According to the congressionally required reports on engagement (ROEs), based on two reporting periods—March 2011 and an average month during April and June 2011, and federal work participation data, more than half of work-eligible individuals (WEIs) in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program reported zero hours of participation in work or work-related activities (U.S. DHHS 2012, 2011). This descriptive study, conducted on behalf of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) by Mathematica Policy Research and its partners, describes the programmatic reasons that, within the current TANF environment, may influence the numbers of WEIs or families with reported zero hours of participation, and promising strategies that state and local TANF agencies are using to encourage client engagement. Data collection included: telephone interviews with TANF administrators in 30 states, and site visits to 11 communities in 8 states, including a document review. This study describes nine factors gleaned from communication with TANF administrators and direct service staff that appear to affect the number of families reported to have zero hours. It also highlights a variety of state strategies for increasing engagement by improving policies and procedures, strengthening service delivery and performance management, and streamlining initial activities and ongoing transitions between activities. (author overview)

Insights from behavioral economics, which combines findings from psychology and economics, suggest that an improved understanding of human behavior and decision-making could inform program design and improve outcomes. OPRE’s Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self Sufficiency (BIAS) project designs and tests behaviorally-informed program innovations for ACF programs. This session will share early findings and lessons learned from BIAS’s work with child support agencies in Texas and Ohio. (conference program description)

• Behavioral Economics and Social Policy: Designing Innovative Solutions for Programs Supported by the Administration for Children and Families

Lashawn Richburg-Hayes (MDRC)

The presentation gives an overview of how behavioral concepts are being applied to social policy within the context of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project.

• Using Behavioral Economics to Help Incarcerated Parents Apply for Child Support Order Modifications

Mary Farrell (MEF Associates)

Michael Hayes (Texas Office of the Attorney General)

The presentation describes the Texas pilot of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project, a program designed to increase the number of incarcerated, non-custodial parents who apply for child support order modifications.

• Using Behavioral Economics to Increase Timely and Regular Child Support Payments

Peter Baird (MDRC)

Susan Brown (Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency

The presentation describes the Franklin County, Ohio pilot of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Project, an initiative to increase the total amounts of child support collected and the frequency of payments.

These presentations were given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

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.

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.