ACET, Inc. Blog

ACET will be attending the 2011 Public Affairs Student Association (PASA) Career Engagement Fair on Feb. 24 at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. We would love to talk with interested parties about our company and the field of evaluation. We will also be prescreening for positions at the fair. If you’re a graduate student or alumnus interested in a career in research and evaluation, please find our table – we would love to talk to you!

Cassie

Want to join our team in a leadership role? ACET is currently looking to hire a Senior Research Associate. Please click here to review the posting: Senior Research Associate

The Minnesota Department of Administration recently released their Joint Availability and Disparity Study, which affects minority- or women-owned (M/WBE) and targeted group business enterprises. The Commissioner of Administration in Minnesota contracted with an outside agency to conduct the study, who examined barriers that resulted in disparity for targeted groups and recommended solutions to remedy the effects of any disparity identified.

The latest evaluation of M/WBE programs has shown that some targeted group business enterprises have changed status in the communities, and therefore, their eligibility for preferences or subcontracting has changed (see 1-page summary from the Department of Administration). The report identifies target groups in set business areas and includes tables to show disparity rates.

The report also details the history of disparity studies and introduction of M/WBE programs in Minnesota, as well as gives many nationwide examples of programs set in place to alleviate M/WBE discriminations and prevent future abuses.

To view the targeted group business eligibility table, please click here: TG Eligibility Table

To view the full study, please click: http://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/disparity/Revised2009AdminDisparityStudy.pdf

Cassie

The Children’s Bureau has created some new online resources on parental mental health and the child welfare system. Research has indicated that children of parents or caregivers with mental health needs have higher rates of involvement in the child welfare system. The resources were developed by Kim Halfgott and the team at the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, which is part of the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network. The resources include promising practices for screening and treatment, tools and training, fact sheets, web sites, and research to better understand how the mental health and the child welfare systems can work together to support parents and caregivers with mental health needs.

The resources can be found on a new section of the Technical Assistance Partnership website: http://www.tapartnership.org/content/childWelfare/publications.php?id=topic17