Category: Info

The White House Initiative

174As Father’s Day approaches, NAHF welcomes the work of the Obama Administration in promoting the importance of fatherhood in the lives of children and families. The Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative was launched last year and builds on the work already underway by the Administration for Children & Families and other federal agencies in promoting the role of fathers.

Last month, President Obama encouraged faith-based and community organizations, along with fathers, mothers, and family-serving organizations, to join the Initiative.

To learn more about the President’s Initiative, visit http://www.fatherhood.gov/pledge (or http://www.fatherhood.gov/iniciativa for Spanish).

NAHF Research on Latino Fathers

Unfortunately, when compared with research on mothers, fathers in general are dramatically underrepresented in the psychological literature, according to a research review conducted for NAHF by Dr. Alicia La Hoz, director of Family Bridges in Chicago.

What it means to be a father in the U.S. has been changing dramatically over the last several decades. Fatherhood itself is a complex role influenced by many factors including personality characteristics, previous experiences, and culture. The research on fatherhood, although on the rise, continues to dwindle in comparison to that of mothers, and this is even more true of research on Latino fathers and their families, La Hoz says. Because of this gap in the research, few evidence-based parenting programs specifically target fathers; even fewer target Latino families. Of 70 evidence-based parenting curricula now in use, a Michigan State University study found that only one was purposefully designed for families within the Hispanic culture. Some of the programs had been translated into Spanish, although the change was limited to language and did not adjust the curriculum to be relevant to the Latino culture.

In order to best meet the needs of Latino families, La Hoz recommends that more research be undertaken on a large scale to inform culturally relevant programming.

Click here to read the full report.

National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute
One successful fatherhood resource specifically designed for Hispanics is the National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute which builds upon the cultural strengths and traditions of Latino men and boys, and offers a path for men of all ages to reach their potential. Since 1988, NLFFI has been addressing fatherhood issues. For more information, visit www.nlffi.org

We at NAHF wish all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day this weekend. Mothers play a vital role in the family, and we honor the countless hours they spend nurturing, teaching, and supporting.

As we celebrate Mothers and the entire Hispanic family, NAHF leaders continue to be a resource to policymakers on issues affecting families and the Hispanic community.

Hispanic Research Work Group Meeting

Several members of NAHF participated this week in the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Hispanic Research Work Group Meeting in Washington, DC (Dr. Blanca Enriquez, Dr. Alicia La Hoz, Dr. Luis Torres-Hostos, and Dr. Luis Zayas). Participation in the meeting was part of the ongoing efforts of NAHF to promote research that addresses the social and economic experiences of low-income Hispanics in the U.S. while incorporating Hispanic culture and relevance.

Dr. Luis Torres-Hostos, assistant professor at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work, presented research commissioned by NAHF on the deficiencies of evidence-based programs. He said these programs generally lead to improved outcomes, but requiring all programs to incorporate only interventions proven effective from an empirical review as a condition for funding may shortchange Hispanics and other communities of color. These communities are frequently under-represented in research studies that seek to find evidence of an intervention’s success, he said

Alliance members have participated in previous ACF research meetings, and will continue to act as a resource to the group while presenting ideas and suggestions on how its research efforts can be used to engage and serve the Hispanic community.

YOU’RE NEXT Workshops

Three grant-writing workshops sponsored by ACF and co-hosted by NAHF and other local groups have been praised by participants in San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

“Of all the grant-writing seminars I have attended thus far, this was the best one, especially because you took the time to share great techniques on how to win a federal grant for our organization and program(s),” one participant wrote.

Among other things, the two-day workshops focus on collaborating with multiple organizations to write a grant, writing SMART objectives, and developing competitive budgets. Two final workshops are scheduled for Miami this weekend, and New York City, June 6-7. (Details and registration on left column.)
White House Agenda and the Hispanic Community

NAHF has tirelessly worked to educate and raise awareness within the Obama Administration of the challenges and opportunities in serving the Hispanic community. We are pleased to report that this week, President Obama released his plan for engaging the Hispanic community in a document entitled Winning the Future: President Obama’s Agenda And The Hispanic Community. In the 34-page document, Obama outlines issues he plans to address which are of vital importance to the Latino community, including immigration reform, improved educational opportunities for Hispanic children and improving the lives of Latino workers and their families.

The White House also launched a new website targeting Hispanics: www.whitehouse.gov/hispanic. A copy of the President’s Agenda for Hispanics can be downloaded from the site.

