On December 12, 2013, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Region X held a webinar, "Strengthening TANF and Low-Income Families through Strategic Non-Custodial Supports." The webinar, open to State TANF Directors and staff, local TANF agencies, and contractors, focused on how promoting the financial and personal responsibility of non-custodial parents (NCPs) can increase their participation in the lives of their children, improve their employment and career path outcomes, and improve the long-term outlook for children in single-parent families. The presenters highlighted specific programs and provided an overview of innovative ways to serve NCPs, improve their engagement with TANF families, and develop partnerships that meet their needs.

On November 21, 2013, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Region X held a webinar, "State TANF Redesign/Human Services Modernization Efforts" that was open to all State TANF Directors and staff, local TANF agencies, and contractors. The webinar featured the following speakers: Babette Roberts, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services; Lorie Young and Catherine Scardino, State of Hawaii Department of Human Services; and Deborah Carroll, District of Columbia Department of Human Services. For nearly 20 years, Federal and State governments have been working together in earnest to simplify, streamline and enhance publicly financed, human services programs. Most States have embraced increasing access and simplifying policies, have streamlined processes, made procedures more client-friendly, reduced paperwork, and sought to increase outreach to potentially eligible individuals. As a result, millions of at-risk individuals who might not have obtained vital human services supports now do. This moderated webinar provided an overview of State TANF redesign efforts, including the process, lessons learned, and progress made thus far in Washington, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.

The OFA Regions VI & VIII TANF Webinar Series: TANF Data Reporting and Analysis Webinar # 3: Using Research to Inform Practice: ACF's Family Self-Sufficiency and Stability Research Consortium (FSSRC), was held on September 12, 2013. The webinar, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Regions VI & VIII, featured Mr. Brendan Kelly, a Senior Social Science Research Analyst and the Dissemination Team Leader in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE); Dr. Michelle Derr, a Senior Researcher at Mathematica Policy Research; and Ms. Kinsey Dinan, the Deputy Director of the New York City Human Resources Administration's Office of Evaluation and Research. Speakers provided an overview of the structure of and opportunities available through the three components of ACF, OPRE, FSSRC including the Scholar's Network, Data Center, and Project AWESOME. The webinar also included a discussion of how State and local program administrators can work with in-house researchers to gain insight into the impact of their programming.

On June 27-28, 2012 the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Region X hosted a Tribal TANF Institute in Seattle, Washington bringing together Tribal TANF stakeholders throughout the Region to engage in dialogue and action planning on a variety of topics. The Institute featured presenters from the Tanana Chiefs Conference and their coaches from the Promising Pathways Initiative who led Institute attendees in sessions on data collection and TANF staff collaboration, developing process maps and logic models, and connecting Information Systems/Information Technology and TANF. Other sessions included: a facilitated conversation with the Tribes on work participation in rural areas; a panel on Child Welfare and Tribal TANF collaboration that included representatives from the Region X Child Welfare office, Mark Kimball from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and Don Shircel from the Tanana Chiefs Conference; Pamela Panther from the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency and Ilene Stohl from the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence who presented on the Family Violence Option and how to successfully develop and implement a comprehensive response to domestic violence; and Christy Finsel, a consultant, and Karen "Jack" Granberg who led a session on creating an Individual Development Account (IDA) program within Tribal TANF programs.

On September 25 and 26, 2012, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Administrators along with other key stakeholders gathered in San Francisco for the Region IX 2012 Tribal TANF Technical Assistance Workshop. The central purpose of this workshop was to enable attendees to dialogue with one another and hear from field experts on a variety of critical topics pertaining to Tribal TANF program administration. Attendees were also provided with the opportunity to network amongst their peers and share recent successes and challenges. Over the course of the two-day workshop, a number of important topics were addressed, including: case management to achieve successful outcomes; creating opportunities for Tribal TANF participants via partnerships and collaborations; successful work placements for Tribal TANF participants; TANF penalty process; and supporting Tribal TANF participants with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.

On August 14 and 15, 2012, State and Territory Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Administrators along with other key stakeholders gathered in San Francisco for the Region IX 2012 TANF Innovations in Action Forum. The central purpose of this forum was to enable attendees to discuss critical issues pertaining to TANF program administration and to explore new strategies for improving TANF programs for low-income and working families in their States and Territories. Attendees were also provided with the opportunity to report on the current status of TANF programs at the local level and to receive updates on current TANF policy developments. Over the course of the two-day forum, a number of important topics were addressed, including: work-oriented programs for vulnerable populations and youth; subsidized employment and transitional jobs programs; innovative case management and service coordination models; career pathways and work study programs for TANF participants; and privatization models and call centers.

On June 26-27, 2012, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Region IX Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Office held the annual Tribal TANF meeting for Arizona Tribes in the Region. The meeting provided an opportunity for Tribal TANF programs to join together to network and share lessons learned and best practices that will help lead to improved program effectiveness. The meeting provided information on key ACF initiatives and provided a forum for discussing strategies for increasing and improving employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for Tribal TANF participants through supportive services, assessments, career pathways models, and healthy relationship skills.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Region IX hosted representatives from Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, and Nevada at the 2013 Region IX TANF Peer Collaboration and Technical Assistance Workshop in American Canyon, California on September 10-11, 2013. State and territory representatives shared strategies they are utilizing to improve program performance and outcomes for TANF participants. Experts from the field added to the discussions with presentations on the role of TANF in resolving homelessness; engaging non-custodial parents as a strategy to facilitating family self-sufficiency; utilizing peer mentor approaches to improve client engagement; and emerging research opportunities in the TANF field.