States have broad flexibility over the use of state and federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, and many have used that flexibility to divert funds away from income support for families and toward other state budget areas often unrelated to TANF’s goals. In 2021, states spent only about a fifth of the funds on basic assistance to meet essential needs of families with children; yet research shows that investments in cash assistance can improve academic, health, and economic outcomes for children in families in poverty. This Center on Budget and Policy Priorities resource consists of fact sheets for every state, detailing how each spends its TANF funds.

This resource is for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program administrators who are interested in adopting coaching practices within their programs. It includes matrices that compare five employment coaching models that are in use today with TANF-eligible populations: Family Centered Coaching, Goal4 It!^TM, the Human Services Coaching Framework, MyGoals for Employment Success, and Mobility Mentoring^®. This resource also includes short snapshots that describe the key characteristics of each coaching model and contact information for their developers. Four are being used directly in a TANF setting and one can be adopted to a TANF setting. Project IMPROVE, funded by the Office of Family Assistance, aims to bridge the gap between human services research and practice.

As a result of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the United States is amid a national emergency. In addition to the urgent public health crisis underway, families across the country are struggling to find work and access benefits as a result of business closures, stay in place orders, and social distancing measures. In addition, TANF agency business processes are upended as workers adjust their work schedules while working from a new location, caring for themselves or a sick relative, navigating the absence of childcare, or simply adapting to what is a stark contrast from previous expectations for everyday working and living. As more states adopt policies to combat COVID-19, TANF agencies and other human services providers are required to reimagine and adapt previous expectations, behaviors, and communication styles for a digital and dispersed environment.

In this facilitated webinar hosted by the Office of Family Assistance on April 9, 2020, presenters discussed the operational aspects of transitioning agency and frontline staff to remote work such as use of technology, data security, staff expectations and support, and communication. The webinar focused on sharing strategies for how TANF agencies can adapt to support their workforces, and in turn continue to address the growing needs of families across the country. Presenters included: Gerrie Cotter, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services; Susan Pugh, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities; Maria Wortman-Meshberger, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services; and Beth A. Heinen and Joe Raymond, both of ICF.

As a result of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the United States is amid a national emergency. In addition to the urgent public health crisis underway, families across the country are struggling to find work and access benefits as a result of business closures, stay in place orders, and social distancing measures. In addition, TANF agency business processes are upended as workers adjust their work schedules while working from a new location, caring for themselves or a sick relative, navigating the absence of childcare, or simply adapting to what is a stark contrast from previous expectations for everyday working and living. As more states adopt policies to combat COVID-19, TANF agencies and other human services providers are required to reimagine and adapt previous expectations, behaviors, and communication styles for a digital and dispersed environment.

In this facilitated webinar hosted by the Office of Family Assistance on April 9, 2020 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET, presenters discussed the operational aspects of transitioning agency and frontline staff to remote work such as use of technology, data security, staff expectations and support, and communication. The webinar focused on sharing strategies for how TANF agencies can adapt to support their workforces, and in turn continue to address the growing needs of families across the country. Presenters included: Gerrie Cotter, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services; Susan Pugh, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities; Maria Wortman-Meshberger, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services; and Beth A. Heinen and Joe Raymond, both of ICF.

Thank you for your interest in attending today's webinar, TANF and the Transition to a Remote Workforce. We are currently attempting to increase capacity due to the overwhelming response. We are recording the webinar and will provide a link to all registrants as soon as possible.

This TANF Program Instruction (PI) provides program guidance on TANF administration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This PI offers questions and answers about the use of TANF funds, work participation rates, flexibility in case management regarding TANF participant requirements, and overall TANF administration.

Human services and workforce agencies face complex, systemic challenges in serving families receiving TANF and other low-income families. Such challenges include bureaucratic program requirements, program leadership and staff entrenched in a compliance-focused mindset, limited financial and staff resources, and a mismatch between what customers need and what programs can provide. The Office of Family Assistance will host a webinar on March 24, 2020 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. which will describe the successes, challenges, and opportunities for getting good, evidence-informed interventions to stick in human service and workforce programs.

During the webinar, we will hear from Dr. Michelle Derr, a leading implementation researcher who has studied TANF and workforce programs for more than 20 years. Additional presenters include exceptional program administrators who have rolled out science-informed strategies across programs within their respective service delivery systems who can share their day-to-day experience with getting good interventions to stick!

This practice brief shares strategies human services programs can use to improve customers’ experience and make their engagement in programming more meaningful. Drawing on Mathematica’s experience working with Philadelphia Works, Inc., the administering workforce development board for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)-funded services in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this brief provides a step-by-step guide to reduce the burden of paperwork and procedures for customers and staff while continuing to meet program environments. Mathematica staff used the Learn, Innovate, Improve (LI2) framework—a series of evidence-informed program improvement activities enabled by collaboration between practitioners and researchers—to learn about how information is collected and used; innovate to eliminate, redesign, and streamline paperwork; and improve processes through iterative, small-scale pilot testing.

This practice brief introduces three foundations for improving services for children and families in a human services environment that has become more complex and challenging. Investments in reducing complexity and bureaucracy, building skills of supervisors and staff, and putting humans back at the center of human service delivery can help programs meet the needs of families facing challenges like low educational attainment, unemployment, criminal records, mental and physical health issues, and children with special needs.