Policy & Practice

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

APHSA conferences and major meetings in 2009.(Conference news)
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. August 16 . . .

A happy problem.(director's memo)
"A happy problem." That's the oxy moronic phrase my mother used to describe challenges arising from something that was generally positive, but fraught with complications. The recession that began in . . .

How we spend TANF money.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
There has been much media coverage on how state and local agencies have been using the stimulus money, especially regarding Temporary Assistance for Needy Family funds. We have seen mostly critical, . . .

Hope and change.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
It was inspiring to read Jerry Friedman's column in Policy & Practice (Hope and Change, December 2008) and his experience in bringing together diverse points of view for the betterment of those we a . . .

Child abuse and corruption Luzerne County.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
Jerry Friedman has written eloquently on these pages about the Luzerne County judges' scandal--in which two judges have entered guilty pleas for taking bribes from a contractor and operator of a for . . .

And ... Policy & Practice.(letters to the editor)
This is the best issue ever of Policy & Practice. Keep up with the good work. Kevin Concannon Former Director Department of Human Services Iowa I just want to say congratulations on anothe . . .

Serve not because of hard times, but in spite of hard times.(editor's note)
Lately there has been a slew of press reports, the overwhelming number of which were about how state public human service agencies are doing a lousy job in meeting their clients' needs. Mostly, thes . . .

The big question over the Luzerne County's scandal.(my turn)
The Luzerne County judges' scandal has many people around the country asking whether it is happening elsewhere. This is a complicated question. First, the combination of judges accepting bribes to . . .

Stimulus money boosts health clinics serving poor.(first things first)
Homeless teenagers at a central Colorado shelter are feeling the effect of the government's economic stimulus package. It's the feeling of a dentist's drill. The 20 runaway youths living at the Ur . . .

Data confirm low levels of employment participation for people with disabilities.(first things first)
A new study on people with disabilities confirms that people with disabilities are employed at much lower rates than those without disabilities, and people in each disability category are much less . . .

Family Preservation Network unveils Toolkit.(first things first)
The National Family Preservation Network has introduced the IFPS ToolKit, a comprehensive guide for establishing and strengthening Intensive Family Preservation Services. The year 2009 marks the 35t . . .

Strengthening policy: through IMS technology in health and human services.
There are reasonable arguments that technology, particularly its use in communication and information sharing, has latent negative consequences in contemporary society. Credible examples of these co . . .

Rethinking human service delivery: with a family focus.
Joe on Staten Island used it so his son would receive a nutritious lunch every day at school. Jill in the Bronx used it to discover that she qualifies for public health insurance. And the Jones fami . . .

Rethinking how technology helps and hurts those we serve.
Consider these: Examining information technology from the perspective of how it can enable and hinder the experiences citizens have when interacting with government. When is technology a barrier and . . .

Stimulus spending.(questions and answers)
P&P: What are the biggest opportunities and challenges for human service agencies as they implement the Recovery Act? Greenberg: In this recession, the nation's unemployment rate is already higher . . .

Washington update.
House and Senate Continue Work on Health Care Reform Both the House and Senate continue to develop their respective versions of a comprehensive health care bill. Despite earlier intentions to fini . . .

Employed persons.(numbers in the news)
* Employed persons worked an average of 7.6 hours on the days that they worked. They worked longer on weekdays than on weekend days--7.9 vs. 5.6 hours. On the days that they worked, employed men w . . .

Multiple jobholders.(numbers in the news)
* Multiple jobholders were almost twice as likely to work on an average weekend day as were single jobholders--59 vs. 31 percent. Multiple jobholders also were much more likely to work at home than . . .

Federal poverty level.(numbers in the news)
* In 2006, one out of every three families with children had incomes below twice the federal poverty level: $40,888 for a family with two adults and two children Even though low-income families wo . . .

Helping vets get their well-earned benefits.(health care)
Washington state's main social and health service agency is moving on two fronts to help veterans get the benefits they are due for their military service. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Over the past . . .

Health information technology: new tool for transformation.(health care)
In decades past, physicians only needed a handful of items in their black bags: a stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure cuff, reflex hammer, otoscope, prescription pad, and a handful of supplies . . .

Adobe helps Illinois DHS embrace forms automation.(business news)
As governments work to meet constituent demands, adopting well-designed, automated forms processes is key to better engaging citizens and improving services. These days at the Illinois Department of . . .

ACS helps Oklahoma agency in award-winning effort to help citizens.(business news)
DALLAS -- Some elderly and disabled residents in Oklahoma now have access to cash benefits that they may not have known existed, courtesy of an award-winning effort by the state's Department of Huma . . .

Accenture and Avanade named Microsoft's Enterprise Alliance Partner of the Year.(business news)
NEWYORK -- Accenture and Avanade have been named the 2009 Enterprise Alliance Partner of the Year by Microsoft, as well as recognized as finalists for the Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Systems . . .

PSI to operate Kansas' HealthWave insurance program.(business news)
DENVER -- The Policy Studies Institute announced that today it has contracted with the Kansas Health Policy Authority to operate the state's HealthWave Clearinghouse. The HealthWave program blends t . . .

