This Child Welfare Information Gateway podcast highlights how TANF can play a critical role in preventing child welfare involvement by addressing economic hardship and reducing stressors on families. It reinforces the connection between economic supports and family stability, an area where TANF programs are uniquely positioned to make an impact.

TANF programs can use this resource to strengthen coordination with child welfare partners and better align services that support families before challenges escalate. By taking a more connected, cross-system approach, programs can help stabilize caregiving environments and support safe, nurturing conditions for children.

A resource from the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network highlights how agencies are prioritizing placement with relatives or trusted caregivers when children cannot remain with their parents. These approaches help maintain family connections, reduce disruptions, and support more stable caregiving arrangements.

TANF programs can support this work by reinforcing care in the home or with relatives, including efforts that help stabilize caregiving arrangements, reduce placement changes, and support caregivers in meeting the day-to-day needs of children. This may also include coordinating with partner systems and aligning services to strengthen family-based care and promote continuity.

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.

This Fatherhood podcast episode examines the economic and social impact of investing in fathers, highlighting how father engagement contributes to improved outcomes for children and families. TANF programs can use these insights to strengthen fatherhood initiatives and reinforce the value of inclusive family supports.

Poppa University is a website that offers fatherhood-focused resources designed to strengthen parenting skills, promote responsible father engagement, and support family stability. TANF programs can draw on these tools to better engage fathers as key contributors to child well-being and economic security, helping to build stronger, more resilient families.

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.