The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted a webinar entitled Integrating Executive Functioning Principles, Soft Skills Activities, and Case Management Coaching in order to Improve Economic Success for TANF Recipients. This Webinar provided resources and step-by-step recommendations to help participants better integrate case management approaches based on the work of the Crittenton Women's Union, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities- Building Better Programs initiative and the Minnesota's Ramsey County activities. The overarching goals of the Webinar were to: 1. Provide an overview of executive functioning, the emergence of brain science research within the human services and the intersection of executive functioning and soft skills as a means to improve social and economic development from the Building Better Program's initiative developed by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities; 2. Provide integration insights from the Crittenton Women's Union approach to improving executive functioning and economic mobility among TANF recipients and low-skilled individuals; and 3. Share lessons learned and implementation strategies from Ramsey County, Minnesota which has been rigorously evaluated and has been shown to improve economic outcomes for clients.

The Administration for Children and Families presented this Webinar titled in November 2014. The Webinar provided information about the implications of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for ACF programs, including TANF, the Community Services Block Grant and Homeless Youth, and Foster Care.

This brief provides an overview of the Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) Tribal HPOG program, key findings to date, and stories from students who have benefitted from the program. Findings focus on program structures, program processes, and program outcomes, and is based on qualitative data from interviews with administrative and program implementation staff, focus groups with the TMCC students, and phone interviews with program completers and non-completers, as well as administrative data. It is part of a series of briefs being developed by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). (author abstract)

This brief provides an overview of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) Tribal HPOG program, key findings to date, and stories from students who have benefitted from the program. Findings focus on program structures, program processes, and program outcomes, and is based on qualitative data from interviews with administrative and program implementation staff, focus groups with the CITC students, and phone interviews with program completers and non-completers, as well as administrative data. It is part of a series of briefs being developed by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). (author abstract)

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)