For many Tribal communities throughout the Pacific West the challenges of meeting the self-sufficiency needs of Tribal members have increased during the economic downturn. Improving the responsiveness and applicability of Tribal TANF programs requires strategic thinking and broad visioning and as a result the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region IX organized a two-part training and technical assistance meeting for Tribes in California and Nevada. The meetings—hosted in San Francisco, California—were held August 16-17, 2010 and October 18-19, 2010 and were targeted to the specific program needs of Tribal TANF programs throughout the region. Specific topics included organizational assessment and strategic planning, capacity building, program assessments, data management and usage, and client assessment. As requested by the participants of the 2009 Tribal TANF meetings in ACF Region IX all care was used to develop a more interactive session between presenters and participants. As a result, the 2010 ACF Region IX Tribal TANF meetings were developed as discussion forums and there are no additional printed resources available at this time. For any additional information on these meetings, please contact ACF Region IX.

It is widely recognized that a large portion of TANF participants have encountered domestic violence at some point in their lives. The violence and its effects are often significant barriers to work and self sufficiency for TANF participants. To coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Peer Technical Assistance Network sponsored a webinar on the topic, entitled “Overcoming Domestic Violence as a Barrier to Employment through TANF Partnerships” on October 13th, 2010. Speakers for the event included Mary Roberto, Colorado Works Section Manager and Ruth Glenn, Director of the Colorado Department of Human Services’ Domestic Violence Program; Marylouise Kelley, Director of the Family Violence Prevention & Services Program at the Family and Youth Services Bureau; and Anne Menard, Director of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

In partnership with the American Public Human Services Association/National Association of State TANF Administrators (NASTA), the Welfare Peer TA Network designed a Roundtable session at the NASTA Annual Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina on September 13, 2010. This Roundtable was designed to engage State TANF Directors in dialogue and information exchange around their subsidized employment programs and their plans for continuing this work after funding was scheduled to cease on September 30, 2010 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Roundtable brought together a panel of researchers and practitioner experts from across the country to discuss their subsidized employment program1 impacts and outcomes. Speakers included Dr. LaDonna Pavetti, Director of the Welfare Reform and Income Support Division, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Ms. Linda Martin, Director, Division of Family Assistance, South Carolina Department of Social Services; Mr. Trent Rhorer, Executive Director, San Francisco Human Services Agency; and Mr. Robert Krebs, Executive Officer, Iowa Department of Human Services.

ACF Region I held a TANF Emergency Funds: Strategies for Maximizing Federal and State Resources for Families Meeting on January 14, 2010. There were representatives from each of the ACF Region I States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Representatives from the central and regional offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ACF Office of Family Assistance (OFA), the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), the Child Care Bureau (CCB), and the regional offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), were in attendance. This meeting explored how States could utilize the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which included the TANF Emergency Contingency Funds, and appropriated $5 billion for the provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for creating/enhancing subsidized employment programs, providing basic assistance (cash grants to low-income families), and providing non-recurrent short-term payments (e.g. four months of rental assistance for homeless families, security deposit and first month’s rent, utility assistance). In order to assist States in developing and implementing innovative initiatives to respond to rising caseloads and/or rising expenditures, ACF Region I held this meeting for States to discuss and share subsidized employment programs, on-the-job training, and non-recurrent short term benefits programs and to work together to determine next steps.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Regions V and VII hosted the Tribal TANF in the Heartland 2010 Meeting on August 11-12, 2010. The goal of the meeting was to help Tribal programs develop responsive and comprehensive Tribal TANF programs, especially in times of economic recession. Sessions included a variety of topics including case management, job creation, domestic violence, and fiscal management. This roundtable style event included presentations from experts in various fields and the opportunity for Tribal TANF representatives to share and network with their peers in innovative peer sharing and learning sessions.

