What's New
Announcements from OFA
Call for Proposals: The National Summit on the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Welfare, January 2009. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, will host a summit on the intersection of domestic violence and child welfare (co-occurrence) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on June 2-4, 2009. The summit, to be held a decade after the publishing of Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice (the Greenbook), is themed From Inspiration to Innovation: Leadership, Partnerships, and Change. All materials related to your proposal should be submitted in one email by 5 p.m. EST on January 19, 2009.
The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration offers a large number of Web resources to assist Americans with their employment-related needs. These tools provide solutions for job seekers, students, parents, and career counselors. These tools also have benefit for businesses, educators, workforce professionals, and economic developers.
You are encouraged to visit CareerOneStop -- the main "portal" site found at www.careeronestop.org -- for easy access to hundreds of resources. Here are just several:
- America’s Service Locator connects people to One-Stop Career Centers providing employment and training services. It provides maps and driving directions. ASL also contains information on more than 20,000 resources and offices across the United States.
- America’s Career InfoNet is an electronic storehouse of national, state, and local labor market data, and interactive career tools (including a Resource Library) that help people make informed career decisions.
- Career Voyages provides career and labor market information for high-growth and demand-driven jobs. The site includes videos as well as links to actual job descriptions and jobs in local community.
Telephone access is also available to all. A toll-free helpline (1-877-US2-JOBS, TTY-1-877-869-5627) provides callers with a full range of basic information about workforce program services for both workers and employers, as well as information about the locations of One-Stop Career Centers and other social service offices. Information is available in over 140 languages.
The Employment and Training Administration also has several valuable web resources for our professional colleagues who help our customers and clients. Among them:
- Workforce3One provides valuable online insight into the skills and competencies required today by business and industry through the workforce solutions identified by a wide range of strategic partners and grantees. Workforce3 One allows professionals within the workforce system, educators, business and industry, and others to share their innovative approaches, products, and tools, offering a current searchable database of 5,000+ learning modules with additional material added weekly. The site also offers dozens of Webinars a month -- simply find a topic of interest and participate "live" or through the archived version. You are encouraged to register (a very easy process) and take a look!
- Employment and Training Administration policy guidance and Federal funding opportunities are also routinely summarized on www.doleta.gov/usworkforce. The "Spotlight," "What’s New," and "Topics of Interest" sections offer frequent updates on what is happening across the nation’s decentralized workforce investment system. Announcements from HHS/ACF that have value for One-Stop Career Centers and local Workforce Investment Boards are often highlighted on this page.
Research and Resources from the Field
Reaching Those in Need: State Food Stamp Participation Rates in 2006, November 2008. This is a fact sheet on the State Food Stamp Participation Rates in 2006, which was authored by Mathematica Policy Research, sponsored through the United States Department of Agriculture. In 2006, around 67 percent of eligible people received Food Stamps nationwide, although this varies by State. Missouri had the highest rate at 98 percent of all eligible people receiving Food Stamps, and California had to lowest at 50 percent of all eligible people receiving Food Stamps.
ACF Marriage Curriculum Assessment Guide, December 2008. The goal of this Marriage Education Curriculum Assessment Guide, from the Administration for Children and Families, is to help organizations select a curriculum that is most appropriate for the couples and individuals of the target population. The process of completing the Curriculum Assessment Guide can aid organizations to effectively review and compare marriage education materials. The Guide offers a practical and easy-to-use review and assessment process.
Promoting Stable Employment and Wage Progression: Findings from the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Project, May 2008. This presentation was given as part of the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which is sponsored through the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. MDRC presented on the Employment Retention and Advancement Project, which is a national study of a wide variety of programs aiming to promote stable employment and/or wage progression among low-wage workers.
Telephone Care Management for Medicaid Recipients with Depression: A Randomized Control Trial, May 2008. This presentation was given as part of the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which is sponsored through the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. MDRC conducted this research to test how telephone care management can serve Medicaid recipients with depression. Clinical depression affects 17 million adults across the country, and the rate is higher among Medicaid recipients. After six months, it was found that there was no significant effect on average depression scores so far, and there were larger effects on treatment and depression for the Latino subgroup.
An Analysis of Barriers to Employment and Job Search Programs for Welfare Recipients: A Case Study, May 2008. From Princeton University, this presentation was given as part of the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which is sponsored through the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. The purpose of this study was to find out what caseworkers and clients view as main barriers to employment, analyze job search programs, and address administrative changes that could make job search programs more effective.