The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sponsored a 3-day conference for Tribal TANF grantees in Regions VI, VIII, and X. The annual meeting was designed to address the needs of grantees who have received funding to operate Tribal TANF programs. A total of 30 Tribal TANF programs were represented at the conference. The objective of the conference was to promote awareness and provide information on effective implementation and service delivery, as well as afford grantees the opportunity to collaborate and communicate with each other.

LexLinc Kentucky requested the assistance of the Welfare Peer TA Network to plan and conduct a 2-day statewide Roundtable on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)/Child Tax Credit (CTC) and strategies to help eligible current and former TANF participants and low-income families apply for the credits. The principal goal of the Roundtable was to build and enhance partnerships statewide between social services providers, Kentucky’s TANF Agency, business leaders, and community and faith-based organizations, with an aim toward helping low wage earning families achieve financial self-sufficiency through the Earned Income Tax Credit.

This Webinar, entitled “TANF Rule Implementing the DRA,” was sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance. This Webinar featured staff from the Office of Family Assistance, who discussed major changes from the Interim Final to the Final Rule. The Final Rule takes effect on October 1, 2008, the beginning of fiscal year 2009.

The University of Missouri Extension requested the assistance of the Welfare Peer TA Network to plan and conduct a 2-day statewide Roundtable on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)/Child Tax Credit (CTC) and strategies to help eligible current and former TANF participants and low-income families apply for the credits. The principal goal of the Roundtable was to build and enhance partnerships statewide between social services providers, Missouri’s TANF Agency, business leaders, and community and faith-based organizations, with an aim toward helping low wage earning families achieve financial self-sufficiency through the Earned Income Tax Credit

At the request of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the OFA Peer TA Network sponsored this event to assist participants in improving systems and resources for providing services to TANF participants residing in rural areas. This Roundtable included participants from the Utah Department of Health and Welfare’s Regional Offices, and representatives from programs in Texas, New Mexico, Virginia, and Vermont. Partner states presented on innovative ways to serve rural families and address barriers to employment in States with large rural areas. Networking sessions afforded participants the opportunity to leverage the Roundtable as a catalyst for action planning efforts across and among regions in the State of Utah.

At the request of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Peer TA sponsored this event to assist participants in improving job retention among TANF participants who have relocated to new areas. The Roundtable’s intent was to address systems and resources for providing services to TANF participants residing in rural areas. This Roundtable included participants from the Mississippi Department of Human Services Regional Offices, and representatives from partner programs in Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, and Ohio. Features of the Roundtable included interactive dialogue among participants to facilitate action planning for Mississippi to strategize about next steps for necessary programmatic and policy changes, and opportunities for participants to learn from one another and share ideas.

The Puerto Rico Department of the Family requested the assistance of the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network in conducting a one-and-a-half day Roundtable to better prepare case managers to screen participants for learning disabilities. The goals of the meeting included increasing the understanding of learning disabilities and how they impact TANF participants; increasing the understanding of the tools and protocols used to evaluate their participants’ strengths and weaknesses and the extent to which they may require additional resources; and increasing collaboration with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to better meet the needs of TANF participants with learning disabilities.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network sponsored this Roundtable on May 9-10, 2007, in Boise, Idaho. The principal goals of the Roundtable were to build and enhance partnerships statewide between social services providers, Idaho TANF Agency, business leaders, faith-based organizations, etc., with an aim toward helping low wage earning families achieve financial self-sufficiency.

The Washington, D.C. Department of Human Services contracts employment and training services for TANF clients and requires that all contractors use the same case management system. The Department requested TA from the Welfare Peer TA Network to learn more about Web-based case management capabilities. To gain a better understanding of centralized case management, DC conducted a site visit to Connectinc., located in North Carolina, to view their web-based case management system.

This report describes this Rapid Response Technical Assistance event held in Washington, DC, September 5-6, 2001. The purpose of this conference was to give practitioners an opportunity to exchange information on experiences, learn of promising program strategies, and consider what can be done in to carry out the next phase of welfare reform.