This webinar from the Office of Family Assistance’s PeerTA Network explored promising practices and programs from Washington and North Carolina that are increasing coordination between TANF and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) programs to better support low-income families. Webinar participants were provided with an overview of TANF program areas that can be enhanced and/or expanded through alignment with SNAP E&T. The webinar was held on July 21, 2016 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET.

Presenters included:

*Caitlin Lowell, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance
*Kaila Wilson, USDA Food and Nutrition Services, SNAP Employment&Training
*Rick Krauss, Seattle Jobs Initiative
*Babs Roberts, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
*Nancy Coston, Orange County Department of Social Services

The Office of Family Assistance held a webinar on “Creating Tribal TANF and WIOA Partnerships to Connect Tribal Families to Employment” on July 20, 2016, from 2:00-3:15 p.m. ET. This webinar provided an opportunity to hear about partnerships between Tribal TANF agencies and local Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) providers. Tribal employment and training agencies often face job placement challenges common to many remote and rural areas – namely, a small pool of employers, few job openings, and limited education and training opportunities in high demand labor areas. For these reasons, it is critical that Tribal TANF participants have the skills necessary to compete for jobs that already exist or are growing within the region. Local WIOA providers can help build the skills of Tribal TANF participants by providing job training and adult education services targeted to in-demand jobs in the region. Speakers from four organizations—Department of Labor, California Indian Manpower Consortium, Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association, and Cankdeska Cikana Community College—discussed the innovative partnerships they have formed between Tribal TANF and WIOA to help move families toward self-sufficiency.

Speakers included:

• Athena Brown, Division Chief, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Indian and Native American Programs
• Yvette Yazzie, Pala Site Manager, Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association
• Christina Arzate, CIMC Workforce Development Coordinator III, California Indian Manpower Consortium
• Larry D. Anderson, Job Development Specialist, Cankdeska Cikana Community College

The Office of Family Assistance hosted a Webinar on Providing Mental Health Services for TANF and Other Low-Income Participants on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. ET. In this facilitated webinar, presenters provided an overview of the challenges programs face in providing mental health services; progress made in states since welfare reform in 1996; and newer implications and opportunities for collaboration in the context of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Presenters provided examples from programs that have taken different approaches to addressing the mental health needs of TANF and other low-income participants, through work opportunities coupled with supportive services, partnerships with outside mental health services, and connection to Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Presenters included: Dr. Mary Spooner, Senior Manager, ICF International; Miranda Gray, Reach Up Administrator, Economic Services Division, Vermont Department for Children and Families; and Timothy Cantrell, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Rehabilitative Services, Human Resources Administration, New York City Department of Social Services.

The Office of Family Assistance hosted a Webinar titled When TANF Intersects with Pregnant Teen and Young Parent Services on May 11th, 2016 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT. Pregnant teens and young parents have been a focus of national attention and intervention over the past two decades. While teen pregnancy rates have declined nationally, rates are still high for minority and low-income teens, and teen parents continue to be at great risk for living in poverty. Many teen parents struggle to find work opportunities, which increases the likelihood that their children will face similar struggles later in life. In this webinar, presenters provided information about innovative ways that programs are serving low-income pregnant teens and young parents. Presenters for the Webinar included: Sabrina Chapple, MPH, Public Health Advisor with the Office of Adolescent Health; Deborah Schlick from the Minnesota Department of Human Services; Ray Fleming Dinneen, Executive Director of CLIMB Wyoming; and Kristi Bruwer, Young Parents Demonstration Coordinator at Training Resources of America.