Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs play a critical role in helping families move toward employment, stability, and long-term economic mobility, including through the use of career pathways, which are connected sequences of education, training, and work experiences that help individuals progress through chosen fields. STAR has created a catalog of career pathway toolkits to help TANF programs plan career pathway initiatives. 

To accompany the Career Pathways Toolkit Catalog, these Guided Use Cases offer short, practical explainers that show how TANF programs can apply selected tools to common implementation challenges. TANF administrators and staff can use these Guided Use Cases to quickly identify which tools are most relevant, when to use them, and how they can support TANF program goals.

Did you know that Administration for Children and Families (ACF) programs can help communities meet crucial needs after a disaster? ACF will host two 90-minute webinars highlighting updated guidance on program waivers and flexibilities available during emergencies. 

Program offices will share how funds can be used, how to meet administrative requirements, and how these flexibilities as outlined on the ACF Emergency and Disaster Waivers and Flexibilities webpage can support recovery efforts and continuity of human services for disaster survivors.

ACF program award recipients, state human services staff, and state emergency managers are welcome to attend!

• On March 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Administration for Native Americans, Office of Community Services, Office of Family Assistance, Office of Family Violence Preventions and Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Office on Trafficking in Persons.
• On March 18, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Children's Bureau, Family and Youth Services Bureau, Office of Child Care, Office of Child Support Enforcement, and Office of Head Start. 

Did you know that Administration for Children and Families (ACF) programs can help communities meet crucial needs after a disaster? ACF will host two 90-minute webinars highlighting updated guidance on program waivers and flexibilities available during emergencies. 

Program offices will share how funds can be used, how to meet administrative requirements, and how these flexibilities as outlined on the ACF Emergency and Disaster Waivers and Flexibilities webpage can support recovery efforts and continuity of human services for disaster survivors.

ACF program award recipients, state human services staff, and state emergency managers are welcome to attend!

• On March 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Administration for Native Americans, Office of Community Services, Office of Family Assistance, Office of Family Violence Preventions and Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Office on Trafficking in Persons.
• On March 18, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Children's Bureau, Family and Youth Services Bureau, Office of Child Care, Office of Child Support Enforcement, and Office of Head Start. 

In December 2025, the National Governors Association (NGA) hosted a conversation for the Human Services Policy Advisors network and Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Assistant Secretary Dr. Alex Adams to spotlight new administration priorities. This NGA discussion summary highlights ACF’s efforts to ensure every child has a safe, stable home by emphasizing prevention, family preservation, and kinship care. A recording is available but please contact the NGA Children & Families team for the password at info@nga.com. 

For TANF programs, this focus on keeping families together before deeper system involvement resonates with prevention-oriented work and cross-system collaboration. TANF staff can use insights from these efforts to strengthen connections with local child welfare and kinship support networks, helping families maintain stability and access supports that reduce economic hardship and crisis.

This National Center for Diligent Recruitment resource describes what it means to build a “Kin-First” child welfare system that prioritizes placing children with relatives or familiar caregivers when out-of-home care is needed. It offers principles and practices for supporting kin caregivers with the right resources and engagement. TANF programs can use the kin-first framework to inform partnerships and service planning, especially when working with relatives raising children by aligning cash assistance, work supports, and family stability services with kinship-centered approaches.

This resource from the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network explains how Family First Prevention Services Act reimbursement can be used for services that help Native children and families before deeper child welfare involvement occurs. It offers practical guidance on eligible programs and supports that honor traditions and community strengths. For TANF programs serving Native families, this can inform cross-system coordination and funding alignment — helping connect participants to culturally grounded supports that reinforce family wellbeing alongside TANF’s economic goals.

This Child Welfare Playbook strategy highlights the value of tribal family coaches – community-based supports who work with families to navigate systems, build strengths, and connect to resources in culturally grounded ways. For TANF programs serving Native communities, this strategy provides a practical idea for how partnerships and staffing models can be designed to improve engagement, trust, and access to supports that promote both economic stability and family strengthening. Integrating or aligning with family coach roles can enhance service responsiveness and outcomes.

Built on Indigenous research principles of tribal data sovereignty and reciprocity, the Survey of Native Nations leverages the Federal Reserve System’s secure data infrastructure to protect and steward tribal data. Tribes that have completed the survey are enhancing their ability to analyze their financial data and communicate their economic contributions in data-informed ways. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will host a virtual event on March 3, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. CT to explore how Tribal leaders and program staff can use data to identify community priorities, guide investments, and measure progress toward economic mobility and family well-being goals.