ACF Regions II and III held a Maximizing ARRA Funding in the TANF Program Meeting in New York City, New York on February 4-5, 2010. This meeting explored how States in these two ACF Regions were utilizing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which included the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund—which appropriated $5 billion for the provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for creating/enhancing subsidized employment programs, providing basic assistance (cash grants to low-income families), and providing non-recurrent short-term payments (e.g. four months of rental assistance for homeless families, security deposit and first month’s rent, utility assistance). In order to assist States in implementing innovative initiatives to respond to rising caseloads and/or rising expenditures, ACF Regions II and III coordinated this strategy forum for States to share experiences and work together to determine next steps.

As part of their Rural Communities Initiative Technical Assistance Action Plan, the Montana team identified the prevalence of substance abuse challenges within their TANF caseload as among one of their chief concerns. The site was particularly interested in exploring new techniques that would simultaneously promote work attachment and higher work participation rates (WPR) along with facilitating overcoming drug and alcohol addiction. Based on these goals, the Montana team convened a substance abuse case management training where TANF staff from Roosevelt County and the Fort Peck Reservation were introduced to new and effective case management approaches for participants with substance abuse barriers. The training also included job development and job placement strategies tailored for TANF participants with substance abuse barriers. The training took place November 17-19, 2009 and was led by staff from the UC Davis Center for Human Services. As a result of the substance abuse centered TA they received, the Montana site developed new approaches to managing participants with substance abuse challenges. In addition to utilizing a more assets-based case management approach (e.g. motivational interviewing strategies), the site is also working to implement community involvement strategies that incorporate substance abuse prevention techniques.

While still facing serious fiscal and programmatic challenges, the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT) site felt strongly that their TANF program required an infusion of evidence-based practices and ideas that had successfully moved Tribal TANF participants into higher levels of self-sufficiency. WMAT identified the Navajo Nation Tribal TANF system as the case management model they hoped to replicate and a site visit was conducted in September 2009. During the site visit, five staff members from WMAT met with leadership from the Navajo Department of Workforce Development and the Program for Self Reliance to discuss Tribal TANF operations, cost efficient service delivery, serving remote Tribal TANF participants, and other case management strategies. The WMAT site visit to the Navajo Nation and the subsequent introduction of numerous promising strategies served as a valuable asset in the redesign of their Tribal Family Assistance Plan (TFAP). The principles of self-reliance and cultural values within the context of TANF, concepts they explored with the Navajo Nation, have become important components of their new TFAP.

As part of the Rural Communities Initiative and the Vermont site’s Individualized Technical Assistance Plan, Vermont decided to alter their TANF case management approach. Through a series of meetings, the team sketched out a new case management structure which included a team approach in place of one- on- one case management. In addition, the team decided that their staff could benefit from additional training in career coaching. To this end, the team requested that Charles Modiano, a youth development and employment initiative trainer, hold a training for all staff around career coaching and team based case management. The training was held March 25-26, 2009, and was attended by three of Vermont’s Economic Services Districts as well as the Vermont Economic Services central office. Due in part to this training, Vermont has developed a new model of service delivery, moving away from traditional case management and toward a community based teaming model of service. This model brings together all community partners working with the TANF participant to provide enhanced support towards reaching self-sufficiency. Also, as a result of the on-site training, the team chose to change the language used in service delivery to convey their philosophy of team oriented service. For example, the initial contact with a participant is now referred to as a “welcoming interview” instead of intake or assessment.

As a strategy to provide asset-based training for caseworkers and serve New Mexico's growing population of individuals with substance abuse barriers, New Mexico Works requested a substance abuse case management training, with a focus on motivational interviewing techniques. The training was designed and delivered by Dr. Alyssa Forcehimes from the University of New Mexico Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions. The curriculum was delivered over one day in April 2009 and two days in July 2009. The training provided participants with an overview of substance abuse in the TANF population, strategies for building self-efficacy in TANF participants, and ways to motivate participants to make positive behavioral changes. The New Mexico substance abuse case management training was attended by 35 caseworkers and managers. Evaluations from the training indicated that participants acquired a set of tools that can assist their clients in overcoming substance abuse barriers. A section of the training was also dedicated to strategies for conducting train-the-trainer sessions at participants' home sites.