This practice brief is the first in a series of practice briefs being developed by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations, and the National Indian Health Board. The briefs will be used to disseminate important lessons learned and findings from the Evaluation of the Tribal Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program , which is being funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families. The Tribal HPOG program is funded by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to support 32 demonstration projects, including 5 Tribal Organizations and Colleges, to train Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals as health care professionals. The purpose of this first practice brief is to: (1) describe the unique aspects of the Tribal HPOG grantee organizations and the target populations they serve; (2) introduce the program frameworks of the Tribal HPOG grantees; and (3) provide an overview of the Federally-sponsored evaluation of the Tribal HPOG grantees. (author abstract)

The Welfare Peer TA Network held a one-day training on December 9, 2011 for the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency in Shelton, Washington. The training entitled, “Reviving the Vision of Cultural Values and Compassion in Client Services,” developed by the University of California, Davis Extension (UC Davis), is also referred to as “Tribal TANF Town” because it utilizes experiential learning in which participants assume roles and work through the systems that TANF clients must interact with on a daily basis. The training resulted in four key learning points for training participants:

• Provide case management services with compassion;
• Model positive communication and service delivery skills;
• Follow a uniform mission of assisting participants to achieve wellness and promote economic, cultural, and social well-being of individuals, families, communities, and Tribes; and
• Practice professionalism and partnership.

The Technical Assistance summary provides additional details about the training and includes specific feedback from participants.

The Office of Community Services (OCS), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Assets for Independence (AFI) Program. AFI funds community-based, faith-based, and other organizations, such as State, local and tribal government agencies that assist low-income people to become economically self-sufficient. The Assets for Independence Resource Center takes an asset-based approach to self-sufficiency and offers users many resources specific to program and agency needs, as well as resources specific to certain populations. Visit the Resource Center to learn more about IDAs, read success stories, locate a project near you, or apply for an AFI grant.

The Region IX Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance convened a meeting for the Region IX Tribal TANF grantees in California and Nevada from September 26-27, 2011. The meeting, the second of two, provided TANF directors and administrators with an open forum for discussing critical issues impacting their TANF participants and an opportunity to network both amongst themselves and with Region IX leadership. The meeting brought together TANF programs to discuss and share information on a number of topics. Region IX Tribal TANF grantees shared lessons learned and gathered strategies that can improve their own programs’ ability to identify and address multiple barriers, develop career pathways, create subsidized employment and asset building opportunities for participants, and effectively manage fiscal requirements. Region IX Tribal TANF programs had the opportunity to discuss relevant topics with experts in the field that provided insight, ideas, and strategies for enhancing their own programs. In addition, the meeting gave Tribal TANF participants an opportunity to meet with Region IX staff to discuss ongoing questions regarding Tribal TANF in California and Nevada.

The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance Region X Office held the Alaska Tribal TANF Case Managers Training to address Alaska Tribal TANF organizations’ request for case management training. The meeting was held in Anchorage, Alaska, on May 3-5, 2011.

The National Resource Center for Tribes (NRC4Tribes), a member of the Children’s Bureau, Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance Network, recently conducted a needs assessment of practices within Tribal child welfare among federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes. The report summarizes the need for specific technical assistance in five main areas within Tribal child welfare programs: (1) Tribal child welfare practice, (2) foster care and adoption, (3) the Indian Child Welfare Act, (4) legal and judicial, and (5) Tribal child welfare operations. Overall, the report recognized the need for a strengthened culturally-based Tribal Child Welfare infrastructure that provided increased communication between Tribes in order to share practices and knowledge as well as effective staff recruitment and training. The report also provides an overview of Tribal child welfare programs and a summary of the methods exercised in conducting the needs assessment.

The 2011 Annual Region X Tribal TANF Conference was held in Tulalip, Washington at the Tulalip Resort from September 27-29, 2011. The Conference provided Tribal TANF programs from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington an opportunity to discuss and strategize methods for improving their programs and services to better serve their families and communities. Best practices and lessons learned were shared throughout the conference on a wide range of topics, including asset building, child care, child welfare, economic development, program evaluation as a method for program enhancement, and subsidized employment.

Acknowledging the needs of Tribal TANF programs in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Region X Office convened the Region X Tribal TANF Fiscal and Data Meeting in Seattle, Washington, on April 26-27, 2011. The meeting was a direct response to requests of Tribal TANF Programs regarding further guidance on data management, processing, reporting, and fiscal procedures.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Region IX hosted six Tribes from Arizona, community stakeholders and topical experts at the 2011 Tribal TANF Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 8th and 9th, 2011. The conference agenda featured experts and presenters who helped Tribal TANF representatives strategize to develop stronger programs that would better serve their participants. Tribes were provided with ideas and models for handling data management, working with domestic violence survivors, implementing programs that respond to TANF Purposes 3 and 4 and ensuring that fraud is detected. The conference was designed to provide an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning to enhance Tribal TANF programs and create opportunities for self-sufficiency while maintaining each Tribes’ individual culture and traditions.

The Region IX Administration for Children and Families convened a meeting for the Region IX Tribal TANF grantees in California and Nevada in July of 2011. The meeting, the first of two, provided TANF directors and administrators with an open forum for discussing critical issues impacting their TANF participants and to network both amongst themselves and with Region IX leadership. The meeting brought together TANF programs to discuss and share information on detecting and investigating fraud and supporting victims of domestic violence on their path to achieving self-sufficiency. The meeting was held July 27-28, 2011, in San Francisco, California.