Policy & Practice February 2015

association news

Joint Letter Requests Restoring TANF R&D Funds The National Association of State TANF Administrators (NASTA) and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) sent a series of joint letters to select members of Congress asking for the restoration of funding for research and demonstrations (R&D) under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The funding was authorized by the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and $15 million had been provided for TANF R&D each year since. However, for fiscal year 2015, the Congressional Budget Office determined that the $15 million was not included in what is known as the budget baseline, which means additional funding would be needed to cover the cost. As a result, the $15 million was not included in the continuing resolution that funded the govern- ment through December 11. As the joint NASTA–APHSA letter states, over the years, TANF R&D funding has provided “valuable information that states and localities have used to improve their TANF programs” and “as helpful as the funding has proved to be in the past, it is even more critical for the future as we navigate an increasingly complex programmatic and economic environment and seek fresh innovations and solutions for connecting low-income individuals to the workforce.” Congress restored the TANF R&D funding in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83), which was enacted in mid-December. The act transfers $15 million allocated for the TANF Contingency Fund to the research fund. The letter is posted on the NASTA web site at http://www. aphsa.org/content/dam/NASTA/PDF/APHSA-NASTA%20 TANF%20Research%20Funding%20Letter-Final%20House. pdf. NSDTA Awards and Scholarships for 2014 The National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA), an affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), presented awards to three individuals at its 2014 Professional Development Institute in Louisville, Ky., on October 15. Distinguished Service in Training Award This year’s award was presented to Anita P. Barbee, a professor and distinguished university scholar from Kent School of Social Work in Kentucky. Barbee was instrumental in assisting the state of New Hampshire’s training system in determining what levels of evaluation they utilized; developing a plan to implement all levels of evaluation; and move toward being able to evaluate the training programs’ impact on agency outcomes.

The primary goal was to implement a wholly integrated “System of Training and Organizational Development” that supported the agency’s practice model. With a request for technical assistance from the NRC for Organizational Improvement, a connection was formed with Barbee, who is the national expert in evaluating solution-based training and the impact it has in the field after implementation. She is also generally viewed as a national expert in training evaluation methods. New Hampshire’s success related to practice model implementation and training activities would not have been successful without Barbee’s tenacious work ethic, responsiveness to the agency’s needs, and her genuine engagement in the process of getting to better outcomes for children and families. President’s Career Achievement Award This award was given to Carolyn Ross, a beloved NSDTA board member, who passed away suddenly and unexpect- edly in 2014. The award was presented, in her honor, to her staff from the state of Oregon for her life-long career in public human services. Ross’ dedication and her community and professional contributions were very important to her and she worked tirelessly in her efforts to make Oregon a better place. Her efforts impacted hundreds of individuals over the span of her more than 28-year career at the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). Ross held many positions over the years, by working up the ladder to leader- ship roles in training, regional management in the areas of adult welfare, senior services, and services to people with disabilities. Her last post was as human resources director at DHS, the largest state agency in Oregon, which when she was hired, employed nearly 10,000 workers in more than 100 offices statewide. Her career is an impressive list of leadership roles and responsibilities and showed her dedication and commitment to organizational and staff development through myriad contributions to her profession. President’s Service Award Jane Norwood received the President’s Award, which is given to individuals who have contributed time, energy, and talents beyond measure to the health and well-being of NSDTA. The President’s Award, given at the sole discretion of the NSDTA president, is the only award for which a board member may be considered. Norwood has consistently performed her duties on the board to move the organization forward and has served as its representative at the president’s request at high-level meetings. She also has shown leadership by visiting future conference sites, developing programs, board notes, and helping to keep board members on task. Norwood has served a crucial role in communicating with members,

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