Free Online Learning: Improving Conversations with Youth

Pathways Research and Training Center offers several videos and interactive learning modules designed to improve conversations between practitioners and young people. Tools describe effective interviewing techniques; what to say and what not to say; different conversational styles; and how and why to use open-ended questions in youth-driven conversations.

Access online learning tools here: https://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/learning-tools

Going National: How to Grow a Small Non-Profit

A recent article from Stanford Social Innovation Review details how one small non-profit quadrupled in size and operating budget in just seven years. Portland, Oregon-based Friends of the Children, which provides mentors to at-risk youth, had just five locations in 2012, but grew to 20 by 2019. The article describes their service model—pairing a salaried mentor with a school-age child through high school graduation, no matter what—and lessons learned including how they were able to fundraise $25 million for their national expansion. Other takeaways include the importance of investing in quality performance management and evaluation, strong community support, and diversified funding.

Read the article here: 
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/how_a_portland_based_nonprofit_
scaled_from_5_to_20_locations_in_7_years

"Outcomes Contracting Toolkit for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs" is Now Available

Funding from Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) provides critical emergency shelter, basic needs, transitional living, skills training, and other supports. While this funding provides a critical set of resources, youth and young adults experiencing homelessness face a range of multifaceted needs and compounding barriers to self-sufficiency. RHY programs are forced to navigate multiple disjointed social service systems, creating additional burden or limiting the range of allowable services.

Outcomes contracting is an effective way to break down silos and align public sector resources to programs that make a significant difference in communities. Outcomes contracting allows communities to focus on the more impactful changes that result from a program (outcomes), rather than its resources and activities (inputs and outputs). As a result of this focus, outcomes contracting creates the structure to bring together a diverse set of stakeholders around clear goals and increases accountability through funding mechanisms that incentivize providers to meet or exceed outcomes goals that will measurably improve the lives of people in need.

This Outcomes Contracting Toolkit provides information, resources, and exercises on how RHY programs can work with government agencies and other stakeholders to develop the elements of an outcomes contract appropriate for supporting RHY programs in your community. This toolkit builds off existing tools, frameworks, and resources developed to support RHY programs; outlines the essential elements of an outcomes contract and demonstrates how each element ties to a finalized outcomes contract; uses exercises to guide RHY programs through key questions necessary to arrive at a project hypothesis that can be a launching pad for an outcomes contract; and calls out crucial considerations to inform participation in future applications for funds available through the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) in conjunction with a state or local government.

Access the toolkit here: 
https://www.rhyttac.net/assets/docs/Resources/Outcomes%20Contracting
%20Toolkit%20for%20RHY%20Programs%20-%20WEB.pdf

Training Youth Support Workers

Based on a national survey of 254 transition service providers conducted by Youth MOVE National, researchers at Pathways RTC analyzed the training needs of youth workers who provide mental health support services to youth. Differences were found between the needs of peer support workers and non-peer support staff—for example, peer workers asked for more in-person and on-the-job training, while other staff asked for more training on youth culture and technology. Both groups identified trauma-informed care as a high priority for training; the expense of training and a heavy work load were the two most commonly cited barriers to participation.

Access the study here: https://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/projPTTP-JBHSR-Training-Needs-Transition-Service-Providers.pdf

Staff Development Resources from HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Alcohol and Substance-Exposed Pregnancy Prevention (AStEPP) initiative

The Healthy Start Technical Assistance Center designed AStEPP materials to help community health workers in Healthy Start and home visitors learn more about prevention and early identification of fetal exposure to alcohol or other drugs. These materials can be used by staff in other women-focused social or health service organizations too.

Materials include:

• Staff Development Resources for Groups: Six Staff Meeting Training Packages
• Discussion Guide on Opioid Use in Pregnant Women