OFA Webinar: The Whole Family Approach: How TANF Programs Can Engage Customers in Mental Health Services – Part II

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted a webinar on March 21, 2023 — the second of a two-part webinar series entitled, The Whole Family Approach: How TANF Programs Can Engage Customers in Mental Health Services. In Part I of the webinar series on January 26, 2023, State and Tribal TANF programs discussed the intersection between poverty, trauma, and mental health and highlighted how their programs have helped improve long-term mental health outcomes for families with low incomes.

Part 2 built on these concepts, and the same speakers from Part I shared the details of their programs’ whole family design and implementation processes, including how they identify services to include in their TANF programs, how they select and coordinate with supportive partnerships, what types of assessments they use when meeting with clients, and funding streams they utilize. They also highlighted successes and challenges they have experienced throughout the process. Participants received insights into the options TANF programs can explore in expanding and improving the mental health care for their TANF customers.

Speakers included Antoinette Kitchen, Family Assistance Program Specialist, Division of State TANF Policy, Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services; Liz Carver, Director, Workforce Development Division, Utah Department of Workforce Services; Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson, Research Associate Professor, Social Research Institute, University of Utah; Lisa Guetzkow, Integrated Programs Manager, Ramsey County, Minnesota; Katie Wagoner, Workforce Development Manager, Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota; Arnold Ontiveros, Staff Manager, New Mexico Human Services Department; and Maria Aguirre-Mendoza, Executive Director, Soboba Tribal TANF Program. Mary Roberto, Project Director, Workforce Innovation and Poverty Solutions, ICF, facilitated the webinar.