Sept 2013
Indiana Launches Commission on the Status of Children
With the creation of the Commission on the Status of Children, Indiana joins the ranks of over 20 states taking a new approach to serving young people. Senate Bill 125 created a multi-branch, cross-sector commission to study issues facing the state’s most vulnerable youth and improve the coordination of services.
“We are committed to improving the health, safety and well-being of Hoosier children, especially the most vulnerable. The Commission will promote greater coordination among agencies to ensure that effective services are available and accessible when the child needs them,” said Gov. Mike Pence.
The commission will be chaired by Indiana Supreme Court Justice Loretta H. Rush; it includes Republican and Democratic legislators, and representatives from the justice system as well as from state agencies. This short story explains more about why the commission was created.
August 2013
First Focus ReleasesChildren’s Budget 2013
How much of the federal budget is focused on kids? Less than eight percent, according to a new report by First Focus. Federal spending on young people has declined for three years in a row – the first time that’s happened since the bi-partisan advocacy organization began its annual analysis in 2008. Children’s Budget 2013 examines 180 federal investments in young people, from education and child abuse and neglect to affordable housing and social security.
The report was released as part of a briefing on Capitol Hill with Roberto Rodriguez of the Obama administration’s Domestic Policy Council and Mike Castle, former congressman and governor of Delaware. SparkAction offers a firsthand account of this event.
May 2013
Exploration of Social Impact Bonds Continues
New research on social impact bonds (SIBs) and related “pay for performance” models continues to pour in. For this reason, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco created a special issue of its journal, Community Development Investment Review, to focus on the subject. Articles of interest include “Making Performance-Based Contracting Work for Kids and Families”, written by two staff at Youth Village, and “Supporting At-Risk Youth: A Provider’s Perspective on Pay for Success” by Lili Elkins of Roca, Inc. Additionally, MDRC – a leader in how to improve programs and policies that affect low-income communities – proposes ways to move the conversation beyond cost-savings to innovation.
January 2012
Texas Sets Goals for Children and Families
Everything’s bigger in Texas. A new report from the Texas Council on Children and Families builds the case for improving family supports by setting out three big goals that are essential to the future of the entire state.
Those goals are strong families, healthy communities and successful youth. The council outlines a number of strategies to support these goals. For example, it’s shepherding the creation of a new cross-agency Web portal that enables seven state agencies to better serve families whose children have special needs. Additionally, the council reported on its work to pilot regional leadership councils on children and families.
In 2011, Forum staff facilitated a planning retreat during which they shared recommendations regarding the creation of local coordination councils and broader set of goals. Progress on both of these recommendations can be seen in the report.