The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, representatives of the TANF Data Collaborative overviewed three pilot projects showcasing their experiences. California examined wage progression for TANF participants who have left the program. New York organized its data into cohorts and spells, which is valuable in providing information about the duration of TANF receipt, reentry, and basic outcomes, and Utah created an analytic file to examine characteristics that predict a cohort of “leavers” returning to TANF.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, panelists explored how Tribal TANF and NEW programs can consider expanding virtual services to motivate participants to pursue opportunities, especially those which may have been previously inaccessible. Speakers discussed a variety of strategies used in the past year to create virtual education and training opportunities and virtual case management services for clients, as well as how these offerings were developed, challenges along the way, witnessed successes, and recommendations for programs considering offering similar resources. This session concluded with a review of OFA’s Coaching for Success eLearning modules, which program staff can use to provide virtual coaching and mentorship to participants.

This Information Memorandum (IM) accompanies the transmission of the FY 2020 state work participation rates from October 2019 through September 2020. The accompanying data tables provide state-by-state information on topics including combined TANF and SSP-MOE Work Participation Rates, TANF and SSP-MOE Families Work Participation Rates, and Changes in Combined Work Participation Rates.

The Office of Family Assistance will host a webinar on August 26, 2021 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. ET on strengthening the skills of state, local, and tribal TANF leaders. Participants will learn about the building blocks of an evidence-informed leadership practice—strategic and visionary leadership, operational management, and developmental supervision—and the benefits to organizations and people. Project IMPROVE will launch the session with a description of leadership competencies, then facilitate a panel of leaders from across the country who will share tips from their leadership practice. This session is for leaders broadly, including program administrators, supervisors, team leaders/lead case workers, analysts, or trainers, among others. Content will also be relevant for emerging leaders.

Featured panelists include Amy Kershaw, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and Marla Stuart, Deputy Director, Solano County Department of Health & Social Services. Michelle Derr of Adjacent Possible will facilitate the webinar.

This Administration for Children and Families webpage on the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) includes a fact sheet on the Fund’s purposes and identifies the PEAF allotment for state TANF agencies.

This Administration for Children and Families Program Instruction (PI) offers initial guidance on the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF). The PI notes that state, tribal, and territorial TANF agencies are required to make a one-time election of the amount of its allotment under the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund no later than April 25, 2021 (for state TANF agencies) and June 9, 2021 (for TANF agencies serving tribes and territories).

The PI guidance covers several topics of interest, including: the allotment formula for PEAF funds (with accompanying tables on the allotments for states, tribes, and territories); the deadlines for the one-time election by TANF agencies to request funds; the reallotment of unused funds; the expenditure period for PEAF funds; use of funds for administrative costs; use of funds for non-recurrent, short term benefits (NRSTs); the eligible recipients of NRSTs; a statement about non-supplantation; expenditure data filings under Forms ACF-196R, ACF-196T, and ACF-196TR; instruction on TANF Plan Amendments; and guidance on the spending cap for territories. The PI also notes that direct inquiries about PEAF are to be made to regional TANF Program Managers.

Coaching is a person-centered, strength-based way of working with others that helps them direct the changes they want to make in their own lives. The Office of Family Assistance has made available to State and Tribal TANF agencies and Native Employment Works (NEW) programs a 14-module eLearning Curriculum called “Coaching for Success.” This curriculum aims to leverage coaching techniques to support employment case managers. Taken over time or for a specific topic, these self-paced modules on active listening, powerful questions, emotional intelligence, praise, and other important techniques can elevate TANF case management services. For additional information and sample module demonstrations, please refer to this introductory OFA webinar.