Workforce training programs in the United States have delivered inconsistent returns on investment to workers seeking better opportunities in the labor market. Hosted by WorkRise and J-PAL North America, this webinar on March 9, 2022 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET will discuss the power of randomized controlled trials in generating evidence to inform and guide decisionmaking and investment in workforce training. Speakers will share insights from a WorkRise-funded evaluation of the Pursuit Fellowship, a sectoral employment program that equips adults from under-resourced communities with the necessary skills to build careers in the high-wage technology sector.

What can we learn from decades of research on interventions designed to boost employment and earnings for people with low incomes? The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize findings from more than 220 interventions and 300 studies to gain new insights into evidence on what works. The Clearinghouse will host a webinar on March 9, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET to discuss these findings and address three primary questions:

• What interventions work to improve the employment and earnings of people with low incomes?
• Do the interventions work best for particular groups of people? If so, which groups?
• In what contexts do interventions appear to be most successful?

Panelists will also describe how practitioners and policymakers can use the findings to best meet the needs of populations seeking gainful employment.

In 2013, the Office of Family Assistance released Information Memorandum (TANF-ACF-IM-2013-01) “Use of TANF Funds to Serve Homeless Families and Families at Risk of Experiencing Homelessness” in recognition of the integral role TANF can play in family stability. That memorandum highlights the important role TANF can play in helping families experiencing homelessness, offers approaches for using TANF funding, and provides examples of existing state initiatives. To better understand how states and localities are currently using TANF funds to support families experiencing homelessness, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) funded a study. This brief summarizes different approaches that TANF agencies can pursue to provide housing and other related assistance.

This report overviews and critiques research findings about expectant and parenting youth and the stigma associated with young parenthood. It also discusses four strategies to break the stigmatization of expectant and parenting youth, increasing the likelihood of improved outcomes for young parents and their children.

This fact sheet summarizes provisions and key aspects of the Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and Earned Income Tax Credit. Each of these three tax credits were expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 and can be claimed on federal income tax returns by eligible families.

The Pathways Clearinghouse Guide is for researchers conducting rigorous evaluations of interventions that aim to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, and support self-sufficiency for people with low incomes. It introduces the Pathways Clearinghouse, which identifies interventions that aim to directly or indirectly improve employment outcomes and systematically evaluates and summarizes the evidence of interventions’ effectiveness. Researchers and research funders can use this high-level overview to better understand the Pathways Clearinghouse and its processes for selecting studies for review, assigning study quality ratings, and assessing the evidence of effectiveness for an intervention.

Child protection agencies nationwide are faced with the complex task of determining when children can be safely cared for at home, often with services and supports, and when they may need to be removed from their parents to ensure their safety. This Q & A interview with David Reed of the Indiana Department of Child Services examines how Indiana has used the state’s Title IV-E waiver since 2012 to offer a selection of evidence-based interventions to keep families safely together or reunify them. Beyond the waiver, the federal Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 supports evidence-informed interventions to help children safely remain at home by meeting families’ service and treatment needs. The interview also notes changes in the contracting process with child protection service providers and how these providers may also teach families how to access resources and apply for TANF and other entitlements under the state’s per-diem model.

The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will host a Virtual Academy from March 7 to March 9, 2022 designed to provide participants with common knowledge of the workforce development field. Topics to be covered include Changing the Narrative in Workforce Development, Career Planning for the Client and the Workforce Professional, Understanding and Utilizing Labor Market Information, Building Effective Partnerships, Working with Special Populations, Program Development and Implementation, and Effective Outreach Strategies. Upon completing the Academy, participants will leave with a deeper knowledge of workforce development practices, a set of innovative ideas and approaches, and strategies to implement processes. There is a registration fee to attend the Virtual Academy.

This Office of Family Assistance brief is part of a broader study exploring how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs across the country use TANF funds to serve and support families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It describes housing-related challenges that families faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, both nationally and in communities visited for this study. The brief also focuses on how the TANF agency in one of these communities, Boulder County, Colorado, responded to families’ housing needs specifically at the beginning of the pandemic. It details the shifts and associated actions Boulder County’s TANF agency took in response to housing challenges posed by the pandemic.

This tip sheet offers providers guidance on being culturally- and trauma-informed while assisting displaced Afghan families. It provides ways to build connection and trust, help maintain and strengthen family relationships, and align the work with child and family goals while using a strength-based approach, and includes several practical strategies to keep in mind while assisting displaced Afghan families.