Image credit: http://earlyrecovery.wordpress.com

In late fall, a delegation of NAHF members met with George Sheldon, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), to discuss the agency’s limited service to the Hispanic community. In follow-up dialogue, Mr. Sheldon requested suggestions for improving the agency’s work with Hispanics. The following eight recommendations were made by NAHF:

• Target discretionary funding to Hispanic communities
• Fund Hispanic-focused research
• Build internal awareness of Hispanic service needs
• Increase the number of Hispanics on ACF grant review panels
• Expand the ACF accessibility initiative aimed at leveling the playing field for small grassroots organizations applying for federal grants
• Fill workforce vacancies with experience from Hispanic communities
• Include NAHF recommendations in ACF performance plans
• Appoint Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration to lead Hispanic efforts

These recommendations would significantly move forward the agency’s service to Hispanic communities. If you have comments, please email lgonzalez(at)hispanicfamily.org

by Lisa Trevino Cummins, NAHF Steering Committee Member

We, as leaders of NAHF, were inspired last week as we watched more than 150 individuals in Puerto Rico receive certificates after completing an extensive course on family strengthening.

The ceremony was the culmination of more than two years of work launched by NAHF and its partners when we hosted a roundtable discussion in 2009 on the family. During that meeting many needs and issues were raised, and NAHF accepted an invitation to conduct a three-day strategic planning session in March 2010. This event brought together a group of more than 40 passionate, high-capacity individuals who deliberated how they could serve their communities. The outcome was the formation of the Puerto Rican Family Service Alliance, a group dedicated to strengthening Hispanic families and communities.

It was with trepidation and excitement that this organization launched its first round of family leadership classes in October 2010. The program was highly successful. For many participants, the completion ceremony last week was their first “graduation” experience, which included the playing of the national anthem, commendations from the local Mayor, a commencement speaker, presentations from select participants on their experiences, and the opportunity for each graduate to walk across the stage to receive a certificate.

I know the event was one that will never be forgotten by participants and leaders alike. There were few dry eyes as participants spoke about their ability to better communicate with their children, improved self-esteem, ability to be better employees, and commitment to practice and share the princples they learned.
Following the four-hour graduation ceremony, the leaders of the PR Family Service Alliance (at least two-thirds of whom have PhDs, and others with more than 30 years experience in professional careers) held a debriefing. With tears of thankfulness, they said they were excited about their progress and the future work of the organization.

At NAHF, we consider this experience to be a huge success, and look forward to replicating it in other areas.

by Lorena Gonzalez

For years our family, like many of yours, has carried out traditions that honor our past and create a foundation for the future. Our Hispanic heritage is rich with holiday celebrations that strengthen our ties with family and friends.

In many Latino homes, families enjoy the annual posada. With singing, storytelling, and drama, many families from Mexico enact the story of the pilgrimage of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, and their search for a place at an inn. Our family has included the posada in our holiday celebrations for more than 25 years and our children still look forward to participating.

The posada is often followed by a children’s party, and of course the highlight is the breaking of a pinata brimming with treats and small gifts.

Tamaladas, another longstanding tradition, allows families and friends to gather for a tamale-making party. These parties focus on making and assembling tamales, but the real fun is in spending time together. Sometimes guests bring their own fillings and exchange tamales at the end of the party — similar to a traditional cookie exchange.

The Puerto Rican parranda is another example of a Latino tradition focused on gathering friends and family to sing and play instruments, and sometimes surprise other friends.

Whatever your traditions may be, let this be a holiday focused on reaching out to strengthen relationships with family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

Mientras los programas basados en evidencia generalmente conllevan a mejorar los resultados, requerir que todos los programas incorporen solo las intervenciones que prueben ser efectivas a partir de una revisión empírica como una condición para su financiación podría perjudicar a los hispanos y otras minorías. Estas comunidades son frecuentemente subrepresentadas en estudios de investigación que pretenden buscar evidencias para el éxito de una intervención. Estos son algunos de los hallazgos más importantes de una revisión de literatura completa para el NAHF, llevada a cabo por el Dr. Luis Torres, catedrático asistente de la Facultad de Posgrado de Trabajo Social de la Universidad de Houston, Texas.

