"Despite the severe economic disruptions brought about by the pandemic, government aid led to a decline in poverty last year. Census Bureau numbers released last week show a nationwide drop in poverty from 2019 to 2020 (11.8% to 9.1%), when accounting for social safety net benefits and federal pandemic relief efforts. In California, federal stimulus payments (also known as economic impact payments) and key expansions to unemployment insurance (UI) helped millions make ends meet." To read...

The Essentials for Childhood Initiative is pleased to share the “ Building Partnerships to Strengthen California’s Families” Convening Summary and Presentation Slides that supported the event that took place on November 3, 2021. The Convening Summary contains a detailed overview of the information shared and the feedback provided by the participants during the convening. You will find these documents attached below. To view the recording, please access the video at this link and use...

The Essentials for Childhood Initiative is pleased to share the “ Child Wellbeing During the Pandemic Webinar” Presentation Slides and recording that supported the event that took place on November 18, 2021. The purpose of this webinar was to increase understanding of child well-being during the pandemic, share where to access the “Family Experiences During COVID-19 Questionnaire” data, and support participants to learn about a school-based approach to address child health and well-being...

By Sarah Catherine Williams , Reva Dalela , and Sharon Vandivere Families that experience poverty-related stressors such as income insecurity or loss , material hardship , and housing hardship or instability —in other words, families with a financial inability to provide for their children—are also more likely to come into contact with the child welfare system. The intersection of poverty and economic insecurity with neglect poses a challenge to child welfare agencies when they respond to...

Mark your calendar for The National Child Abuse Prevention Month Webinar Series hosted by the Office of Child Abuse Prevention and The Child Abuse Prevention Center occurring Wednesdays during Child Abuse Prevention Month this April. Each workshop will run from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm and will cover important topics related to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. The events are FREE to attend. RSVP today by clicking on the links below. Limited space is available. For additional...

The Children's Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds the National Child Abuse Prevention Month initiative each April and offers may resources and publications to help spread the word in an effort to prevent child abuse and neglect. For more information please visit: National Child Abuse Prevention Month - Child Welfare Information Gateway

I am reaching out to share a new resource, “ Hardships and Hope in California During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire Brief, Wave 1 ,” developed by the Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative , a project of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Social Services ; CDPH’s Office of Strategic Development and External Relations (Fusion Center ); and the Population Reference Bureau , Kidsdata . The...

The EfC Initiative would like to share two resources developed by Safe & Sound , an organization dedicated to strengthening families and ending child abuse, that may be of interest to you in your work. The Economics of Child Abuse Report has been updated to share the economic impact of child maltreatment and estimates that California's communities incurred $22.6 billion in economic impacts due to child maltreatment in 2021. Explore this interactive tool to learn the economic impact of...

PACEs Connection and the Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative , a project of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) have developed two new resources, “ Community Strategies to Address California’s Digital Divide and Its Impact on Children and Families ” Report and the “ Digital Divide Brief: Community Strategies to Address California’s Digital Divide and Its Impact on Children and Families ” . “ Community Strategies to...

“Reimagining Child Wellbeing: Local Policy Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in California’s Communities” is a resource developed in collaboration with the All Children Thrive, California (ACT) project and the California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s (CDSS/OCAP) ’s , Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative . This resource was created...

The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s (CDSS/OCAP) ’s, Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative is pleased to share a new report titled “Statewide Child Abuse and Neglect Non-Fatal Injury Trends Observed in California Hospitals and Emergency Departments During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. The purpose of this new report is to assess changes in the frequency, severity,...

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB), is releasing the Domestic Violence Prevention Program (DVP) Request for Application (RFA) 23-10059 to award up to two (2) contracts that will focus on strengthening economic security and mobility for Black women and their families. Awarded Applicants will be expected to utilize the Close to Home (C2H) community mobilization approach to conduct primary prevention, community-level strategies as a...