On December 12, 2013, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Region X held a webinar, "Strengthening TANF and Low-Income Families through Strategic Non-Custodial Supports." The webinar, open to State TANF Directors and staff, local TANF agencies, and contractors, focused on how promoting the financial and personal responsibility of non-custodial parents (NCPs) can increase their participation in the lives of their children, improve their employment and career path outcomes, and improve the long-term outlook for children in single-parent families. The presenters highlighted specific programs and provided an overview of innovative ways to serve NCPs, improve their engagement with TANF families, and develop partnerships that meet their needs.

On November 21, 2013, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Region X held a webinar, "State TANF Redesign/Human Services Modernization Efforts" that was open to all State TANF Directors and staff, local TANF agencies, and contractors. The webinar featured the following speakers: Babette Roberts, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services; Lorie Young and Catherine Scardino, State of Hawaii Department of Human Services; and Deborah Carroll, District of Columbia Department of Human Services. For nearly 20 years, Federal and State governments have been working together in earnest to simplify, streamline and enhance publicly financed, human services programs. Most States have embraced increasing access and simplifying policies, have streamlined processes, made procedures more client-friendly, reduced paperwork, and sought to increase outreach to potentially eligible individuals. As a result, millions of at-risk individuals who might not have obtained vital human services supports now do. This moderated webinar provided an overview of State TANF redesign efforts, including the process, lessons learned, and progress made thus far in Washington, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.

Personal and work supports can be instrumental in helping TANF recipients living with disabilities prepare for and maintain employment. For many TANF recipients living with disabilities, the path to self-sufficiency is encumbered by personal and family challenges that interfere with steady employment. Recognizing that these TANF recipients may require more intensive support than is available through traditional employment programs, some TANF agencies have increased the intensity and/or types of supports available to those living with disabilities. Such supports may include intensive case management, rehabilitative services, job coaching, and support groups, among others. In this practice brief, we profile four programs that provide specialized personal and work supports to help TANF recipients living with disabilities succeed in competitive employment. (author abstract)

New York City’s Human Resource Administration designed and implemented the WeCARE program to assist the high number of TANF participants on their caseload with clinical barriers to work; the model has since been successful in moving clients with mental health and other needs off of cash assistance. This 2010 webinar provided TANF stakeholders with information on the program’s creation and implementation. Also available on PeerTA are reports from two site exchanges to WeCARE, with Wisconsin and Hawaii.

Job seekers, students, parents, businesses, career professionals, and career counselors are encouraged to visit CareerOneStop -- the main "portal" site found at www.careeronestop.org -- for easy access to hundreds of resources. Here are just several:

• America's Service Locator connects people to One-Stop Career Centers providing employment and training services. It provides maps and driving directions. ASL also contains information on more than 20,000 resources and offices across the United States
• America's Career InfoNet is an electronic storehouse of national, state, and local labor market data, and interactive career tools (including a Resource Library) that help people make informed career decisions.
• Career Voyages provides career and labor market information for high-growth and demand-driven jobs. The site includes videos as well as links to actual job descriptions and jobs in local community.

Telephone access is also available to all. A toll-free helpline (1-877-US2-JOBS, TTY-1-877-869-5627) provides callers with a full range of basic information about workforce program services for both workers and employers, as well as information about the locations of One-Stop Career Centers and other social service offices. Information is available in over 140 languages.

This resource is from the Families In Society’s “Practice and Policy Focus.” Authors provide an overview of strategies for overcoming resistance to change in organizations. In order to implement an outcome management system, plans must be in place based on realistic expectations of the organization as well as aligned with its goals.