Requerir intervenciones basados en evidencia no es una garantía total de que los mejores programas serán siempre implementados, de acuerdo a Torres. Por ejemplo, la aptitud cultural es reconocida como algo crucial en la selección y uso de los programas basados en evidencia, pero las minorías son enormemente subrepresentadas en los mismos estudios que los investigadores usan para afianzar que las intervenciones sean útiles para todos los grupos culturales.

“El término ‘basados en evidencia’ se refiere tanto a las intervenciones en proceso como las ya registradas”, subraya Torres. “Las intervenciones basadas en evidencia son probadas mediante una serie de estudios investigativos y experimentos hechos al azar. Supongamos que estoy probando una intervención que mejora las habilidades para ser un buen padre o madre. Digamos que tengo 100 personas que yo recluté para mi estudio y que tienen casi la misma edad y los mismos antecedentes educacionales y socioeconómicos. Designo al azar a 50 individuos para el grupo de intervención y 50 personas para el grupo de control. Las probabilidades radican en que veré una mejora en ambos grupos, pero estadísticamente encuentro mejores resultados entre el grupo que recibió la intervención. Si este proceso es replicado más de una vez con otros equipos de investigaciones y los resultados son los mismos, se puede decir que la intervención tiene ‘evidencia’

“Ahora, supongamos que tengo este programa que ha sido probado en gran medida entre individuos caucásicos con un hijo por pareja y que pertenecen a la clase media, y que lo traigo a un barrio del centro de la ciudad donde los padres tienen múltiples hijos”, continúa Torres. “Estas familias viven bajo el nivel de pobreza y tienen otras condiciones como baja educación, limitaciones del idioma y problemas de documentación. Lo más probable es que la intervención no funcionará de la misma manera, particularmente porque las minorías con estos mismos problemas no fueron ni siquiera incluidos en la prueba inicial de la investigación”, acotó Torres.

La subrepresentación de las minorías en las pruebas de investigación es un problema rampante. En un análisis realizado por el reporte del Surgeon General, Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, hace casi una década, de los 9.266 participantes involucrados en los estudios de eficacia que amoldaron las mayores instrucciones basadas en evidencia para el tratamiento del desorden bipolar, esquizofrenia, depresión y el trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad (TDAH), solo 561 (6 por ciento) fueron de raza negra, 99 (1 por ciento) fueron hispanos, 11 (0.1 por ciento) fueron Indios Americanos/Isleños del Pacífico, y ninguno (0 por ciento) fue Nativo Americanos/Nativos de Alaska. Esta subrepresentación de las minorías en las pruebas clínicas aleatorias, o RCTs por sus siglas en inglés, continúa a pesar de la orden de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud de incluir y aumentar la representación de la mujer y las minorías en pruebas clínicas.

“Es importante incrementar la representación de las minorías en cada nivel del proceso de recolección para la evidencia, y especialmente en los RCTs”, dice Torres. “El sello de aprobación para los ‘basados en evidencia’ es el RCT, por lo que definitivamente queremos una representación hispana a la hora de determinar si una intervención verdaderamente funciona”.

A pesar de la creciente importancia demográfica de los hispanos, los cuales son la minoría de más rápido crecimiento en el país, sus problemas de salud, mentales y psicosociales siguen siendo subestudiados y subtratados. Los problemas de salud de alto predominio entre los hispanos incluyen el suicidio y los embarazos en adolescentes, aunado a la violencia doméstica y el uso de drogas, alcohol y tabaquismo.

Torres y otros investigadores recomiendan la adopción de una gama de evidencia, la cual puede incluir cálculos del éxito de la intervención a partir de experiencias personales, de información llevada de boca en boca, y de la comunidad. En vez de enfocarse solamente en la regla de oro de las pruebas clínicas aleatorias, Torres dice que la evidencia definida en la comunidad debería ser parte del proceso para determinar si un programa o tratamiento es efectivo.

While evidence-based programs generally lead to improved outcomes, requiring all programs to incorporate only interventions proven effective from an empirical review as a condition for funding may shortchange Hispanics and other communities of color. These communities are frequently under-represented in research studies that seek to find evidence of an intervention’s success. These are some of the highlights of a comprehensive literature review for NAHF conducted by Dr. Luis Torres, Assistant Professor in the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work in Houston, Texas.

Requiring evidence-based interventions is not a complete guarantee that the best programs will always be implemented, Torres says. For example, cultural appropriateness is recognized as being critical in the selection and use of evidence-based programs, but minorities are vastly underrepresented in the very studies researchers use to ensure interventions are useful to all cultural groups.

