The COVID-19 pandemic required child protection agencies to pivot quickly, identify new ways of working with children and families, and seize opportunities for innovation that previously seemed impossible. Agency leaders leveraged virtual…

Congress passed The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978 to protect American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and families. ICWA recognized core values and principles of child welfare best practice by requiring active efforts to keep…

Today’s infants and toddlers have lived virtually their entire lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shaped every aspect of their growth and wellbeing. The pandemic has directly impacted them, through experiences such as delayed…

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other human services programs faced unprecedented challenges managing the COVID-19 global pandemic. They were tasked with serving America’s most vulnerable families as they navigated difficult…

The Assessing Models of Coordinated Services (AMCS) project aimed to improve understanding of approaches to coordinating early care and education services at the state or local level. This brief focuses on findings from telephone interviews with…

In 2013, the Office of Family Assistance released Information Memorandum (TANF-ACF-IM-2013-01) “Use of TANF Funds to Serve Homeless Families and Families at Risk of Experiencing Homelessness” in recognition of the integral role TANF can play in…

Providing access to tangible resources can strengthen families and communities by avoiding and de-escalating crises, reducing parental stress, increasing access to safe housing and reliable childcare, and ensuring children have the material items…

This Annie E. Casey Foundation brief shares six pivotal strategies for coordinating and funding community efforts to support families at risk of entering the child welfare system: invest in infrastructure at the state and local levels, create…

Employers’ role in creating workplace policies and practices and the work environment has increased relevance for low-wage and historically marginalized workers because these persons often work in occupations with greater job and schedule…

This Office of Family Assistance brief is part of a broader study exploring how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs across the country use TANF funds to serve and support families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It…