This joint letter was signed by program heads in HHS and Agriculture providing information related to the health insurance exchanges, Medicaid eligibility information technology systems, the advance planning process for information technology procurements and how these and other programs can work together.

This resource is a presentation given by the Keynote speaker, Eugene Bardach, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley at the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics 50th Annual Workshop. The meeting occurred September 28-29, 2010 in Los Angeles, California, and the presentation was entitled, "Interagency Collaboration and Coordination in Social Policy Research and Practice."

These resources come directly from the field, and consist of tools used by leading practitioners--both TANF officials and FBCO leaders--throughout the country. Examples include inter-agency Memoranda of Understanding, tracking and referral forms, recruitment tools, confidentiality agreements, and relevant participation surveys. Our tools are available in PDF, but if you would like Word versions of the tools, please email us at: peerta@blhtech.com.
Please note: Though used in the field, these products are not endorsed by the Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any other branch of the federal government.

The TANF Faith-Based and Community Organizations Initiative was designed to examine promising partnerships between TANF offices and FBCOs working in their communities. The goal of the initiative was to help low-income participants attain economic self-sufficiency by linking together the unique strengths of faith-based organizations, community-based groups, and intermediary organizations with TANF programs at the state and local levels. The project described some leading practices in partnering organizations nationwide, and makes available a set of on-the-ground tools for interested TANF program leaders and FBCO communities.

There were four primary components of the Initiative:

The initiative’s first phase (2007-08) collected information from 139 grassroots faith-based and community organizations nationwide, resulting in a Compendium of Organizations, which documents core components of 139 local social service organizations. After a careful vetting process, 23 of these organizations with highly promising elements—whether because of their relationship with local TANF agencies, unique approaches to serving clients, existing public support, or evidence of effectiveness—were selected for further study.

The project’s second phase (2008-09) consisted of a refined analysis of the top 23 FBCOs, described in the Snapshots of Success report. The research team followed up systematically with Executive Directors in each of the 23 sites, and using information gleaned from informal phone-based outreach, identified 8 sites that would participate in on-site interviews and analysis.

During the third phase (2009-10), the team conducted two-day site visits with each of the 8 leading FBCO partners, and developed initial case studies about FBCO programs partnering with their local TANF office.

Finally, the initiative’s fourth phase (2010-11) compiled these case studies and other relevant “tools” gathered in the field into an online webpage, for use by a larger number of FBCO or TANF program leaders interested in supporting local public-private partnerships in their communities.

During Phase 3 of the project (2009-2010), in close partnership with the OFA Federal Project Officer, the project team conducted two-day site visits with each leading organization, which included faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and intermediary partners. The case studies were drafted to isolate key insights about local collaboration and help identify strategic on-the-ground practices for FBCO leaders or TANF practitioners.

From the College Board, this annual progress report provides a roadmap for educators and policymakers to increase postsecondary education retention. The United States is currently lagging behind in the college completion rate from other industrialized countries, especially for minority and low-income students. With a goal of reaching a graduation rate of 55 percent by 2025, this agenda provides key recommendations, providing promising strategies to help meet this goal.

While college attendance has increased over the last thirty years, the proportion of students who complete college has decreased. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago authored this issue brief which provides data on the educational trajectories of Chicago youth from high school to college. Reviewing the paths that youth follow throughout high school and beyond, authors then suggest policies to support these youth as young adults as they pursue their postsecondary educational goals.

The final report is now available! The Administration for Children and Families Regions VI and VIII and the Employment and Training Administration Region IV came together to host the Client Success through Partnership: 2010 TANF and Workforce Meeting in Dallas, Texas from July 25-27, 2010. The meeting contained a series of targeted discussion forums, interactive plenary sessions, and peer-to-peer breakouts coordinated to improve partnership and collaboration among TANF and workforce programs. Over the two and one-half days, attendees were exposed to a variety of sessions presented by more than 20 distinguished experts and peers from the TANF, workforce, social service, and research communities.

From the Center for Law and Social Policy, Maine’s Parents as Scholars (PaS) program provides services to Maine TANF participants who are pursuing two-year or four-year postsecondary degrees. The program is open to all TANF participants who did not previously have a bachelor’s degree in a field with available jobs or do not make 85 percent of Maine’s median income for their family size in their current field. Participants must remain full-time students, maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average, and must be on track to complete their degree programs in the usual two or four years.

The Urban Institute hosted this Web cast with four experts from across the social policy spectrum. Speakers discussed lessons learned from public policies and programs that they have had experienced in the line of their work. Panelists included Greg Berman, the director of the Center for Court Innovation; Martha R. Burt, an affiliated scholar with the Urban Institute and expert in homelessness, welfare, hunger, and social service delivery; Kevin Finneran, the editor-in-chief of Issues in Science and Technology; Olivia Golden, an Institute fellow at the Urban Institute whose work focuses on service delivery, leadership, and political strategies human services programs, and; Susan J. Popkin, an expert on assisted housing and mobility and a senior fellow at the Urban Institute.