Project IMPROVE, which is funded by the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), is a training and technical assistance resource for TANF programs interested in improving outcomes for low-income families. Under contract with OFA, Mathematica Policy Research works in partnership with state and local TANF agencies using the Learn, Innovate, Improve (LI2) process to execute collaborative, evidence-informed program change. LI2 was developed by Mathematica in partnership with the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University with support from the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. This process has been or is being used in dozens of TANF and workforce agencies across the country to design, implement, and test innovative strategies to improve program performance and client outcomes.

This OFA-sponsored webinar on October 26th from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EST provided an overview of the LI2 process, drawing upon recent examples of how it has helped large and small, urban and rural TANF programs make targeted improvements and manage change. We highlighted innovations that have emerged from TANF programs using this process. Presenters included Michelle Derr and Jonathan McCay from Mathematica Policy Research, Dena Jardine from the Larimer County Workforce Center in Colorado, and Noelle Simmons from the San Francisco Human Services Agency.

Recognizing the valuable role of non-custodial parents (NCPs) in the lives of their children, there are a variety of programs that engage NCPs in employment services designed to increase the financial stability of both the NCP and the custodial family. Research has demonstrated that employment programs for low-income NCPs have far-reaching effects of improving family outcomes. When TANF families receive reliable child support payments, they are more likely to experience improved economic stability and enhanced family well-being due to a more consistent and predictable flow of income each month. In order for NCPs to provide such support, they need steady income through long-term livable wage employment. However, similarly to TANF participants, many NCPs struggle with a variety of employment barriers that are prohibitive to obtaining and maintaining stable employment.

An interactive webinar, Improving Economic Stability for TANF Families by Engaging Non-Custodial Parents in Employment Services, was held on September 13, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EST. During the webinar, programs that serve NCPs shared how they support NCPs in addressing employment barriers and connecting them to meaningful long-term employment.

On August 14-16, 2017, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the 2017 Linking TANF Families to Employment and Economic Opportunities Meeting, which brought together TANF administrators, stakeholders, and leaders to discuss the current successes and challenges facing TANF programs. For those who were unable to attend, OFA livestreamed the meeting’s plenary sessions to ensure that the vital information and promising practices were shared to a wider audience.   

Plenaries streamed included Reimagining TANF and the Human Services with remarks by Steven Wagner, Assistant Acting Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, and The American Safety Net – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, which featured a panel comprised of Clarence H. Carter, Director of OFA, Robert Doar, Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies for the American Enterprise Institute, and Susan Dreyfus, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.

Mr. Carter also moderated the Examples of Employment Excellence plenary discussion, which featured four organizations from across the nation that have successfully increased employment outcomes for various hard-to-employ populations. Finally, the meeting closed with the TANF/WIOA Integration – State and County Innovation in Action plenary, highlighting the efforts of three states (Maryland, Massachusetts, and Missouri) to develop workforce partnerships that help meet the needs of individuals, families, and employers.

Post-employment services that align with individual’s interests, strengths, and abilities are necessary to ensure they can maintain or advance in employment. Unfortunately, many TANF participants tend to obtain low-skill/low-wage jobs with little room for advancement and can experience difficulty retaining jobs. TANF programs strive to address this issue by offering a variety of post-employment education, training, and supportive services designed to help TANF families sustain long-term livable wage employment and occupational advancement. Given the significant flexibility TANF programs have in the type of post-employment support offered, these services vary across states and programs, depending on the needs of TANF participants. During our interactive webinar, Post-Employment Services and Strategies for TANF Programs on August 2, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EST, TANF programs shared how they continue to support TANF participants post-employment through a variety of approaches.

An interactive webinar Strengthening Success through Coordinated Mental Health and Substance Use Services for TANF Participants was held on May 30, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EST; during the webinar, TANF programs shared how they support participants in addressing mental health and substance use challenges. This webinar included an in-depth look into how the featured programs have developed partnerships with mental health and substance use providers and how they ensure continuous support of TANF participants through ongoing collaboration.

The 2016 Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Region I (Boston), Region II (New York), Region III (Philadelphia), and Region IV (Atlanta) East Coast TANF Directors Meeting was held on July 12‐14, 2016, in Providence, Rhode Island. The theme, Reflecting on the Past: Looking Forward to the Future, was an opportunity for TANF program directors and other key stakeholders to engage with peers about innovative ideas, strategies, and collaborations that promote economic and social well‐being for individuals, families, and communities. Meeting participants engaged with OFA leadership, their peers, and experts in the field to discuss some of the pressing challenges facing TANF participants and low‐income, vulnerable families today and ways that TANF programs can serve as a comprehensive support system for these families. Sessions focused on two‐generation approaches to breaking the cycle of poverty, TANF/WIOA coordination and implementation, career pathways and apprenticeships, targeting the hard‐to‐serve and executive functioning, and additional opportunities for TANF programs in 2016 and beyond. The context of these discussions was grounded in using data to measure program effectiveness and drive decision‐making.