Julie Collins, CWLA Vice President, Practice Excellence and Marcus Stallworth, CWLA Director, Training and Implementation will be presenting the workshop, COVID-19 and Its Impact on Mental Health for Populations Who are Vulnerable at Relias’ Impact Nation 2021 conference on September 21. They will discuss the many ways the COVID-19 pandemic impacted children’s social and emotional well-being, explore some of the challenges contributing to the breakdown of individual mental health, access to resources, and service delivery. They also will share observations and lessons learned which can be transferred into best practice moving forward


CWLA member organization, Parents Anonymous® recently received the rating of Supportive from the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse on all 3 program areas: Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Parenting. They are one of five programs that effectively improved child safety and prevents child abuse and neglect. They were excited to share the Clearinghouse results, “The studies reviewed by the Clearinghouse found that Parents Anonymous® reduced subsequent child maltreatment substantiations by more than half as compared to parents who did not use the program, even after leaving the Parents Anonymous® program a year later. Additionally, the study found that Parents Anonymous® predominately served communities of color, one of the communities in highest need of services.”

The Office of Early Childhood Development, a part of the Administration for Children and Families, is hosting a free 60-minute training on the Child Tax Credit new application tool for non-filers on September 9 at 4:30 pm ET or September 10 at 1:00 pm ET. The session will provide an overview of the Child Tax Credit and walk through the Non-Filer Portal to demonstrate how everyone can help members of their community enroll in the Child Tax Credit. For more information on the Child Tax Credit, click here.

National Child Welfare Workforce Institute and the Children’s Bureau will be hosting a virtual Child Welfare Worker Recognition Event on September 14 at 3:00 pm. Speakers will talk about your ability to positively influence a life’s trajectory through the heart, the head, and the hands. This event is all about celebrating the people who do so much to empower children, youth, and families facing a variety of life challenges and obstacles. To learn more and register, click here.

The Capacity Building Center for States is hosting the upcoming Child Welfare Virtual Expo (CWVE) on September 23, a free annual event. This year’s focus of the CWVE is advancing racial equity in child welfare. This topic will address the racism and bias that continue to create disproportional representation in the child welfare system and disparities in outcomes for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other children, youth, and families of color. To learn more, click here.

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has released a new brief series, Beyond the Mask: Promoting Transformation and Healing in School Reopening, which focus on three key components of school-based mental health:

• Culturally Responsive, Trauma-Informed, and Healing-Centered Care
• Social Emotional Learning Supports
• Investing in the Behavioral Health Workforce

Each brief highlights the states using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund dollars to invest in the components and offers key recommendations.

Did you know that your organization could be eligible for thousands of dollars in pandemic assistance via the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)? Non-profit organizations are eligible to claim ERTC funds. Even if your organization does not pay taxes, you can get the credits in the form of a cash credit. You could get these funds in the form of a refundable, advanceable tax credit and you can still qualify for the ERTC, even if you claimed Payroll Protection Program (PPP) funds. For more information, visit Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).