On October 18, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) convened an orientation meeting in Washington, D.C. for the Promising Pathways Initiative. The three primary meeting goals of the Promising Pathways All-Site Orientation Meeting were to orient site representatives to the Promising Pathways Initiative, provide hands-on, interactive training for site coordinators on how to define and document their practice using logic models, and plan the first intensive full team site visit. Participants included one or two representatives from each of the ten selected Promising Pathways sites, OFA staff, and ICF International site coaches and team staff. This executive summary describes the proceedings of the All-Site Orientation Meeting and includes the meeting agenda, participant list, and materials as appendices.

On March 13-14, 2012, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) convened the Promising Pathways Initiative Innovation Institute in Washington, DC. The Promising Pathways Initiative provides technical assistance to state and local TANF programs and nonprofit organizations to promote successful outcomes for low-income families, and seeks to address the knowledge needs of the TANF field through an evidence-informed practice approach. The Initiative is grounded in the research on evidence-based practices. The Promising Pathways Initiative supported ten selected sites from the ten OFA Regions by building capacity of the sites to identify practice and program components; develop and document evidence; and articulate the resulting “story” about the effectiveness of the program or practice. The Innovation Institute focused on capacity-building for evidence-informed practice through identifying and sharing innovative approaches to service delivery for TANF families and low-income populations. Nine of the ten Promising Pathways sites from Regions I through X participated in the Institute. The goals of the Institute were to: (1) Provide cross-site networking between Promising Pathways sites leading to increased capacity to implement evidence-informed practice; (2) Provide interaction and dialogue between Promising Pathways sites surrounding innovative approaches and supportive technical assistance resulting from participation in the Promising Pathways Initiative; and (3) Discuss and examine processes and tools that can be institutionalized in Promising Pathways sites to support sustainable evidence-informed programming for TANF and low-income populations.

The Region IX Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance convened a meeting for the Region IX Tribal TANF grantees in California and Nevada from September 26-27, 2011. The meeting, the second of two, provided TANF directors and administrators with an open forum for discussing critical issues impacting their TANF participants and an opportunity to network both amongst themselves and with Region IX leadership. The meeting brought together TANF programs to discuss and share information on a number of topics. Region IX Tribal TANF grantees shared lessons learned and gathered strategies that can improve their own programs’ ability to identify and address multiple barriers, develop career pathways, create subsidized employment and asset building opportunities for participants, and effectively manage fiscal requirements. Region IX Tribal TANF programs had the opportunity to discuss relevant topics with experts in the field that provided insight, ideas, and strategies for enhancing their own programs. In addition, the meeting gave Tribal TANF participants an opportunity to meet with Region IX staff to discuss ongoing questions regarding Tribal TANF in California and Nevada.

State TANF programs are continuing to develop and implement strategies to improve the economic self-sufficiency of low-income families as the programs await reauthorization. From improving outreach and engagement of eligible refugees and immigrants to successfully utilizing data to effectively make programmatic decisions, these programs are finding innovative ways to maximize resources to meet the needs of increasing families in need. The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance Region IX convened the 2011 Innovative Solutions Workshop in San Francisco, California on September 21-22, 2011 to discuss the status of TANF programs and foster improved peer dialogue around practical solutions to common challenges facing TANF programs and participants. The meeting brought together State and Territory TANF directors and program staff to strategize on ways to move low-income and working families closer to economic self-sufficiency while providing important input on the development of new TANF legislation. Specific topics included improving service delivery for domestic violence survivors, career pathways for low-income workers, asset development strategies to improve long-term economic development, maximizing TANF funds, policy/program innovations for streamlining services, and using data to influence program development and service delivery.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Region IX hosted six Tribes from Arizona, community stakeholders and topical experts at the 2011 Tribal TANF Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 8th and 9th, 2011. The conference agenda featured experts and presenters who helped Tribal TANF representatives strategize to develop stronger programs that would better serve their participants. Tribes were provided with ideas and models for handling data management, working with domestic violence survivors, implementing programs that respond to TANF Purposes 3 and 4 and ensuring that fraud is detected. The conference was designed to provide an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning to enhance Tribal TANF programs and create opportunities for self-sufficiency while maintaining each Tribes’ individual culture and traditions.

The Region IX Administration for Children and Families convened a meeting for the Region IX Tribal TANF grantees in California and Nevada in July of 2011. The meeting, the first of two, provided TANF directors and administrators with an open forum for discussing critical issues impacting their TANF participants and to network both amongst themselves and with Region IX leadership. The meeting brought together TANF programs to discuss and share information on detecting and investigating fraud and supporting victims of domestic violence on their path to achieving self-sufficiency. The meeting was held July 27-28, 2011, in San Francisco, California.

During Phase 3 of the project (2009-2010), in close partnership with the OFA Federal Project Officer, the project team conducted two-day site visits with each leading organization, which included faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and intermediary partners. The case studies were drafted to isolate key insights about local collaboration and help identify strategic on-the-ground practices for FBCO leaders or TANF practitioners.

As states and territories prepare for TANF Reauthorization in 2011 and continue to navigate the challenges of the “Great Recession” they are focusing increased attention on harder-to-serve groups who may require strategic thinking and comprehensive service delivery. In order to develop stronger programs, increase interoperability, and leverage resources, the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region IX brought together safety-net partners and other key stakeholders for the Region IX TANF Strategic Session in San Francisco, California from September 15-16, 2010. The session focused on increased program integration, improved service delivery, and enhanced client interaction. Specific topics included improving assessment and service delivery for domestic violence victims, interagency collaboration, client assessment, and program development in a tough economy.

For many years Tribal communities throughout Arizona have been challenged to meet the economic needs of low-income residents. Many Tribal communities suffer from high unemployment and low educational attainment and are hampered economically by low-income levels. On September 1-2, 2010, to respond to the ongoing and specific needs of Tribes in Arizona, the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region IX hosted a Tribal TANF meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. The meeting focused on comprehensive case management for Tribal TANF participants, administrative guidance, job creation, data management, and program development. As requested by the participants of the 2009 Tribal TANF meetings in ACF Region IX all care was used to develop a more interactive session between presenters and participants. As a result, the 2010 ACF Region IX Tribal TANF meetings were developed as discussion forums and there are no additional printed resources available at this time. For any additional information on these meetings, please contact ACF Region IX.

For many Tribal communities throughout the Pacific West the challenges of meeting the self-sufficiency needs of Tribal members have increased during the economic downturn. Improving the responsiveness and applicability of Tribal TANF programs requires strategic thinking and broad visioning and as a result the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region IX organized a two-part training and technical assistance meeting for Tribes in California and Nevada. The meetings—hosted in San Francisco, California—were held August 16-17, 2010 and October 18-19, 2010 and were targeted to the specific program needs of Tribal TANF programs throughout the region. Specific topics included organizational assessment and strategic planning, capacity building, program assessments, data management and usage, and client assessment. As requested by the participants of the 2009 Tribal TANF meetings in ACF Region IX all care was used to develop a more interactive session between presenters and participants. As a result, the 2010 ACF Region IX Tribal TANF meetings were developed as discussion forums and there are no additional printed resources available at this time. For any additional information on these meetings, please contact ACF Region IX.