CWLA 2026 Conference

The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) will host their 2026 conference from April 20 to April 22, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. This conference is a national gathering of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates focused on improving outcomes for children and families across systems. With sessions on prevention, family engagement, early intervention, and cross-system collaboration, the CWLA conference provides a platform to share evidence-informed practices and build partnerships. TANF program staff can connect with child welfare and community leaders to explore cross-system strategies that support both family stability and economic self-sufficiency and discover innovative tools and frameworks that can enhance services for families navigating work, caregiving, and wellbeing. There is a registration fee for participation.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
Sponsor
The Child Welfare League of America
Location
1700 Richmond Highway
Arlington, VA 22202
OFA Initiatives
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)
Event Date
-

2026 KinFirst Convening: Rooted in Kin, Growing Together

Kinnect will host the 2026 KinFirst convening on March 27, 2026 in Newark, Ohio to bring together child welfare leaders, kinship support advocates, and community partners to explore how systems can better center families and kin caregivers in decisions that affect children’s lives. The event will focus on strategies for strengthening kinship placements, building caregiver capacity, and fostering supportive networks that help children thrive. The convening offers opportunities to learn about innovative kin-support models, deepen partnerships with kinship and child welfare providers, and identify ways TANF services can align with kin-centered approaches to enhance family stability and economic wellbeing. There is a registration fee for participation.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
Sponsor
Kinnect
Location
Cherry Valley Hotel
2299 Cherry Valley Road SE, Newark, OH, 43055, US
OFA Initiatives
State
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)
Event Date
-

Across the Map, Around the Table: Six FRC Models Lifting Up Kin Caregivers and Grandfamilies

Record Description

The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network will host a webinar on March 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET to showcase six different Family Resource Center (FRC) models that are creatively supporting kin caregivers and grandfamilies across the country, from rural and urban hubs to school-based, faith-based, and mobile programs. FRCs serve as community anchors that offer wraparound supports like parenting education, benefits navigation, peer groups, and concrete resources that help families thrive.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-03-25T14:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-03-25
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

How Religion Strengthens Family Life in a Fragmented Age

Record Description

This report from the Sutherland Institute explores how religious involvement and faith communities can support family stability by fostering commitment, shared values, and social support networks. It reviews evidence suggesting that participation in faith communities is linked with stronger family cohesion and resilience. While focusing on religion’s role, the examples can help TANF programs think about the broader social supports and community connections that contribute to family well-being and how partnerships with community organizations might enhance supports for participants.

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Combined Date
2025-11-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-11-01
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Rolling Out the Welcome Mat for Prevention

Record Description

This Imprint resource was co-authored by Assistant Secretary Alex Adams and highlights the importance of prevention-focused strategies in supporting families and keeping children out of more intensive systems like foster care. He argues that building strong entry points into supportive services, rather than waiting for crises, leads to better outcomes and less system involvement. The resource reinforces the value of early engagement with families, cross-system referrals, and collaboration across child welfare and community partners to help families thrive before deep instability occurs.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-02-02T08:00:15
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-02-02
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Finances and Faith Parts 1 and 2

Record Description

These episodes from the Made for Love podcast explore how faith and financial decision‑making intersect: from personal money management to how couples and families navigate budgeting, communication, and shared goals through a spiritual lens. Part 1 focuses on the role of faith in financial perspectives and habits, while Part 2 connects that conversation to family life and long‑term planning.

For TANF programs partnering with faith‑ and community‑based organizations, these discussions can be great conversation starters or supplemental content for financial coaching, workshops, or support groups. Sharing them with participants who value faith‑based insights can deepen engagement around budgeting, planning, and family goal‑setting in ways that resonate with their values and community supports.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-01-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2022-09-09
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Money Matters: 10 Biblical Principles of Financial Stewardship

Record Description

This resource shares ten principles for managing money in marriage, covering topics like communication, shared goal-setting, debt management, and long-term financial planning. TANF programs can partner with faith- and community-based organizations to use these principles in workshops or coaching sessions, helping participants explore values-driven financial practices while strengthening family stability. By integrating faith-informed guidance with TANF services, programs can offer participants practical tools for budgeting, planning, and shared decision-making in ways that resonate with their beliefs and community supports.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-01-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2018-04-18
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Building Skills, Building Futures: Supporting Literacy and Numeracy Skills to Improve TANF Employment Outcomes

Record Description

Low literacy and numeracy are prevalent among TANF participants and can be barriers to pursuing education, job training, and employment. Improving literacy and numeracy may improve employment outcomes as adults with higher literacy levels tend to earn more and experience greater job stability.

This tipsheet provides TANF leaders with practical guidance on why and how to use TANF resources to support basic skills development to improve employment outcomes. By investing in foundational skills, TANF agencies can promote long-term self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on government benefits.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-02-05T00:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-02-05
Section/Feed Type
PeerTA Resources (OFA Initiatives)
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TANFResourcesDevelop_BuildSkill.pdf 827.49 KB

New Public Dashboard on State Child Welfare Performance

Record Description

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has launched a new public dashboard that delivers transparent, standardized data on safety and permanency outcomes for children in foster care. The dashboard provides a centralized view of state-level child welfare performance, allowing users to explore key measures, examine trends over time, and compare data across states using information reported to ACF. 

This new tool supports ACF’s broader commitment to transparency, data quality, and performance monitoring. While the dashboard does not include TANF data or introduce new program requirements, it offers valuable context on the service landscape in which multiple ACF-administered programs operate and may inform cross-program coordination and technical assistance discussions.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-01-26T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-01-26

Strengthening Connections: Leveraging Existing Networks for Integrated Prevention Services

Record Description

The Office of Family Assistance partnered with the Children’s Bureau to develop the Families Are Stronger Together Learning Community (FAST-LC), which focused on preventing family involvement in the child welfare system through developing, implementing, and enhancing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)–Child Welfare (CW) partnerships and innovations. FAST-LC was a one-year initiative that involved 10 Tribal and state TANF and CW agencies. 

This tip sheet accompanies a video on Strengthening Connections: Leveraging Existing Networks for Integrated Prevention Services, which highlights lessons from the FAST-LC. These resources feature representatives from the Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and the California Tribal TANF Partnership, who discuss how they cultivated partnerships with agencies to plan and implement integrated prevention services.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-01-22T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-01-22
Section/Feed Type
PeerTA Resources (OFA Initiatives)
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Attachment Size
TANFStrengtheningTipsheet-508.pdf 782.55 KB