“Evidenced-based refers to both a process and to canned interventions,” said Torres. “Evidence-Based Interventions are tested through a series of research studies and randomized experiments. So lets say I’m testing an intervention that improves parenting skills. Let’s say I have 100 people I recruit to my study of about the same age and roughly the same education and socio-economic background. I randomly assign 50 individuals to the intervention group and 50 people to a control group. Chances are, I’ll see improvement in both groups, but statistically lets say I find better results among the group that received the intervention. If this process is replicated more than one time with other researcher teams and the results are the same, the intervention is said to have ‘evidence.’

“Now, lets say I take this program, which was largely tested on middle-class, Caucasian individuals with one child per couple, and bring it to an inner-city barrio where parents have multiple children,” Torres continued. “Lets say these families live under the poverty level, and have additional stressors such as low education, language issues, and documentation problems. Chances are, the intervention won’t work the same way, largely because minorities with these same issues weren’t even included in the initial research trial,” Torres said.

Under-representation of minorities in these research trials is an ongoing problem. In an analysis conducted for the Surgeon General’s report Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity almost a decade ago, of 9,266 participants involved in the efficacy studies that shaped the major evidence-based treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), only 561 (6 percent) were Black, 99 (1percent) were Hispanic, 11 (0.1 percent) were Asian American/Pacific Islanders, and none (0 percent) were American Indians/Alaskan Natives. This under-representation of minorities in RCTs continues, despite a mandate by the National Institutes of Health to include and increase the representation of women and minorities in clinical trials.

“It’s important to increase minority representation at every level of the evidence gathering process, and especially in randomized clinical trials (RCTs),” says Torres. “The seal of approval for evidence-based is the RCT, so we definitely want Hispanic representation when determining if an intervention really works.”

Despite the growing demographic importance of Hispanics, which are the largest and fastest-growing minority in the country, their health, mental health and psychosocial problems continue to be understudied and under-treated. High-prevalence Hispanic health issues include suicide and teenage pregnancies, in addition to domestic violence, alcohol, tobacco and drug use.

Torres and other researchers recommend the adoption of a continuum of evidence, which may include accounts of an intervention’s success from personal experience, word of mouth, and/or the community. Rather than focusing only on the gold standard of randomized clinical trials, Torres says community-defined evidence should be part of the process of determining if a treatment or program is effective.

To read the full report, click here.

by Lorena Gonzalez

On this Thanksgiving Day, we at NAHF are thankful for the many opportunities we have had this year to work together to strengthen our Latino families. We’re honored by your interest and enthusiasm, and the hours you volunteer to change lives.

Recently I received a letter from a woman who participated in an event co-sponsored by NAHF and Family Service Association. She attended our two-and-a-half-day training session in San Antonio and then applied for a Compassion Capital Fund grant to purchase computers for a high school diploma project she helps oversee. From her letter, she says:

“When I took over as director of the Sophia Women’s Learning Center … my intention was to be here for a year to transition the program from one overseer to another. After five years as director, I had many ideas for the program, but still felt like a caretaker, just watching the program until the ‘real’ people in charge wanted to do something with it. As a result of several events this year, I have come to realize that I am the real person in charge. This grant, with its leadership component, could not have come at a better time. Many of the traits that I believed kept me from being a good leader were actually my strengths; and some of my weaknesses were merely my own tainted perceptions of myself. This knowledge alone has allowed me to see myself through a new set of eyes.”

Not only has this director’s life changed, she now will change hundreds of lives and families through the expansion of her work and leadership.

In Puerto Rico, Family Leadership classes are now underway in six cities. These classes are based on curriculum, handbooks and facilitator training donated by Consuelo Kickbusch and her organization, Educational Achievement Services. Facilitators for these classes were trained by John Honaman who volunteered his time to make certain the principles and concepts are taught by exceptional teachers who understand the importance of cultural relevance and personal attention.

These are just a few examples of the efforts underway to strengthen individuals and families. Our work could not move forward without all of you. We give thanks for your efforts in preserving the rich familial tradition we share.

Recently more than $150 million was doled out by the federal Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) to fund teen pregnancy programs, but it appears that only $1 million went to organizations with a demonstrated history of serving Hispanic youth – the minority with the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.