Deloitte completes BearingPoint Public Services assets acquisition.(business news)(Deloitte Consulting L.L.P.)(Brief article)
NEWYORK -- Deloitte LLP announced that it has closed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of BearingPoint's North American Public Services practice out of bankruptcy for total consider . . .

Maximus notified of tentative award from the Texas agency.(business news)(Brief article)
RESTON, Va. -- Maximus said in early June it has received notification of a tentative award from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to provide services for the state's Children's Health . . .

A one-stop shop for service delivery.(the field works)
Jobs are scarce. Housing costs are on the rise. Food expenses continue to mount. And millions of Americans remain uninsured. In recognition of this crisis, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act . . .

Delaware Children's Department joins Twitter.(state and local news)
WILMINGTON, Del. -- The Delaware Children's Department is now on Twitter (http://twitter.com/DelKids). The department will post "tweets" about upcoming events and news, recognition months (such as C . . .

Kansas collaboration to improve domestic violence and sexual assault services.(state and local news)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- To improve collaboration and communication between the state of New Mexico and its domestic violence partners, the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and the Kansa . . .

Washington state helps disabled with DeafBlind Communicator.(state and local news)
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A telecommunication device is making a profound impact on the lives of deaf-blind people, thanks largely to the efforts of the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, part of the Depar . . .

Tennessee to increase inspections of child care transportation providers.(state and local news)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Child care providers across Tennessee who transport children are facing increased inspections again this summer. The Tennessee Department of Human Services is cracking down with . . .

Fixing what's broken: a rational model for funding state IT.(technology speaks)(information technology)
The accelerating pace of technology-driven innovation fuels rising citizen expectations. Yet the fragmented delivery of government services appears to be antiquated when compared to other industries . . .

Moving from in-line to on-line-citizen-driven self service.(technology speaks)
After Hurricane Gustav tore through the Louisiana and surrounding coastal regions, a record-breaking 2 million people received disaster food stamps, drastically increasing the number of previous rec . . .

Let's get the story out to the field.(communications corner)
The calls keep coming. Over the last several months, state public welfare and social service agencies have received a steady stream of inquiries from the media about what's going on in our offices. . . .

Public Welfare Attorneys to meet with agency CEOs.(affiliates' corner)(chief executive officers)(Brief article)
The American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys is holding its annual conference in Portland, Ore., in conjunction with the APHSA CEO/Policy Council meeting. Joint plenary sessions are being pl . . .

Implementing Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act.(affiliates' corner)
Staff of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators has been working diligently over the past several months to capture information on how states are implementing the Fostering . . .

Child care administrators track policy developments.(affiliates' corner)
The National Association of State Child Care Administrators has been staying abreast of federal policy developments that would directly affect the Child Care and Development Fund and other related e . . .

Reducing fraud and abuse.(affiliates' corner)
One of the most discussed items in the health care reform debate has been reducing fraud and abuse in the Medicaid Program. The Senate Special Aging Committee conducted a hearing on Medicare and Med . . .

42nd annual ISM conference to open on Aug. 30.(affiliates' corner)(Conference news)
All things are ready for the 42nd annual ISM Conference, which will be held at the Chicago Marriott Downtown on the Magnificent Mile from Aug. 30 through Sept. 2. The theme of the conference is "Win . . .

The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute.(affiliates' corner)
Funded for five years on Oct. 1, 2008, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Children's Bureau, the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute is a partnership among eight universities (univ . . .

How to write a proposal.(making things happen)
Government contracting is a vast marketplace for private-sector companies, exceeding over $400 billion a year in the United States. The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 . . .

California school's focus on public welfare.(academic corner)
Summer institutes at the University of California, Davis, bring people to campus for weeklong programs on new developments, best practices and the latest ideas about effective delivery of services. . . .

Staff spotlight.
Name ... Rick Fenton Time at APHSA ... Seven months Title ... Deputy Director, National Association of State Medicaid Directors [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Place of Birth ... Cleveland . . .

Mayra Lopez.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
In Puerto Rico, Mayra Lopez has replaced Carmen Nazario, former administrator for children and families. Nazario has been nominated as assistant secretary for Children and Families at the Administra . . .

David A Hansell.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
Also announced for an ACF post by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is David A. Hansell, commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, wh . . .

Joan Lombardi.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
Meanwhile, Joan Lombardi has been appointed as deputy assistant secretary and inter-departmental liaison for early childhood development. Lombardi served at the ACF during the 1990s as deputy assist . . .

Shannon Rudisill.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
Shannon Rudisill has been named associate commissioner for the Child Care Bureau and will start on June 22. Rudisill has served as director of the Division of Technical Assistance in the Child Care . . .

Bryan H. Samuels.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
Bryan H. Samuels, director of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, has been named secretary for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. The Administration on Children, Yo . . .

Mary Wakefield.(newsmakers)(Brief article)
Mary Wakefield was named administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration in February. HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She joined HRSA from th . . .