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Office of Human Services Policy (HSP)

The Office of Human Services Policy (HSP) strives to improve the well-being of children, youth, and families and break down silos across government. It does so by providing timely, actionable, cross-cutting policy analysis and research, and by leading cross-government coordination to address urgent human services challenges. The office works closely with federal, state, local, and private sector partners on issues including economic mobility and employment, child poverty and well-being, child welfare, family strengthening and fatherhood, early childhood education, youth development, community initiatives, child support, recidivism, and homelessness.

HSP advises the ASPE and other HHS leadership on human services policy matters. It leads and actively participates in interagency initiatives to align federal programming; conducts policy analysis and other research on human services and related issues; shares findings with and provides technical assistance to a diverse range of stakeholders; and coordinates development of HHS’s human services legislative proposals. HSP serves as a liaison with other agencies on broad economic matters and is the Department’s lead on poverty measurement.

The Office of Human Services Policy has three divisions:

  • The Division of Children and Youth Policy focuses on policies related to the well-being of children and youth, including early childhood education and child welfare, and leads the Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council and the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs.
  • The Division of Family and Community Policy covers policies to strengthen low-income families and communities and address barriers to economic mobility. The division leads the Interagency Council on Economic Mobility.
  • The Division of Data and Technical Analysis provides data analytic capacity for policy development through data collection activities, secondary data analysis, modeling, and cost analyses. The Division also issues annual updates to the poverty guidelines and reports to Congress on indicators of welfare dependence.

Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy: Jennifer Burnszynski(link sends email)

Reports

Displaying 271 - 280 of 965. 10 per page. Page 28.

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Housing Assistance and Supportive Services in Memphis

By: Lesley Freiman, Laura Harris, Amanda Mireles, Susan Popkin This brief provides an overview of the Housing Assistance and Supportive Services in Memphis project and presents all of the project findings. Three related technical appendices contain additional information on the focus group materials, project maps, and the assessment phase.
Literature Review

Children in Nonparental Care: A Review of the Literature and Analysis of Data Gaps

Typically, one or two parents and a child–along with any siblings–comprise a family, and the parents’ interactions with the child are a primary driver of the child’s development. Yet nearly 4 percent of U.S. children (nearly 3 million) live in homes with no parent present.

Children in Nonparental Care

Typically, one or two parents and a child – along with any siblings – comprise a family, and the parents’ interactions with the child are a primary driver of the child’s development. Yet nearly 4 percent of U.S. children (nearly 3 million) live in homes with no parent present.
Literature Review

State of the Science and Practice in Parenting Interventions across Childhood: Literature Review and Synthesis

In 2009 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funded a project designed to better understand how to support parents throughout children’s development in order to ultimately promote positive long-term outcomes; in particular, positive adolescent development and reductions in risky behavior.

In the Running for Successful Outcomes: Exploring the evidence for Thresholds of School Readiness Technical Report

This study represents a multi-method approach to examining the evidence for thresholds in the association between children's school readiness and subsequent academic, social and emotional outcomes, both within and across domains. In addition to a literature review, multiple analytical methods were applied to two national data sets to examine these issues.

In the Running for Successful Outcomes: Examining the Predictive Power of Children's School Readiness Skills

This research brief explores the relative strength of association between skills at school entry and later developmental outcomes both within and across domains of development. It highlights findings from a project aimed at providing an empirical exploration of differential prediction of outcomes in later elementary school from school entry skills considered individually and collectively.

Information on Research Supplemental Poverty Measure. A Summary of 2012 Current Population Survey Data

This ASPE Issue Brief provides information on the research Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) calculated by the Census Bureau. In 2011, 16.1 percent of the U.S. population was poor using the SPM, representing 49.7 million individuals. This compares to 15.1 percent of the U.S. population, or 46.6 million individuals, under the official measure.

Providing Medicaid to Youth Formerly in Foster Care under the Chafee Option

This report draws lessons from 30 states’ implementation of existing optional Medicaid coverage for youth who age out of foster care and applies them to decisions and plans states will consider as they implement new ACA coverage that goes into effect in 2014.