Given that teen pregnancy is at a crisis level among Latinas, the National Alliance for Hispanic Families has been proactive in its pursuit of educating decision makers about the need for funding to serve Hispanic teens. We have engaged our leaders from across the country, arranging meetings and presentations with White House officials and congressional offices. We’ve supported outreach of the OAH and other interested national organizations. Finally, we have addressed the concern that there are too few Latino-focused grant applications by working hand-in-hand with community orgnizations throughout the country to help them submit proposals for this round of OAH grants. When the grant awards were announced, we found very little evidence of our efforts: only two of 158 grantees are Hispanic focused organizations with a demonstrated history of serving Hispanic communities.

hispanic_girl_2According to the Campaign for Teenage Pregnancy, 52 percent of Latina teens will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20. In comparison, only 19% of non-Hispanic white teen girls under the age of 20 become pregnant. In other words, at present, Latina teens are more likely than not to become pregnant. This fact does not seem to square with the negligible funding recently awarded to programs with a demonstrated history of working successfully with Hispanics

With the highest birth rates of any youth population in the United States, and the number of Hispanics in this country rising steadily, this disparity in funding is puzzling. We’re amazed that OAH awarded grants to many organizations that have historically received funding all while teen pregnancy rates have continued to escalate among Hispanics. Virtually none of the groups that received grant awards are those that low-income youth and families trust or seek out.

Take California, for example, the state with the largest Hispanic population. In a series of phone inquiries, NAHF leaders were told state officials do not track the applicability or success of teen pregnancy programs among Latinas. But in this recent round of awards, the California Department of Public Health alone received $6.5 million. To us, it’s unconscionable that leaders of the state with the largest number of Hispanics are unaware of how effectively they service this high-risk population while receiving additional money that will likely be used for similar programming. There is no evidence that demonstrates these new grantees’ success in intervening within the population that has the greatest need.

While the National Alliance for Hispanic Families is comprised of many types of organizations who share an interest in the Hispanic community, foundational to our work are Hispanic serving, community-based organizations. To this end, NAHF leadership is deliberating the appropriate response to this recent teen pregnancy announcement. Is it more of the same? What more can we do? What do we need to do differently? What can we do to transfer concerns that range from discouragement and outrage to those that will provide long-term opportunity and positive results for our Hispanic community?

(photo: parentconnect.com)

Mientras los adolescentes latinos registran las más altas tasas de natalidad de cualquier población joven en Estados Unidos, son sub-representados de forma alarmante en la prueba de programas promocionado por el gobierno federal cuyas buenas intenciones busca reducir embarazos en la adolescencia, de acuerdo con un estudio publicado por nuestra organización.

Recientemente, La Oficina para la Salud Adolescente de los Servicios Humanos y de Salud anunció una oportunidad para financiar la prevención de embarazos en la adolescencia con la salvedad de que todos los fondos fuesen usados para implementar uno de los 28 programas específicos. Estos programas, el OAH acotó, han sufrido una “rigurosa evaluación” y fueron determinados como los mejores en su clase para la reducción de embarazos adolescentes y sus riesgos de la conducta. Pero en una revisión del NAHF sobre estas pruebas empíricas usadas para evaluar los programas, solo el 18 por ciento de todos los participantes fueron hispanos. Más aún, de los 29 estudios sobre los programas, solo 15 apenas incluyeron a la juventud hispana.

“Nos preguntamos cómo los funcionarios del gobierno saben que estos son los mejores 28 programas sobre embarazos en la adolescencia si solo el 18 por ciento de los chicos que participaron en la evaluación de estos programas fueron latinos—el grupo con la más alta tasa de embarazos en la adolescencia”, dijo Dr. Luis Zayas, el investigador principal de este estudio y director del Center for Latino Research de la Universidad Washington de St. Louis. “No estamos insinuando que estos programas no funcionan. Estamos diciendo que no estamos seguros de que sean los mejores y más efectivos para la juventud”.

Mientras NAHF aplaude la iniciativa en general y los esfuerzos de la actual administración para asegurar que la financiación genere los máximos resultados, los líderes de la organización se muestran preocupados de que un menor número desproporcionado de organizaciones que sirven a la comunidad hispana tendrán éxito en la solicitud de financiación para programas de embarazo adolescente debido a las limitaciones en el flujo de financiamiento. NAHF hace un llamado a la administración para corregir estos descuidos del pasado y emprender una investigación mayormente basada en los hispanos.