OFA Webinar: Introduction to Building and Leveraging Social Capital Among TANF Participants to Improve Employment Outcomes

The Office of Family Assistance held a Webinar on Introduction to Social Capital on April 27, 2016 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT. Traditionally, attention has been focused on the human capital (education level; technical expertise; soft skills; hard skills) of TANF participants in order to improve their connection to and success in the labor market. Additional focus has been paid to an individual’s social capital (education, faith-based, neighborhood, cultural, and social networks; access to information and institutions; interpersonal interactions) and the important role it plays in improving employment and economic stability. Research has demonstrated that social capital provides valuable assets for families as they move out of poverty. Increasing a person’s potential for upward economic mobility involves strengthening three forms of capital that a person needs to possess: financial, human, and social. This webinar built upon the September 2015 Gateway to Opportunity: Improving Parental Employment and Family Well-Being Outcomes plenary session in Washington, D.C. 

Presenters for the Introduction Webinar on April 27th included: Dr. Natasha Pilkauskas, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan; and Andrew Freed, TANF Senior Manager, Cook Inlet Tribal Council.