The targeting and scale of missing Indigenous relatives is deeply concerning and rooted in historical injustices, marginalization, and socio-economic disparities. The connection between exploitation and the displacement of Indigenous communities underscores the importance of addressing the root causes of vulnerability. This involves enhancing collaboration between Indigenous leaders, law enforcement, and policy makers to develop effective strategies for prevention, intervention, and support for victims and their families as described in the findings of the Not Invisible Act Commission. This blogpost from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) and the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) provides resources for tribal leaders, Indigenous-led organizations, and state and federal partners committed to searching for missing relatives and loved ones. The resources include a podcast series on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, a paper on culturally based prevention strategies, online trainings on strengthening screening and trauma-informed responses to human trafficking – and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2023 forced TANF programs to rethink service delivery. Programs were forced to find new ways to implement policies and innovate through the use of technology. In response, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) launched the Leveraging America’s Social and Economic Resilience (LASER) TANF Learning Community (TLC). LASER TLC builds on the immediate adaptations to the pandemic. It helps programs design and implement sustainable strategies for the post-pandemic world.

Four of the ten program teams, highlighted here, focused their efforts on modernization projects. These four TANF program teams are: the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians Tribal TANF program; the North Carolina Work First Program; the Kentucky Works Program; and the North Dakota TANF Program.

This brief highlights the small and large ways of approaching TANF modernization. It further offers insight into what can be achieved through small, intentional steps guided by a bold vision for innovation.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), partnering with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), announced certain “Title IV-B” child welfare services have been integrated to improve effectiveness. Under Public Law 102-477, Tribes can integrate their federal employment, training, and related services from across the federal government to improve the effectiveness of those services. Specifically, ACF recommended and BIA approved for Citizen Potawatomi Nation to integrate its child welfare services grants with several other federal grants for employment, training and related services into a single program and budget to address tribal priorities. Other ACF programs integrated are the Child Care and Development Fund, Community Services Block Grant, Native Employment Works and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs.

Registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) are industry-driven, high-quality career pathways that not only allow employers to build a future-focused workforce but also provide high-paying, high-quality job opportunities for individual career seekers. Given that four-year education and secondary education systems are not attractive or feasible to everyone, RAPs provide a dynamic alternate solution for youth to gain skills and experience in fields of interest while earning a progressive wage and receiving on-the-job training. The American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population is—and has historically been—underrepresented in RAPs across all age groups and occupations. Of the 547,922 active apprentices in FY2021, only 6,523 individuals identified as AI/AN. This Cybersecurity Youth Apprenticeship Initiative white paper includes culturally relevant tips and best practices to better recruit and employ AI/AN youth.

This Native Center webinar is a part of a series that examines the history of disability within Native communities, present-day challenges, and the possible solutions to creating a more equitable and accessible future for Native people with disabilities. Participants come away from the series with a greater understanding of the unique intersectionality of disability and Native populations as well as culturally-based strategies and approaches that can help improve the quality of life for Native people with disabilities. The Native Center will be hosting the November webinar on November 16, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT, which will highlight available resources and programs for Native veterans.

As of 2021, up to 17.5% of working age American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians reported they have a disability. However, only 2.2% of Division of Indian and Native American Programs grantee participants reported they have a disability. Low reporting may indicate that participants do not know that they can receive accommodations to help them be more successful during a training program and at their workplace if they disclose that they have a disability. Also, workforce development staff may not realize that they can leverage partners to provide more comprehensive services for participants with disabilities to ensure their success and/or may not know how to broach the topic with customers.

The National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities hosted part-two of a two-part series on December 10, 2021 where attendees learned best practices and strategies in building partnerships and leveraging resources across federal, state, and local systems.

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.

The Office of Family Assistance and Children’s Bureau have announced the 10 sites selected to participate in the FAST-LC. The FAST-LC is a 12-month initiative operating from September 2023 through September 2024. The Learning Community will focus on promoting innovative prevention strategies to mitigate and reduce families’ involvement with the child welfare system through partnerships between TANF and Child Welfare programs. Site teams will benefit from a robust suite of individualized training, technical assistance, and coaching support, as well as regular opportunities for collaborative learning and sharing across site teams.

The states and tribes participating in the FAST-LC are:
• Arizona Department of Child Safety and Department of Economic Security;
• Arkansas Department of Human Services;
• California Department of Social Services;
• Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boys Reservation (Montana),
• Iowa Department of Health and Human Services;
• Kentucky Department for Community Based Services;
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services;
• Oregon Department of Human Services;
• Pascua Yaqui Tribe (Arizona); and
• West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposes to improve the effectiveness and integrity of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) regulations. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would help families experiencing the greatest economic hardships benefit from the services that Congress intended for the TANF program to provide.

Specifically, the proposed rule puts forward for public comment seven changes to the current regulations that would increase program integrity, clarify allowable uses of TANF, and reduce obstacles for individuals trying to access support. These are:

• Establish a ceiling on the term "needy";
• Clarify when an expenditure is "reasonably calculated to accomplish a TANF purpose";
• Exclude as an allowable TANF maintenance-of-effort (MOE) expenditures cash donations from non-governmental third parties and the value of third-party in-kind contributions;
• Ensure that excused holidays match the number of federal holidays, following the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday;
• Develop new criteria to allow states to use alternative Income and Eligibility Verification Systems (IEVS) measures;
• Clarify the "significant progress" criteria following a work participation rate corrective compliance plan; and
• Clarify the existing regulatory text about the allowability of costs associated with the disseminating program information.

Comments on these proposed rules from all TANF partners and affected parties are due to HHS by December 1, 2023 and can be submitted via this form.