Annual Poverty Research and Policy Forum Virtual Series
Understanding and Addressing Inequities in Human Services
September 28 & 29, 2021
Convened by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Supported by the Office of Human Services Policy, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Background Material
- Forum Summary
- Inequities in Human Services Memo Series
- Memo 1: Understanding Systemic Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Human Service Provision
- Memo 2: Understanding the Role of Caseworker Bias in Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Human Services
- Memo 3: Understanding Inequities in Human Services Provision Due to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Memo 4: Understanding Inequities in Human Services Provision Related to Disability Status
- Memo 5: Understanding the Role of Data and Research In Perpetuating Inequities In Human Services
- Speaker Bios
Agenda
| September 28, 2021 | |
| 1:00–1:15 pm | WELCOME AND OVERVIEW Katherine Magnuson, Director, Institute for Research on Poverty Miranda Lynch-Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Human Services Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| 1:15–1:30 pm | KEYNOTE: Celeste Watkins-Hayes, University of Michigan | Slide Presentation |
| 1:30–2:25 pm | PRESENTATIONS AND PANEL DISCUSSION: Understanding and Addressing Inequities from a Systems Level Perspective
Moderator: Margaret Simms, Urban Institute
Panelists
|
| 2:25–2:35 pm | Break |
| 2:35–3:30 pm | PRESENTATIONS AND PANEL DISCUSSION: Understanding and Addressing Inequities from a Direct Service Level Perspective Moderator: Bernadine Futrell, Office of Head Start Panelists
|
| 3:30–3:55 pm | BREAKOUT GROUP DISCUSSIONS FOCUSED ON REFLECTIONS FROM DAY |
| 3:55–4:00 pm | WRAP-UP/CLOSING Dr. Rebecca Haffajee, Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| September 29, 2021 | |
| 1:00–1:05 pm | WELCOME AND OVERVIEW Katherine Magnuson, Institute for Research on Poverty Miranda Lynch-Smith, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| 1:05–2:10 pm | PRESENTATIONS AND PANEL DISCUSSION: Understanding and Addressing Inequities in Data and Research
Moderator: Kirk O’Brien, Casey Family Programs
Discussant: Sharrica Miller, California State University, Fullerton Panelists
|
| 2:10–2:20 pm | Break |
| 2:20–2:55 pm | BREAKOUT GROUP DISCUSSIONS FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING NEXT STEPS FOR RESEARCH, POLICY, AND PRACTICE |
| 2:55–3:30 pm | BREAKOUT GROUP REPORT-OUTS Moderator: Sofi Martinez, ASPE, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service |
| 3:30–3:50 pm | CLOSING KEYNOTE: Steven Lopez, Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| 3:50–4:00 pm | WRAP-UP/CLOSING Katherine Magnuson, Institute for Research on Poverty Miranda Lynch-Smith, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
Overview
As described in the President’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, inequities around race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, and ability continue to create barriers to success and well-being for many individuals and communities in the United States. The field of human services can play a crucial role in advancing equity for these populations, but to do so must identify the ways in which it creates or perpetuates disparities. This Forum will investigate how federal, state, and local human services policies, systems and providers contribute to inequitable outcomes, as well as how policy, practice, data, and research can combat systemic inequities created in and outside of human services.
Goals and Objectives
- Identify and define the inequities human services policies and practices address and perpetuate.
- Highlight data and research gaps to better understand current disparities and ways to operationalize equity-based approaches.
- Consider strategies that can be used in human services to disrupt systemic inequities now and in the future by learning from efforts already underway at the federal, state, and local levels.