Coordinating services across multiple public benefit programs can significantly improve how families access supports and navigate human services systems. This toolkit, funded by the Administration for Children and Families, was designed to help state and local agencies better align programs and services to support whole families.

The resource provides practical tools and structured guidance for identifying coordination challenges, developing shared goals across agencies, implementing cross-program strategies, and tracking progress over time. By helping agencies move away from siloed service delivery and toward integrated approaches, the toolkit aims to reduce administrative barriers, improve the experiences families have when seeking multiple benefits, and strengthen outcomes for children and parents. For TANF programs, these strategies can support stronger coordination with programs such as workforce services, SNAP, childcare, and child welfare — helping families access the full range of supports needed to achieve long-term stability and economic mobility.

Separation between parents can create significant challenges for children, fathers, and families, especially when factors such as incarceration, employment demands, or child welfare involvement disrupt family relationships. The Institute for Research on Poverty will host a webinar on March 11, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to explore research and practical strategies for helping fathers maintain or rebuild connections with their children during and after periods of separation. For TANF programs, the discussion may highlight opportunities to strengthen father engagement, support healthy co-parenting relationships, and connect noncustodial parents with services that promote family stability and child well-being.

The Generations United Intergenerational Program Database provides a searchable collection of programs that bring multiple generations together for shared learning, caregiving, and community engagement. TANF programs and their child welfare partners can explore program models that support child development, strengthen family support networks, and reduce isolation among caregivers.

Transportation challenges can create significant barriers for kinship caregivers trying to access services, employment, and school. These case profiles from the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network highlight real-world strategies communities are using to address transportation needs for kinship and grandfamilies. TANF programs can use these examples to explore partnerships and practical solutions that improve access to benefits, case management, and workforce opportunities.

This Administration for Children and Families brief, co-authored by Assistant Secretary Alex Adams, explores how predictive risk modeling and modern data systems can strengthen child welfare decision-making and improve safety outcomes. For TANF programs partnered with child welfare programs, this brief highlights opportunities to enhance data-informed collaboration, identify families who may benefit from early supports, and strengthen prevention-focused service delivery across systems.

This Heritage Foundation report focuses specifically on how eligibility rules for pre-K education subsidies may affect couple decision-making. It provides an example of how program rules across systems can create complex financial trade-offs for families. For TANF administrators working in cross-system partnerships, this piece underscores the importance of understanding how education, childcare, and other supports align with family economic mobility strategies.

This Heritage Foundation analysis explores national trends in marriage and discusses potential economic and social implications of declining marriage rates. This resource raises questions relevant to TANF programs about how household structure, economic opportunity, and public benefits intersect.

This Administration for Children and Families paper examines how certain means-tested tax and transfer programs may create financial disincentives for marriage. It outlines how eligibility thresholds, benefit phase-outs, and combined household income calculations can affect family decision-making.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway podcast series covers timely topics in child welfare, family well-being, and systems change. These episodes can be a great professional learning resource for TANF staff, partners, and community providers engaged in cross-system work or serving families with complex needs.

Supporting families in reunification, which is the process of safely returning children in foster care to their parents, aligns closely with TANF’s mission to promote family stability and self-sufficiency. This California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse webpage highlights promising practices, program models, and outcome data related to reunification services. TANF agencies can use this resource to strengthen referrals, align supportive services, and integrate evidence-informed family support practices into their own workforce and case management strategies.