TANF at 30
Landmark Dates for TANF
From the Director of the Office of Family Assistance:
- Thirty Years Later, Welfare Reform Needs Its Own Reform
- TANF and Work: The Gap Between Perception and Reality
- TANF and Work: The Caseload Reduction Credit and How States Exploit It
- The Prevalence of TANF Child-Only Cases Involving Immigration-Status-Ineligible Parents
- Safeguarding TANF Assistance: State Options for EBT Location and Purchase Restrictions
Families are Stronger Together
In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed…
When a young person turns 18 in foster care, the system too often just disappears. Extended foster care (EFC) programs exist to bridge that gap, keeping older youth connected to support as they transition into adulthood. But not all extended care…
When a child can't safely stay with their parents, the next best option is almost always a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or close family friend who already knows and loves them. Keeping that connection intact can make a profound difference in a child…
Positive father involvement can strengthen families, support child well-being, and improve outcomes for children. This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse webpage highlights its public awareness campaign, which offers videos, messages,…
Benefit cliffs can create difficult choices for families as earnings increase and public assistance begins to phase out. The American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar on June 22, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to explore strategies for…
Supportive services—such as childcare, transportation, housing assistance, and career coaching—can make the difference between participating in employment services and successfully reaching long-term goals. This National Skills Coalition resource…
Work Innovations
Supportive services—such as childcare, transportation, housing assistance, and career coaching—can make the difference between participating in employment services and successfully reaching long-term goals. This National Skills Coalition resource…
Approximately one in seven young people in New York City between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in school or not working. This MDRC brief examines the Advance & Earn program, which combines education, career coaching, and paid work experiences…
Young people leaving foster care often face financial challenges as they transition to adulthood, including managing money, securing housing, and planning for future goals. This Annie E. Casey Foundation brief introduces their financial…
The core mission of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is helping families reach self-sufficiency, but that goal is much harder when a parent is trying to go to school, raise children, and hold a job at the same time, all without…
Many families do not enter the child welfare system all at once; they arrive there after a series of crises that no one stepped in to address early enough. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can be a part of that early…
States across the country are finding new ways to connect child support participants with employment opportunities. This federal webpage highlights child support-led employment programs operating across the country and the services they provide…
Promoting Healthy Marriages and Two-Parent Families
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…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted this webinar that highlights the redesigned OFA PeerTA (PeerTA) website. PeerTA facilitates information…
The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the "Strategies to Assist Noncustodial Parents in Improving Economic Well-Being" webinar. This webinar showcased several programs making headway in this area.…
On April 22, 2014, the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Division of Tribal TANF Management and the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) hosted a webinar, "Tribal Child Support and Tribal TANF:…
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…
The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Division of Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Management and the Office of Child Support Enforcement hosted a Webinar entitled "Partnering for…