Policy & Practice | Spring 2023

approaches to support members of our community facing challenging times, as well as rethinking how human services agencies position themselves as an employer of choice to address both the more immediate hiring and retention challenges, as well as the longer-term pipeline issues. This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication. About Deloitte Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the “Deloitte” name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms. Reference Notes 1. Miller, Z.,& Seitz, A. (2023, January 31). President Biden to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/biden-united states-government-district-of-columbia covid-public-health-2a80b547f6d55706a6 986debc343b9fe 2. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2023, January 25). Summary findings: Food price outlook, 2023; and Bhattarai, A., Alcantara, C., & Van Dam, A. (2022, April 21). Rents are rising everywhere. See how much prices are up in your area. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ interactive/2022/rising-rent-prices Copyright © 2023 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

Services created a resilience interven tion program to help child welfare staff develop skills and behaviors that promote physical and psychological well-being, reinforcing them through peer support groups. Staff with two or fewer years of child welfare experience reported flatter burnout rates than those in the control group. 11 Bolstering Community Prevention Efforts To further ease workforce chal lenges, states can take advantage of an important tool to reduce the number of families engaging with the system. Under the 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act, states can use Title IV-E funds for prevention-oriented programs designed to strengthen families so children can remain safely with parents and caregivers. As a result, many states invested in prevention-focused infrastructure, from in-home parenting programs and mental health services to substance abuse prevention and treatment along with kinship navigator services. The challenge now is to increase awareness of these supports among the families that stand to benefit from them. For its part, Tennessee has made strides in educating its child welfare network, school systems, and the broader public about the positive impact of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with youth. The statewide “Building Strong Brains” initiative provides a practical toolkit containing simple, individual-level tips to more nuanced systems change to increase public understanding of brain science and how simple daily interactions can create a lasting effect on children’s welfare. 12 The goal is to reduce family stress and help give every child the pos sibility of a healthy, productive life. Looking Ahead Human services agencies have long been hampered by workforce chal lenges that only became more severe during the pandemic. With the end of the PHE drawing near, leaders across human services must come together to find creative ways to blunt the impact on families facing challenges and the risks carried over to their children. That will involve adopting new

3. Thornton, C. (2022, November 24). Food banks are struggling this holiday season as Inflation creates ‘Perfect Storm.’ USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/ news/nation/2022/11/23/us-food-banks pantries-struggle/10671432002 4. Buettgens, M., & Green, A. (2022, March 9). What will happen to Medicaid enrollees’ health coverage after the public health emergency? Updated projections of medicaid coverage and costs. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/ research/publication/what-will-happen medicaid-enrollees-health-coverage-after public-health-emergency 5. Austin, A. E., Lesak, A. M., & Shanahan, M. E. (2020). Risk and protective factors for child maltreatment: A review. Current Department of Agriculture. (2023, January 12). Delaware to participate in school meals demonstration project enabling direct certification through Medicaid. https://www.fns.usda.gov/ news-item/maro-de-011323 7. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2020, August 25). How COVID-19 could aggravate the homelessness crisis? GAO WatchBlog. https://www.gao.gov/ blog/how-covid-19-could-aggravate homelessness-crisis 8. Reyes, E. A. (2022, June 12). A computer model predicts who will become homeless Workforce Development. (2022, June 20). The child welfare workforce crisis—What we’re hearing from the field. https://www.qic-wd.org/blog/child welfare-workforce-crisis-%E2%80%93 what-we%E2%80%99re-hearing-field 11. Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development. (2021, August 9). Secondary traumatic stress, burnout and resilience in the child welfare workforce: Early results from Nebraska's randomized controlled trial of resilience alliance. https://www.qic-wd.org/blog/secondary traumatic-stress-burnout-and-resilience child-welfare-workforce-early-results 12. See Haas, B., & Clements, A. D., (2019). Epidemiology Reports, 7 (4). https:// doi.org/10.1007/s40471-020-00252-3 6. Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. in L.A. Then these workers step in. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes .com/california/story/2022-06-12/ homeless-prevention-unit 9. Ibid. 10. Quality Improvement Center for

Building a trauma informed system of care. https://www.tn.gov/content/ dam/tn/dcs/documents/for-providers/ procurement/Building%20a%20 Trauma%20Informed%20System%20 of%20Care%20Toolkit.pdf

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