The implementation of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program presents a series of possible challenges and potential opportunities for local administrators providing services for low-income and working families seeking to achieve greater levels of economic independence. In an effort to assist TANF program administrators and stakeholders in understanding the application of Federal civil rights laws regarding discrimination, the Administration for Children and Families, Offices of Family Assistance (OFA) and Civil Rights (OCR) convened a virtual training on the applicable civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination. Covering topics relating to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable laws meant to prevent discrimination against those with disabilities; racial, ethnic, and language minorities, and those of varied ages, the training was in response to technical assistance requests regarding the obligations of State agencies, counties, and service providers administering welfare programs. Facilitated by the OCR, the training focused on all aspects of the TANF program, including applications, assessments, work program modifications, sanctions, and time limits and is the first part of a two-part training series hosted by OFA Region VIII on improving civil rights and HIPPA compliance.

In recent years, a significant change in the TANF caseload is the growth, proportionally speaking, of child-only cases. Child-only cases are typically defined as those TANF cases in which no adult recipient is included in the TANF cash grant. Child-only cases are classified as either parental or non-parental. Parental child-only cases are those cases in which a parent is present in the household, but is ineligible for TANF receipt due to a sanction, time limit, SSI receipt or alien status. Non-parental cases are those cases in which no parent is present; the children are residing with a relative or other adult with legal guardianship or custody. A small number of cases are in child-only status for unique reasons. (author abstract)

The Chippewa Cree Tribal TANF program operates on the Rocky Boy Reservation in northern Montana. At the request of Elaine Topsky (TANF Director for the Chippewa Cree Tribal TANF Program), the WPTA Network hosted a webinar for Ms. Topsky’s staff that addressed Wraparound services and how to use them effectively to best help Tribal TANF participants. The Wraparound approach is an outcome based approach that “ties the goals of the plan to observable or measurable indicators of success."

One of the key components of Wraparound services is that the program is “specialized to the unique needs of the child and their family.” The program utilizes the family, their community, case manager, and others to serve as sources of trust, collaborators who share the responsibility of accountability, and teammates who offer unconditional care. Through the duration of the Wraparound services, the case manager, who is often the facilitator, will help the family discover their strengths and determine their needs, at the same time helping the family set goals and develop strong options for their success. The WPTA Network engaged Dr. Geni Cowan of Eagle Blue Associates to facilitate the training.

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 Welfare Peer TA Network held a one-day training on December 9, 2011 for the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency in Shelton, Washington. The training entitled, “Reviving the Vision of Cultural Values and Compassion in Client Services,” developed by the University of California, Davis Extension (UC Davis), is also referred to as “Tribal TANF Town” because it utilizes experiential learning in which participants assume roles and work through the systems that TANF clients must interact with on a daily basis. The training resulted in four key learning points for training participants:

• Provide case management services with compassion;
• Model positive communication and service delivery skills;
• Follow a uniform mission of assisting participants to achieve wellness and promote economic, cultural, and social well-being of individuals, families, communities, and Tribes; and
• Practice professionalism and partnership.

The Technical Assistance summary provides additional details about the training and includes specific feedback from participants.

Many State TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) programs identify literacy services as a critical program component to provide participants. However, as most States experience budget shortfalls and are pressured to focus on job placement more often than remediation, literacy services are often underfunded. In general, those States that have been proactive in their approach to integrating adult literacy into their programs encourage personal responsibility and provide the needed foundation to engage in activities aimed at securing and maintaining employment. They have developed blended approaches that include, but are not limited to, remedial and secondary education programs, job-readiness training, employment/self-employment counseling, field training, and referral to services to improve life management skills. In these instances, the decisions were based on formal assessments and each State has amended the participant’s individual responsibility plan reflecting their training needs and including the necessary and available support services to ensure their success. The attached report provides an environmental scan of literacy resources, sample State programs and an overview of assessment tools.

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.

The PeerTA Network that provided an overview of the relationship between economic security and the empowerment of domestic violence survivors; outlined models of asset-building programs for survivors of domestic violence; and explained partnerships between TANF agencies, the domestic violence community, and asset-building programs that work to ensure the economic security and, ultimately, the safety and self-sufficiency of survivors of domestic violence. Anne Menard from the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence facilitated the webinar. Speakers included MaryLouise Kelley and Shawndell Dawson of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program within the Family and Youth Services Bureau, Kim Pentico from the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and Ilene Stohl from the Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence.

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 Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance Region X Office held the Alaska Tribal TANF Case Managers Training to address Alaska Tribal TANF organizations’ request for case management training. The meeting was held in Anchorage, Alaska, on May 3-5, 2011.