The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration hosted a virtual event on April 20, 2023 where the Division of Indian and Native American Programs invited Jim Warne, subject matter expert in the field of disabilities among Native populations, to share his presentation “Helping Native People with Disabilities Succeed Through Family and Community Engagement.” This presentation included information on the value of community-driven solutions, cultivating a deeper understanding of community practices, and the varying types of traumas affecting native people with disabilities. The presentation ended with an open dialogue, where Warne answered questions about practices employed to assist people with disabilities, potential partnerships with Section 166 programs, and smaller tribal vocational rehabilitation programs.

The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families has awarded $9 million to 32 Native American Tribes and Native organizations to help improve the social and economic well-being in their communities. Every year, ANA supports Native-led, community-based projects across the United States, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds will be awarded across three Notice of Funding Opportunities: Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS), Social and Economic Development Strategies Alaska (SEDS-AK), and Environmental Regulatory Enhancement Grant Awards (ERE). This ACF press release announces the new FY 2023 SEDS, SEDS-AK, and ERE community partners and highlights three tribal projects that will be supported with this funding.

This Office of Family Assistance Program Instruction answers questions on how the Tribal TANF Program can assist persons affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Program Instruction complements TANF-ACF-PI-2020-01, which addressed questions and answers raised by state and tribal grantees on how they might use TANF and TANF’s administrative flexibilities to provide non-recurrent, short-term benefits for those in need due to COVID-19.

Because American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) families face consistent barriers to employment and repeatedly have the highest unemployment rates in the United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation studied subsidized employment programs conducted by Tribal TANF programs. This resulting report found that, overall, subsidized employment programs help participants gain work experience, skills, and training necessary to lower barriers to employment. They also emphasize the variety in regional contexts that can make the transition to unsubsidized employment difficult, particularly in small economies. The eight spotlighted Tribal TANF programs provide examples for practitioners in diverse areas and show how subsidized employment can at the least be a means of temporary income, and can often be a stepping stone toward job experience and economic stability.

This report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation describes the implementation of the Tribal Home Visiting Program, which utilizes an evidence-based, two-generation approach. The report includes information about the technical assistance provided to support grantees, recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve services, and more aspects of the program.

In the United States, there are 1.2 million American Indian and Alaska Native individuals under age 25. This website from the National Congress of American Indians highlights their year-round, ongoing programs for Native Youth.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Regions IX and X hosted the Tribal Technical Assistance Meeting on July 25‐27, 2016 at the Isleta Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The meeting brought together Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) stakeholders to discuss innovative strategies and collaborations to promote economic and social well‐being for individuals, families, and tribal communities. During the meeting, tribal representatives engaged in listening sessions, shared best practices, and participated in workshops in order to more successfully serve the program participants in their communities.

The OFA Peer TA Network developed Tribal TANF Community Assessment and Planning Tool is intended for federally recognized Indian Tribes interested in starting a Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The Assessment is a practical tool designed to help Tribal community members consider critical issues, build a profile of their community, and outline any strengths to be leveraged or needs to be addressed prior to developing a Tribal TANF Letter of Intent (LOI) and plan. The Tool is intended for Tribes’ internal use only, and includes detailed questions regarding demographics, employment and training activities, partnership opportunities, Tribe infrastructure, and staff capacity. The Tool can be used to outline the Tribe’s current situation and highlight any gaps to address prior to developing a Tribal TANF LOI and future plan. The Tool also provides space for goal setting, which should be aimed at addressing identified gaps or needs; this process is essential for successful program development and implementation. The Tool is available in Word format and can be completed in paper or electronic form.

On September 3 - 4, 2014, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), held a meeting titled the “2014 Tribal TANF Case Management Meeting” in Tulalip, Washington. This meeting provided staff from Tribal TANF and workforce development agencies with structured forums and presentations about TANF case management, case plan development, client engagement strategies, and service delivery with the goal of transitioning hard-to-serve clients out of poverty. The presenters were Region X ACF staff and Tribal leaders. Participants were able to engage with ACF administrative staff to gain in-depth guidance on financial management, as well as network with other Tribal TANF agencies.

The focus of this technical assistance (TA) request was to take the overall concepts and ideas the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) developed through the Promising Pathways Initiative and expand them to other Client Development Division programs, so TCC can better integrate the way they describe the logic/theory of their programs; identify practice implementation activities; strengthen service delivery; and collect, analyze, and share program results with various stakeholders. The TA request included assisting TCC in thinking globally about a division-wide theory of change that would include an examination of underlying assumptions, values, and traditional wisdom that contribute to program design throughout Client Development. Additionally, TCC was interested in continuing to explore an overarching practice framework that could inform service delivery across programs, as well as the development of outcome measures for the Client Development Division as a whole.