Human Services Policy Advisors Institute

The Human Services Policy Advisors Institute is a series of monthly calls that bring together governors’ policy advisors and state leaders from social services and children and family-serving agencies to share innovations and best practices for serving the complex needs of children and families. This network serves as a monthly check-in for updates, content, peer-to-peer exchanges, and networking; this call series is the Children and Families Program’s primary space for convening policy advisors to discuss multidisciplinary policy considerations.

Members

Governors’ policy advisors with human services-related portfolios. Most commonly, this role is housed within the Governor’s office; however, personnel from state agencies such as human services, child welfare, and early childhood education may also join.

Activities

Monthly call series
State-specific technical assistance available on an ad hoc basis
Consultation on NGA published materials

HSPAI Sessions

Examining Shifts to Human Services Infrastructure

In October 2024, the Children and Families team hosted the monthly Human Services Policy Advisors Institute Monthly Call for state leaders to discuss how their Governors are leveraging these structural ...

Housing Supports as Child Welfare Prevention

In July 2024, the National Governors Association Children and Families team hosted the monthly HSPAI Network call, focused on utilizing housing supports as a child welfare preventive factor. Investments in ...

Navigating Benefit Cliffs: States and Territories Supporting Economic Mobility

In June 2024, the National Governors Association Children and Families team hosted the monthly Human Services Policy Advisors Institute Call on mitigating benefit cliffs and supporting upward economic mobility. Background ...

Plans of Safe Care: Bridging the Gap for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorder

On April 23, 2024, the National Governors Association Children and Families team hosted the monthly Human Services Policy Advisors Institute on state levers for implementing and monitoring plans of safe ...

Tax Credits to Drive Family Wellbeing

On March 27th, 2024, the NGA Children and Families team hosted a call through the Human Services Policy Advisors Institute to discuss Tax Credits to Drive Family Wellbeing. The discussion ...

Building and Empowering Impactful Children’s Cabinets

On February 28, 2024, the National Governors Association Children & Families team hosted the monthly Human Services Policy Advisors Institute call, which focused on state children’s cabinets Background Childrens cabinets ...

Please contact Jess Kirchner (jkirchner@nga.org) with any questions about the network.

Our Focus Areas

Whole-family Approaches to Serving Children and Families
Early Childhood Education and Care
Juvenile Justice
Human Services Data and Delivery Systems
Housing and Homelessness
Food Insecurity and Hunger

Family Economic Security
Anti-Poverty Solutions
Foster Care, Kinship Care, and Adoption
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment
Empowering Families and Communities
Reducing Barriers to Opportunity and Equity

Meet the Team

Jordan Hynes, Program Director
Jess Kirchner, Policy Analyst
Eli McCabe, Policy Analyst
Ekaan Ahmad, Policy Coordinator

NGA Resources

2024 Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute

The National Governors Association (NGA) welcomed Governors' advisors and policy leaders from thirty-two states and five territories to the annual Health and Human Services (HHS) Policy Advisors Institute, August 28-29, ...

National Governors Association and Third Sector Select Four States to Strengthen SNAP Employment & Training Delivery

WASHINGTON – The National Governors Association (NGA) and Third Sector Capital Partners (Third Sector) selected Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina to participate in the Policy Academy to Strengthen SNAP ...

Policy Academy to Strengthen SNAP Employment & Training Delivery

The NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with Third Sector Capital Partners (Third Sector), has launched the Policy Academy to Strengthen SNAP Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) ...

Child Care A Focus For Governors at the 2024 NGA Winter Meeting

Child Care is a policy issue that often cuts across many areas of public interest, including workforce participation, economic mobility, public health, and even energy and infrastructure. At the 2024 ...

State Strategies To Mitigate The Impact Of Housing Instability On Child Welfare Involvement

Family housing instability can both lead to, and prolong, involvement with the child welfare system, a process that can be both expensive to the state and traumatic for the child ...

NGA Welcomes 6 States into Youth Mental Health Policy Academy

Alabama, Hawai`i, Kentucky, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Virginia will participate in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) Policy Academy to Drive Thriving Youth Mental Health and ...

2024 Core Advisory Board

The National Governors Association announced its new Children and Families Core Advisory Board (CAB) for 2024. Each year, a small group of governors’ human services policy advisors and agency leaders ...

State Strategies To Address The Impact Of COVID-19 On Maternal And Child Populations: Child Care and COVID-19

As Governors continue to address the consequences of the pandemic, policymakers and state leaders can consider how to strengthen the role of child care as a tool to support maternal, ...

Optimizing Federal COVID Relief Funds: State Perspectives on Bolstering Child Care and Early Childhood Systems

States have proven they can build the necessary infrastructure and operations that fully appreciate the business model of the early childhood sector with consistent investments in resources, necessary flexibilities, and ...

A Best Practices Dozen – Publications 2023

As we welcome a new year, it is natural to reflect on the year that has passed. In the realm of information dissemination, this act of reflection takes on particular ...

Policy Academy to Drive Thriving Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

The NGA Center for Best Practices Children and Families team is excited to announce the Policy Academy to Drive Thriving Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing. Built off the success of ...

Discussing Youth Mental Health at the 2023 Jed Policy Summit

NGA’s Jess Kirchner and Jillian Meinhardt highlighted the importance of youth mental health at The Jed Foundation’s 2023 Jed Policy Summit. Thank you to The Jed Foundation for inviting Jess ...