The 20th Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) was held virtually on October 13–15 and October 19–22, 2020. The conference sessions were organized in six thematic tracks: TANF Programs, Policies, and Populations; Employment and Mobility in the Labor Market; Youth Well-Being and the Transition to Adulthood; Strengthening Families, Fatherhood, Marriages, and Relationships; Evaluating Social Programs, Building Evidence, and Using Data; and Approaches to Alleviate Poverty and Expand Opportunity. A complete set of videos covering plenary and breakout sessions and a career panel is now available online.

The Office of Family Assistance’s (OFA) Policy Academy for Innovative Employment Strategies (PAIES) was an intensive technical assistance (TA) initiative in 2019-2020 for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs interested in improving coaching and career pathways approaches. During the initiative, participating teams received dedicated coaches, strategic planning, access to expert consultants, and tailored written resources. Additionally, they participated in several convenings, peer exchanges, and virtual trainings. These state profiles detail the journey and lessons learned of the four teams that participated in the Policy Academy: District of Columbia Department of Human Services, Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The 2019-2020 Policy Academy for Innovative Employment Strategies (PAIES) was an intensive technical assistance experience. Sponsored by the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), the Academy helped participating sites improve coaching and career pathways approaches. This PAIES brief entitled "TANF Coaching to Scale" shares key insights from three OFA PAIES TANF programs that piloted, refined, and prepared to scale coaching case management strategies: District of Columbia Department of Human Services, Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. A companion PAIES brief highlighting staff engagement strategies to support systems change is available here: https://peerta.acf.hhs.gov/content/ofa-paies-brief-series-building-syst….

The 2019-2020 Policy Academy for Innovative Employment Strategies (PAIES) was an intensive technical assistance experience. Sponsored by the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), the Academy helped participating sites improve coaching and career pathways approaches. This PAIES brief entitled "Building Systems Change Through Staff Engagement" informs TANF leadership about strategies to effectively engage staff to inform systems change. It shares key takeaways from the PAIES experience of the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, Nevada’s TANF agency. A companion PAIES brief that highlights coaching case management strategies can be found here: https://peerta.acf.hhs.gov/content/ofa-paies-brief-series-tanf-coaching….

This brief looks at how young people ages 14 to 24 can access cash assistance through the TANF program and the effectiveness of this program in meeting young people’s needs. It discusses opportunities for and challenges with accessing TANF benefits, including eligibility gaps and the effect of COVID-19. The brief also identifies areas for future research and action steps on improving accessibility.

While change can be unexpected, TANF and other human serving programs can build change readiness to weather the unexpected and prepare themselves for proactive changes too. This first episode of the PeerTA Podcast series explores what it means for TANF and other human services programs to be change-ready. Host Bright Sarfo, MEF Associates, talks to Fannie Ashley from the Alabama Department of Human Resources and Maria Wortman-Meshberger from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to learn about their experiences leading big changes within their organizations. He is also joined by an expert on the topic, Michon Hicks, who serves as the Strategic Initiatives Program Lead for the D.C. Department of Employment Services’ Office of Information Technology and is a member of the Strategic Doing Institute of the University of North Alabama.

The PeerTA Podcast series facilitates information sharing across state and local agencies implementing TANF and other programs serving low-income families to provide technical assistance, facilitate dialogue, and help programs learn about effective strategies to support families.

Supported by the Office of Family Assistance’s Peer Technical Assistance (PeerTA), the Roadmap Series highlights responsive leadership and management practices to support the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies and their partners in adapting to new ways of work and connection amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faced with myriad COVID-19 challenges, TANF staff may experience secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue. This OFA PeerTA resource suggests three fundamentals — listening, trusting, and encouraging staff — to help TANF program managers strengthen their organization’s ability to thrive amid complex change. Examples include listening by being sensitive to the well-being of others; building trust by showing compassion and validating another person’s experience to increase understanding; and encouraging staff to practice professional and emotional self-care to reduce burnout and increase compassion satisfaction.

Supported by the Office of Family Assistance’s Peer Technical Assistance (PeerTA), the Roadmap Series highlights responsive leadership and management practices to support the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies and their partners in adapting to new ways of work and connection amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social or physical distancing during the pandemic has raised the likelihood that individuals may encounter feelings of isolation, disconnection, and loneliness. To combat these experiences, this OFA PeerTA resource offers TANF agencies and partners insights and practical tips to cultivate modes of connection using technology, community-mindedness, and media. Practices include using technology in new ways to create external connections; engaging with the world through media (such as television, movies, and social media); and creating shared meaning with community to feel internally connected.

Supported by the Office of Family Assistance’s Peer Technical Assistance (PeerTA), the Roadmap Series highlights responsive leadership and management practices to support the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies and their partners in adapting to new ways of work and connection amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, TANF administrators, managers, and supervisors have transitioned to a virtual environment. This change away from the workplace requires rapid adjustments and socially cohesive teams to overcome emerging challenges. This OFA PeerTA resource provides strategies for quickly adapting to the virtual environment while building team cohesion. Strategies include exploring employee attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors; compassionately supporting remote employees; adapting an approach to ongoing check-ins; and promoting staff engagement outside of work.

This brief summarizes potential federal funding sources and programs that can be used to address barriers facing young parents and families, such as unemployment, disruption to education, financial instability, and lack of child care access, parenting experience, or family supports. Programs listed include, but are not limited to, TANF, SNAP, SSBG, Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program, Child Care Development Block Grant, WIOA, and the Family First Prevention Services Act Prevention Funds.