Library Guides: Social Welfare Policy: Government and Policy Websites

Social Welfare Policy

This research guide is designed to help social work students find state and federal legislation, documents, and contextual materials regarding contemporary social welfare issues. Be sure also to check the Public Policy and Legislative Research (United States) research guides, located in the Public Policy category.

Colorado Resources

This section profiles Colorado policy websites discussed in the policy research tutorial, as well as selected additional Colorado resources.

Balancing Act
Balancing Act is a fun and easy way for residents to learn about public budgets and the choices their elected officials face in the budgeting process. It allows participants to try allocating funds— expressing their priorities and preferences — but also requires them to balance spending and revenue.
Bell Policy Center
"The Bell Policy Center is committed to making Colorado a state of opportunity for all. We seek to reinvigorate the debate on issues affecting the well-being of Coloradans and to promote policies that open gateways to opportunity."
Colorado Center on Law and Policy
The Colorado Center on Law and Policy "works to secure justice and promote economic security for all Coloradans, and to provide the critical advocacy formerly provided by federally funded legal services programs." The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, a project of the CCLP, produces reports, issue briefs, and factsheets regarding tax, budget, and fiscal policy issues.
Colorado Children's Campaign
The Colorado Children's Campaign, a nonprofit organization, focuses "on expanding access to quality healthcare, early childhood experiences and K-12 education." See the "Kids Count" and "Reports and Publications" sections.
Colorado Common Cause
Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS)
State agency responsible for managing, administering, overseeing, and delivering human services in Colorado. The mission of CDHS is to help individuals and families achieve and maintain positive outcomes through quality services. information regarding Colorado's human and social services programs, including food and cash assistance, programs for older and disabled individuals, and services for families and children.
Colorado General Assembly
In addition to current and historical House and Senate session bills, calendars, journals, resolutions, bill status reports, and fiscal notes, the General Assembly site also provides information about ballot issues and initiatives, legislative directories, links to the Colorado Revised Statutes, U.S. and Colorado Constitutions, and the Colorado Legislative Council.
Colorado Independent
News about Colorado politics and policy, including tweets from the Capitol.
Colorado Legislative Council
The Colorado Legislative Council provides nonpartisan research reports on various policy issues. Browse the "Research Publications" tab for issue briefs by year (1997-past year), summaries of major legislative issues (1999-past year), and bill tracking by subject area. The fulltext of Legislative Council research publications from 1954 to the past year can also be searched and retrieved via the DU Westminster Law Library...
more...less...
The Colorado Legislative Council provides nonpartisan research reports on various policy issues. Browse the "Research Publications" tab for issue briefs by year (1997-past year), summaries of major legislative issues (1999-past year), and bill tracking by subject area. The fulltext of Legislative Council research publications from 1954 to the past year can also be searched and retrieved via the DU Westminster Law Library Colorado Legislative Council Research Publications database.
Colorado General Assembly. Publications
The Legislative Council Staff prepares memoranda, issue briefs, resource books, and reports addressing topics of interest to members of the Colorado General Assembly and the public. Legislative Council Staff publications may be accessed by publication type or by subject area.
Colorado Nonprofit Association
A membership association and resource for nonprofit organizations in Colorado. Click on their "Public Policy" tab, which includes useful toolkits for lobbying, voter registration, and working with mass media.
Colorado Social Legislation Committee
"The Colorado Social Legislation Committee (CSLC) is a coalition of persons and organizations interested in legislation related to human needs and human services, especially at the state level. CSLC is a non-partisan, all-volunteer organization that works to create a better future for Colorado." The CSLC holds weekly meetings during the legislative session at which "legislators and community professionals present information about current problems and proposed legislation. Regular meetings are f
Colorado Youth Matter
Colorado.gov: The Official State Web Portal
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, as well as to the complete list of Colorado State Departments and Agencies. Use the Search link at the top of the page to search by topic.
Denver Human Services
Denver Women's Commission
The Denver Women's Commission "works with coalitions of women's organizations to remove barriers and advocate for positive change on a variety of issues; and monitors legislation and proposed policy changes." See the "Legislative Information" section for bill overviews and recommendations.
Housing Colorado
"Housing Colorado is the unified resource in the state for affordable housing education, information and advocacy."
League of Women Voters of Colorado
"The League of Women Voters of Colorado, a nonpartisan, political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy." See the "Legislative Letters" section for positions on proposed legislation.
People's Action
People’s Action is a force for democracy and economic fairness. From family farms to big cities, from coast to coast, we’re fighting for community over greed, justice over racism, and people and planet over big corporations.
Policy Matters
Blog from the Colorado Center on Law and Policy and the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute.

