The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) and Emergency Assistance programs wit the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Under TANF, the nature of public assistance changed from an entitlement program to one that requires individuals to work in order to receive time-limited support. This change in the welfare delivery system was accompanied by an increase in State-level flexibility in program design and operation. Welfare reform required no less than a redefinition of the role of decision makers at the Federal, State and local level, including the role played by front line workers when interacting with welfare recipients. In the journey toward reinventing the social safety net, States have met a variety of formidable challenges. Five years after the passage of welfare reform, this report takes stock of the past and current challenges that States have encountered. This report focuses on the policies and services provided to the hardest-to-serve and on the network of collaborations that States have developed to address the needs of these populations.

The National Healthy Marriage Academy, held January 8 and 9, 2003,  in Arlington, VA, provided an opportunity for representatives from several States to learn more about the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Healthy Marriage Initiative. The Academy afforded States an opportunity to hear presentations from nationally recognized speakers, researchers, and Federal policy makers, as well as from other States with successful Healthy Marriage Initiatives.

This report describes a meeting that took place in Charleston, WV, on November 3, 2004, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The meeting was a follow-up to a a Healthy Marriage Forum that took place in Charleston, WV, on June 9, 2004.

This resource reviews the Administration for Children and Families' Healthy Marriage Initiative, which was designed to support President Bush's goal of increasing healthy marriages by focusing attention and action on strengthening marriages and preparing interested individuals and couples for healthy marriages. This publication showcases some of the programs that organizations have developed using ACF grants and demonstrates how these programs are helping to create successful marital partnerships. This publication also provides insight into some of the lessons learned along the way that other agencies and organizations can use to promote healthy marriages in their communities.

The ACF West-Central Hub Family Stabilization Workshop, held September 26 and 27, 2001, in Denver, CO, had three primary themes: Responsible Fatherhood, Faith-based and Community Initiatives, and Marriage and Family Stabilization. The Administration for Children and Families West-Central Hub includes Region VI (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas) and Region VIII (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming). The objectives of the workshop were to introduce participants to successful programs in the three key areas, to encourage networking, and to serve vulnerable children and families by focusing on making lasting connections. Speakers from various programs and perspectives  shared promising practices, challenges, and lessons learned in the area of family stabilization.

This report describes the Colorado Strengthening Families Conference held September 18 and 19, 2002, in Denver, CO. The Colorado Strengthening Families Conference was intended “to serve as an opportunity for leaders in the State to come together to share research, strategies, and programs that foster healthy families and promote long-term success in life and work.”

This report describes the ACF Dallas Regional Office’s Midwinter Leadership Conference held in Dallas, TX, on January 21-24, 2003. The theme of the Conference was “Leading the Way: Positive Educational, Social and Healthy Outcomes for Children.” The Conference addressed the following areas: positive youth development, improving children’s lives by encouraging responsible fatherhood and healthy marriages, community movements, and team approaches to TANF.

The training conference was to deliver training and education to program administrators to conform to Federal regulations, collaborate on faith- and community-based coordination, and to foster strategic plans for carrying out ACF's objectives. The conference sought to increase awareness of the priorities that contribute to the well-being of children and families.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration's (DOLETA's) sponsored a one and a half day seminar on the development of strategies to help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Welfare to Work (WTW) customers overcome barriers to employment. The purpose of the conference was to give practitioners an opportunity to exchange information on experiences, learn of promising program strategies, and consider what can be done to help customers with multiple barriers to work who are facing time limits get on a pathway to employment. This report provides a summary of the seminar.

This report summarizes the key findings of the Administration for Children and Families' seminar, “Site Visit to ConnectInc: Offering Effective Post-employment Services to TANF Clients in Rural Areas,” held June 18-19, 2002, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.