The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Regions V and VII hosted 14 Tribes, community stakeholders and topical experts at the 2011 Tribal TANF Meeting in Prior Lake, Minnesota on August 16th and 17th, 2011. The conference agenda featured experts and presenters who helped Tribal TANF programs strategize to develop stronger programs that would better serve their participants. Presenters discussed reauthorization, working with State governments, managing data, meeting fiscal requirements and other critical issues relevant to the Tribes in Regions V and VII. The meeting was designed with ample opportunity for Tribal TANF programs to share amongst themselves, interact with their Tribal Council members and ACF.

State TANF programs are continuing to develop and implement strategies to improve the economic self-sufficiency of low-income families as they await a full reauthorization of the program scheduled for September 30, 2011. 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 Regions V and VII convened the 2011 TANF Directors' Technical Assistance Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 28-29, 2011 to discuss the status of TANF programs and foster improved peer dialogue around practical solutions to common challenges facing TANF programs and recipients. The meeting brought together State 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 and trafficking victims, and 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 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was developed to assist low-income and working families transition into employment and achieve greater levels of economic self-sufficiency. State/Territory/Tribal TANF grantees are responsible for managing more than $16 billion in Federal funds and successfully managing TANF programs requires skill and understanding. On June 15-16, 2011, the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Regions I, II, and III hosted the first ever fiscal management workshop for TANF programs. The 2011 Tri-Regional TANF Fiscal Management Symposium in New York, New York covered topics from caseload reduction credits and maintenance of effort (MOE), to cost allocation, audits, and penalties and provided TANF program representatives with the most comprehensive and hands-on training on managing TANF programs available.

The Chippewa Cree Tribal TANF Program, operating on the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana, recently submitted a Technical Assistance Request to Welfare Peer TA on developing a formal process/model to guide their case managers in delivering wraparound case management to TANF participants. As a result, Welfare Peer TA contracted with the U.C. Davis Extension at the University of California, Sacramento to deliver the Chippewa Cree Tribal Wraparound Services Training on April 26–27, 2011. The training focused on the background and implementation of the wraparound services model and included an in-depth action planning session.

This cross-site analysis examines all 8 of the exemplary FBCO-TANF partnerships described in the project’s case studies, by drawing out important findings related to volunteer management, organizational infrastructure, inter-agency communication, and place-based strategies. Moreover, the 14-page report articulates some of the leading reasons a TANF agency would want to partner with an FBCO, and it describes how effective partnerships can emerge. (author abstract)

The Office of Family Assistance began the Rural Communities Initiative in 2008, and many rural areas expressed an interest in learning more about how to utilize technology in their TANF programs and in their communities. This Webinar included presentations from Ms. Mary Campanola, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development, Telecommunications Program; Ms. Sheryl Rehberg, Executive Director, North Florida Workforce Development Board; and Mr. Stan Brodka, Director of Sales, KeyTrain. (author abstract)

To assist States in strategically and creatively utilizing their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars, while yielding better outcomes for low-income families, Occupational Enterprises, Inc., (OEI) sought assistance from the Northern Shenandoah Valley Public Mobility Program for methods of addressing rural transportation issues in Southwest Virginia. The Intelligent Transportation Society of Virginia developed the Public Mobility Session to assist human service transportation and rural transit service providers in implementing economically viable technology applications to improve public mobility. This report is a summary of the 1-day site visit sponsored by the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network to Front Royal, Virginia on Thursday, June 17, 2004, to allow OEI to study a successful rural transportation venture in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia before they design their own approach. (author abstract)

This report details associated transportation barriers experienced by TANF participants in New Jersey. Based on focus groups and interviews conducted with caseworkers and TANF participants, it provides a first-hand look at how transportation barriers limit participants’ employment opportunities. Findings include that approximately one in three participants report losing a job opportunity due to transportation challenges. Lacking adequate public transportation, as well as the ability to afford a car, impedes individuals’ abilities to both find and retain employment. Several suggestions are proposed to help reduce these barriers – including more reliable bus routes, and decreasing the costs of car ownership. This resource also reviews several “best practice” state programs that support low-income families in obtaining vehicles and subsidized public transport.

Research and statistics indicate that Native women are victims of violence at rates much higher than their non-native counterparts. This violence can include domestic violence, sexual assault, and physical assault by strangers. The violence and its effects are often significant barriers to work and self sufficiency for Tribal TANF participants along with lasting emotional, physical and spiritual scars. The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network sponsored a Webinar entitled, "Domestic Violence and TANF Partnership in Indian Country" on June 27th at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. Topics included models for partnering with domestic violence agencies, culturally appropriate ways of handling domestic violence when working with Native survivors and an overview of resources available for engaging Native survivors.

On April 26th, 2011, Peer TA hosted a Webinar on a pair of innovative partnerships between TANF programs (or other public systems) and local faith-based or community organizations serving the same low-income families and individuals in their communities. Though these two sectors often work independently at the local level, many TANF officials and program leaders have experienced considerable gains by partnering.