State and National Resources

This section profiles other state, federal, and national websites discussed in the policy research tutorial, including tips for searching Google, and also lists selected social policy sites. For a more extensive list of recommended policy sites, consult the "Public Policy" research guide.

Annie E. Casey Foundation
A private charitable organization dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. Publishes Kids Count, a national and state-by-state report documenting the status of children in the U.S., Advocasey, and many other publications.
more...less...
A private charitable organization dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. Publishes Kids Count, a national and state-by-state report documenting the status of children in the U.S., Advocasey, and many other publications.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
"The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy."
CDC Data and Statistics
Topical access to health statistics.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
This gateway serves as a central source for information about child abuse, neglect, and adoption. Look here for statistics on child and family well-being, abuse and neglect, child welfare and foster care, adoption, and related statistics and demographics. The "Laws and Policies" section provides a searchable state statutes index and outlines relevant state and federal laws.
Childstats.gov: - Forum on Child and Family Statistics
This web site offers easy access to federal and state statistics and reports on children and their families, including: population and family characteristics, economic security, health, behavior and social environment,and education. Reports include America's Children, the annual Federal monitoring report on the status of the Nation's children, and Counting Couples, among others.
Education Commission of the States
"The Education Commission of the States was created by states, for states, in 1965. We track state policy trends, translate academic research, provide unbiased advice and create opportunities for state leaders to learn from one another." See the State Legislation section for enacted legislation (1994-present) by state and topic.
Google
Use Google to search for relevant state and federal government websites and publications. To limit your search to Colorado state resources, search with your topic keywords and site:state.co.us (e.g., "sex offenders" site:state.co.us). To search for federal resources, limit your search by using site:.gov in combination with your keywords.
Institute for Policy Research
Northwestern University
Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin
Institute for Women's Policy Research
Washington, DC
Legal Information Institute, Cornell University
Open access to legal resources, including US Code, CFR, Supreme Court decisions, state statutes by topic, and more.
National Center for Education Statistics
"The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education."
National Center for Health Statistics
National Conference of State Legislatures
The NCSL is a bi-partisan organization that aims to provide "research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues." Look in the "State and Federal Issues" section for overviews on criminal justice, education, health, human services, immigrant policy, and labor, in addition to general information about state legislatures.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Statistical Briefing Book
"The OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book (SBB) enables users to access online information via OJJDP's Web site to learn more about juvenile crime and victimization and about youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Developed for OJJDP by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, SBB provides timely and reliable statistical answers to the most frequently asked questions from policymakers, the media, and the general public."
Office of Minority Health (Health and Human Services)
Policy Archive (Nonprofit)
"PolicyArchive is an innovative, new digital archive of global, non-partisan public policy research. It makes use of the power, efficiency, and economy of modern Internet technology to collect and disseminate summaries and full texts, videos, reports, briefs, and multimedia material of think tank, university, government, and foundation-funded policy research. It offers a subject index, an internal search engine, useful abstracts, email notifications of newly added research, and will soon expand to offer information on researchers and funders, and even user-generated publication reviews."
Public Agenda (Nonprofit)
Stateline.org
Stateline.org, a project of the Pew Center on the States, provides non-partisan news on "emerging trends and issues in state policy and politics." Reports can be accessed by state or by issue. The site also features the "State of the States" report, which projects state policy trends, and the full text of governors' state of the state addresses back to 2000.
U.S. Census Bureau
Official site from the U.S Department of Commerce. Contains news and statistical data on population estimates, housing, income, poverty, and more. It includes a special section on Children, the Current Population Survey, a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the ...
more...less...
Official site from the U.S Department of Commerce. Contains news and statistical data on population estimates, housing, income, poverty, and more. It includes a special section on Children, the Current Population Survey, a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Statistical Abstract of the United States, which contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HHS is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. HHS Agencies include The Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Aging, and Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, among others.
more...less...
HHS is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. HHS Agencies include The Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Aging, and Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, among others.
Urban Institute
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit policy research organization established in Washington, D.C., in 1968. It investigates the social and economic problems confronting the nation and government policies and public and private programs designed to alleviate them.