This report provides the results of a large-scale national survey about the extent of substance abuse and mental health issues in the U.S. In 2012, it was found that approximately 22.2 million people over the age of 12 were dependent on a substance and the three most common substances used were marijuana, pain killers, and cocaine. This data indicated an increase in the number of people abusing pain killers from the previous year.

This document provides the findings from a six-year study conducted in New York City on the ability of substance abusing TANF participants to obtain a job and remain employed. It was found that the overwhelming majority of substance abusing participants were not exempted from work requirements due to their substance use. One quarter of participants with substance use issues found and maintained employment. Case management is touched upon as an important component to working with this hard-to-serve population.

This document offers information on substance use and co-occurring disorders through the lens of child welfare and child safety. Information on funding related to the Affordable Care Act is covered as well as understanding substance abuse data, direct practice concepts and evidence-based practices and promising interventions currently in use. State and local programs are highlighted for readers.

In Colorado, TANF provides funding to a substance abuse treatment program called New Directions for Families at the Arapahoe House treatment facility. Substance abuse intervention and transitional housing assistance is provided for mothers and their dependent children with a focus on achieving self-sufficiency. In the latter half of the program, employment is emphasized and mothers are expected to be working as they complete treatment.

Kentucky's Targeted Assessment Program (TAP) is a partnership between the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) and the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research to assess and support TANF participants struggling with significant barriers to work, including substance abuse and mental health issues. The model uses specialists who administer a comprehensive assessment designed to fully capture any barriers to work and then collaborate with other systems to engage participants in evidenced based interventions. This program has been in place since 1999.

This report describes the first year of activities of the 14 tribes and tribal organizations who in 2011 received demonstration grants from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) for Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services to Tribal Families at Risk of Child Abuse or Neglect.  The overarching goal of the Study of Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services is to document the way in which the tribal grantees are creating and adapting culturally relevant and appropriate approaches, systems, and programs to increase coordination and enhance service delivery to address child abuse and neglect.

Low-income families such as those who qualify for TANF are generally at greater risk for child maltreatment than other families. Since many families are involved with both the welfare (TANF) and child welfare (CW) systems, TANF and CW agencies are ideal partners to coordinate efforts to provide services that can address family risk factors, as TANF is intended not only to encourage parents to improve their socio-economic status, but also to provide stable homes. The funded projects were expected to focus on one or more of the following services: (1) improved case management for families eligible for assistance from a Tribal TANF program; (2) supportive services and assistance to tribal children in out-of-home placements and the tribal families caring for such children, including adoptive families; and (3) prevention services and assistance to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect. (author abstract)

This Portfolio of Research in Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency describes the major research projects of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation’s Division of Economic Independence. The Portfolio is divided into four sections – TANF and the Safety Net, Employment and the Labor Market, Education and Training and Other and Cross-Cutting Research. This document provides detailed summaries of OPRE’s ongoing welfare and family self-sufficiency research efforts along with brief overviews of past projects. The report also describes OPRE’s efforts to disseminate rigorous research on welfare and family self-sufficiency topics.  This Portfolio covers OPRE-funded projects for Fiscal Year 2012. (author abstract)

This Interim Report provides an overview of the tribal HPOG grantees’ progress over the first two years of the program with initial evaluation findings organized around program structure, program processes, and education and employment outcomes. The report also summarizes the evaluation questions and methodology. The report was written by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board. (author abstract)

This brief provides an overview of the strategies that Tribal HPOG grantees have used to implement the HPOG program, challenges encountered during implementation, lessons learned, and ongoing program evolution and adaptation to address unique tribal cultural and programmatic needs. The brief draws upon qualitative data collected from the first year of evaluation activities with the Tribal HPOG programs. 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)