Working with previously untapped community partners helps kinship-serving agencies to better empower and sustain kinship families. The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network will host a webinar on June 13, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET featuring a panel representing national organizations, including Family Resource Centers, that have local programming in communities across the country. Speakers will share how and why they began supporting kinship families and provide strategies for approaching untapped collaborators and working with them to serve local communities.

This comprehensive child welfare resource provides state and national data on child maltreatment, foster care, kinship caregiving, permanency, and older youth in care. The data are essential to help policymakers understand how many children and youth come in contact with the child welfare system, and why. States can use this information to ensure that their child welfare systems support the safety, stability, and well-being of all families in their state.

This report is a formative evaluation of two employment programs targeting young people who are aging out of the foster care system: iFoster Jobs in Los Angeles County and Mentoring Youth to Inspire Meaningful Employment (MY TIME) in Chicago. Key questions addressed in the report include do the programs operate in keeping with their logic models, who do the programs serve, are the program goals attained, what are the programs’ successes and challenges, and do the programs have the potential for future rigorous evaluation.

The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network will host a webinar on April 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET to explain how family dynamics in kinship families differ from those in other families. TANF programs working with kinship families can use this information to tailor supports that recognize complex family dynamics while promoting stability and continuity of care for children.

New federal efforts like A Home for Every Child, updated CFSRs, and emerging performance dashboards signal a shift in direction that raises new questions about how systems can better support children, families, and the workforce. At the center of the conversation is a shared goal: helping every child grow up in a safe, stable home. The American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar on April 9, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to discuss what this evolving landscape means in practice.

This Institute for Family Studies report examines the challenges many parents face in balancing economic pressures, caregiving responsibilities, and overall well-being. Findings highlight how financial stress, limited supports, and caregiving demands can affect family stability and long-term outcomes. For TANF programs, the report reinforces the importance of two-generation strategies that address both parental needs and child well-being, ensuring that supports such as child care, employment services, and mental health resources are aligned to strengthen the entire family unit.

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network resource highlights how collocating social services directly within community settings can reduce barriers to access and improve engagement among families. By embedding supports where families already live or receive services, programs can increase participation and streamline referrals across systems. For TANF programs, onsite service models offer a practical strategy to strengthen coordination with workforce and human services partners, helping families more easily access the full range of supports needed for employment and stability.

This program profile from the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network highlights how Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest supports kinship caregivers through navigation services, resource connections, and community-based supports. The model demonstrates how coordinated services can help stabilize kinship placements and improve outcomes for children and caregivers. TANF programs can draw lessons from this approach to strengthen partnerships and better support relatives caring for children outside the traditional foster care system.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse offers a comprehensive compendium of fatherhood curricula designed to support responsible parenting, healthy relationships, and economic stability. These evidence-informed and promising program models can help TANF agencies and partners strengthen father engagement strategies, offer parenting and relationship education, and better support noncustodial parents in contributing to family well-being.

This report from the American Enterprise Institute examines the role of family structure, particularly single parenthood, in shaping long-term economic mobility outcomes. The analysis explores how family dynamics intersect with opportunity and highlights implications for policy and program design. TANF programs may find this research useful in understanding the broader context of family stability, informing strategies that support parents, strengthen economic security, and promote positive outcomes for children across generations.