P&P August 2016

(and allegations are sent and captured through a federal portal). The comment letter can be found at http://www.aphsa. org/content/NASCCA/en/home.html. NASCCA Continues Member Outreach and Engagement through Regional Calls This past summer, NASCCA hosted a series of regional calls to connect members across federal regions to exchange knowledge, strengthen peer connections and identify strategies to assist states with implementing the new child care development block grant. Participants on the regional calls discussed emerging APHSA initiatives, including our new “Center”* platform and informed NASCCA’s objectives for the remainder of 2016 into 2017. The affiliate’s primary objectives are to advance NASCCA policy and practice initiatives (by informing sound policy development), support child and family well-being (through quality child care and early learning program); support emerging approaches such as Two-Generation efforts (that focus on building parental/caregiver skills and healthy child development), and continued implementation of the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Visit the NASCCA website for addi- tional information at http://www.aphsa. org/content/NASCCA/en/home.html. * The National Collaborative for Integration of Health and Human Services , the Center on Child and Family Well-Being , and the Center for Employment and Economic Well-Being are APHSA’s three “collaborative centers.” These platforms are creative teams of members and partners organized around the impact areas identified in our Pathways initiative to (1) develop and advance influence campaigns for policy change; (2) elevate innovations and solutions; (3) develop tools and guidance for the field; (4) leverage our organizational effectiveness practice to strengthen the drivers of general organizational readiness, continuous improvement, and performance; (5) shape and spread key messages using framing science; and (6) test and refine emerging applications. Christina Crayton is the assistant director of Policy and Government Affairs at APHSA.

honored Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) as co-recipi- ents of the 2016 Peter Forsythe Award for Excellence in Public Child Welfare. Senators Hatch and Wyden (Chair and Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee) were honored for their unwavering commitment to children and families and their bipartisan efforts on child welfare legislation: leg- islation to increase federal investments in prevention and early intervention, advance policies on the appropriate out-of-home placements, and other child welfare services and supports. NAPCWA Submits Comments on the AFCARs ICWA Supplemental Notice APHSA and its affiliate, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA), submitted comments on the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) on the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Issued in April, the SNPRM proposed that states collect and report certain information on American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) children for whom the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) applies and to collect meaningful information about their experiences (with child welfare). The comments reaffirmed support for the administration’s commitment to better understand the experiences of AI/AN children. Given the antici- pated significant amount of new data elements in the final AFCARs rule, we also requested a staged and phased implementation period to ensure systems build capacity (workforce) and infrastructure (technology upgrades) and resources for successful compli- ance with the final rule. NAPCWA will continue to work with federal partners in finalizing changes to AFCARS and addressing the unique needs of AI/AN children and families. NAPCWA Co-Hosts National Webinar on Comprehensive Child Welfare Information Systems Earlier this summer, APHSA and NAPCWA joined the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families com- missioner and the Children’s Bureau

for a national webinar on the final rule for state child welfare informa- tion systems (CCWIS). Greg Rose, NAPCWA Immediate past president and deputy director of the California Department of Social Services, and Christina Crayton, APHSA’s assistant director, of Policy and Government Affairs, provided welcoming, intro- ductory, and contextual remarks on the release, noting appreciation for adopting APHSA recommenda- tions and the focus on supporting state modernization. Commissioner Rafael López reaffirmed the admin- istration’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve work with children and families. A recording of the webinar and all related infor- mation can be found at ACF’s “State and Tribal Information Systems” page at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ programs/cb/research-data-technology/ state-tribal-info-systems. Visit the NAPCWA website for addi- tional information at http://www.aphsa. org/content/NAPCWA/en/home.html. NASCCA Comments In April the National Association of State Child Care Administrators (NASCCA) submitted comments to the Administration for Children and Families in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Child Care National Website and Hotline. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2014 authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create a national website to connect parents to information about child care and a national hotline to allegations of health and safety violations and child abuse. NASCCAmembers noted support of the use of technology to educate stakeholders and consumers and to facilitate better informed decision- making. NASCCAmembers also voiced concerns, however, about the poten- tial barriers and challenges in use of a national hotline to report suspected violations or abuse and neglect. Data collection procedures, report transfers, reporter confidentiality, and other factors must be considered if the state or local reporting process is superseded on Child Care and Hotline Submission

August 2016   Policy&Practice 39