This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation-funded (OPRE) study illustrates the early implementation of the Ramsey County, Minnesota, Lifelong Learning Initiative (LLI). Research has found that chronic stress associated with living in poverty can hinder executive skills, such as planning, decision-making, and organizing. The LLI uses a goal-oriented approach to help TANF recipients set their own employment-focused goals by breaking them down into more manageable tasks and develop these executive skills as they work toward employment outcomes.

SNAP Employment and Training Programs (SNAP E&T) and State and local workforce agencies share a common goal of enabling low-income individuals to gain skills necessary to qualify for jobs leading to self-sufficiency. Guidance issued by Food and Nutrition Service in March 2016 encouraged SNAP and workforce agencies to collaborate on shared strategies that connect SNAP recipients — particularly able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) — to provide employment and training services through American Job Centers (also known as one-stop centers).

This webinar will highlight how States can use SNAP E&T funds strategically, along with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) resources, to expand the types of services E&T participants receive to more comprehensively meet their needs and improve outcomes. Representatives from Worksystems in Portland, Oregon and the State of Minnesota will share how their SNAP E&T program and workforce systems are working together, including through third-party partnership models.

This webinar will be on June 21, 2018 and held from 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m. PDT/1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT.

Speakers:

• Julie Strawn, Principal Associate, Social & Economic Policy, Abt Associates
• Worksystems, Portland, Oregon
• State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Saint Paul, Minnesota 

On August 17, 2017, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) sponsored a technical assistance site exchange for Ramsey County (Minnesota) Workforce Solutions to meet with staff from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation’s (DLLR) Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning, and Maryland Department of Human Services’ Office of Workforce Development to discuss service delivery methods. During the site exchange, Ramsey County shared materials that reflect their approach to adopting and implementing a comprehensive, strengths-based, service delivery model, including how they built staff capacity through training on coaching, motivational interviewing, and executive functioning skills. (When using these materials, Mathematica, Goodwill Easter Seals of Minnesota, and Ramsey County Workforce Solutions should be credited.)

This practice brief highlights the efforts of four Office of Family Assistance, Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy teams that redesigned their TANF case management systems to support client coaching and motivational interviewing strategies. The Academy was an 18-month initiative that supported TANF programs in designing and creating collaborative systems across agencies to improve family economic security.

The Office of Family Assistance’s (OFA) Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy (Policy Academy) was an 18-month intensive technical assistance (TA) initiative in 2015–2016 for seven states and one county interested in modernizing and improving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practice. During the initiative, sites received dedicated coaches, onsite strategic planning, access to expert consultants, and tailored written resources. Additionally, they participated in several in-person convenings, peer exchanges, and virtual training. These state profiles detail the journey and lessons learned of the 8 teams that participated in the Policy Academy.

This brief from the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy discusses demographics in Southwestern Minnesota, a rural area where the population is aging and becoming more diverse, particularly among youth. The goal of the brief is to analyze the circumstances youth face in this region, including consideration of economic, educational, and social indicators. Also discussed is the increasing inequality of opportunity, as well as the strengths of the region that could facilitate improvements to social circumstances and youth opportunities.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Regions IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII hosted the Tribal Technical Assistance Meeting on May 3‐5, 2016 at the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The meeting brought together Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Native Employment Works (NEW) stakeholders to discuss innovative strategies and collaborations to promote economic and social well‐being for individuals, families, and tribal communities. During the meeting, tribal representatives engaged in talking circles and listening sessions, shared best practices, and participated in workshops and action planning in order to more successfully serve the program participants in their communities.

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.

 

This Ramsey County, Minnesota website provides resources in PDF format under the "Training" tab for the Diversionary Work and Minnesota Family Investment Programs. Multiple resources are included, such as service provider trainings in 2015 and 2014, that cover the topics of coaching, domestic violence, and executive functioning.