The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, an organization representing hundreds of nonprofit human services providers, announced two big developments at its national conference in October. It changed its name (from the Alliance for Children and Families), and moved its headquarters from Milwaukee to its policy shop in Washington, D.C.
Now, the Alliance is beginning to staff up at the new headquarters. The organization will hire for three positions – a manager of network mobilization, a public relations manager and an advocacy associate – for the D.C. office.
The hiring process occurs as the Alliance prepares to promote its plan for federal child welfare financing. In September, CEO Susan Dreyfus announced the Alliance’s plan, which is also backed by the National Organization of State Associations for Children (NOSAC), and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA).
It is a complex plan that the Alliance concedes has not been completely firmed up and budget-tested. But the basic idea is this: the allowable services of IV-E and two other federal programs would be unified. Those other two programs, Title IV-B and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, focus more on maltreatment prevention and family preservation services.
Network mobilization is one of the responsibilities handled by Marlo Nash, who leaves the organization this month to become executive director of the new National Foster Youth Institute.
The senior officer in the Washington office is Vice President of Public Policy Katherine Astrich. CEO Dreyfus is still based in Milwaukee.
John Kelly is the editor of The Imprint.