prematurely is on the increase, rising most quickly for white women in that category. In contrast, the risk of premature death among college graduates is falling, fastest...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... An estimated 905,000 children in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect in fiscal year 2006-National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System of the Children's Bureau,...

U.S. Census Bureau.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Although participation in government assistance programs has risen in recent years among mothers with a birth in the last year, it is much lower than when welfare reform was enacted in 1996. Overall, 7.5 million mothers of child-bearing age...

U.S. Census Bureau.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The nation's Hispanic population increased 1.4 million to reach 45.5 million on July 1, 2007, or 15.1 percent of the estimated total U.S. population of 301.6 million. Hispanics remained the largest minority group, with blacks (single race...

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... About one-fourth of all drivers in some states drove under the influence of alcohol in 2007. Six to 7 percent of adults in several states and the District of Columbia drove under the influence of illicit drugs at least once in the past year ...

In our doers profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Jennifer Velez, commissioner of the New Jersey department of human services.(our do'ers profile>)(Interview)
June 1, 2008... Name: Jennifer Velez Title: Commissioner Years of Service: One year as commissioner of DHS; 10 years in state government Rewards of the Job: The opportunity to effect change; to be a part of something bigger than any...