This Office of Child Support Enforcement Information Memorandum notes that state and tribal child support agencies are eligible for a funding and regulatory waiver, in order to create employment services for noncustodial parents struggling to make child support payments if these parents are unemployed or underemployed. This waiver is allowed under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act which provides limited demonstration authority to use federal funds for employment services.

The Information Memorandum also notes that state and tribal child support agencies that seek waivers must also utilize new funds - rather than existing resources - to cover their share of the cost of the pilot activities. With this Information Memorandum in place, the Office of Child Support Enforcement will provide technical assistance on how to apply for waivers and will be creating a toolkit of resources for assessment, design, and development of employment service programs for noncustodial parents.

To support Child Support Awareness Month, the Office of Family Assistance, in collaboration with the Office of Child Support Enforcement, will host a webinar on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET on state pass-through and disregard policies. By attending the webinar, participants will deepen their knowledge of pass-through and disregard policies and identify factors to consider when adopting a programmatic change like a pass-through option. Speakers will include representatives from the Colorado Department of Human Services who will share their experiences implementing a full pass-through and the effects of the policy change.

The Anoka County Job Training Center is the only WIOA job center serving the county. It houses all public assistance programs, including TANF (called the Minnesota Family Investment Program), on-site WIOA partners, and child care services in the same building. As described in this brief, the Center has implemented strategies to streamline service delivery and co-enrollment among these programs, including a universal program application, a team of intake and eligibility specialists, and cross-program practices for adapting resources to meet client needs. This site also offers a rich mix of youth programming, such as employment and training opportunities for out-of-school and in-school youth, and a Human Services Youth Team to focus on young TANF recipients.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.

This case statement describes the American Job Centers in Central Arkansas (called Arkansas Workforce Centers). Strategies to coordinate cash assistance and employment services for TANF recipients and job seekers include in-house referrals between TANF and WIOA, the development of a new integrated data system (ARWINS) to track participant outcomes, and information sharing among program staff. Through strong relationships with local workforce development boards and business partners, the Workforce Centers also offer work-based learning and subsidized employment opportunities to job seekers.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.