In March of 2012, the WPTA Network collaborated with Supporting Employment Empowerment (SEE) Hawaii Work and the Hawaii Department of Human Services to learn more about their private-public partnerships between their working participants and local employers.
 
This podcast highlights SEE Hawaii Work (SEE), which is a program that assists Hawaii's employers with their labor market needs, while placing work-eligible Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants into subsidized job-training programs. Staff from the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services provide an overview of key components and activities in the SEE Hawaii program model, discuss how the program engages, markets and conducts outreach to businesses and employers, as well as provide information on how data is collected within the program.

This report highlights the funding efforts of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families in fiscal year 2012. Of particular note to TANF and Tribal TANF programs are the Family Connections Grants which fund seven programs designed to increase collaboration between TANF and child welfare agencies and increase awareness about Kinship Navigator programs. Kinship Navigator programs provide information and direction to relatives (often grandparents) who are caring for a child about programs and services that may be available to assist the family. The programs funded through the Family Connections Grants will last a period of three years.

Using microdata from the American Dream Demonstration, this study examines factors associated with savings and savings goal achievement (indicated by a matched withdrawal) among participants of individual development account (IDA) programs. Results show that hours of participation in financial education programs, higher matched caps, prior use of a savings account, and greater educational attainment are each associated with a greater likelihood of savings and savings goal achievement. IDA programs need to maximize available resources, particularly financial education, to assist participants in achieving savings goals.

The Center for Studying Disability Policy released an issue brief discussing the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD). This study analyzes the interim findings of the YTD project evaluation, and the impact the project evaluation had on paid employment and earnings of youth with disabilities. The study identifies key components of the YTD project and further provides insight into the project for young people with disabilities.

The Office of Family Assistance, Division of Tribal TANF has posted National Tribal TANF characteristics data for fiscal years (FY) 2008, 2009, and 2010. The characteristics data has been produced for the following categories of information:

• Number of individuals participating in Tribal TANF work activities, by activity,
• Adults by work participation status,
• Adults by relationship to head of household,
• Types of families receiving assistance (e.g., one-parent, two-parent, child-only), and
• Families by the number of children in the family.

Mathematica Policy Research prepared the "Effective Case Management: Key Elements and Practices from the Field" brief for the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. This brief provides examples of key elements and practices for effective case management in the workforce system. Examples of State and local tools, processes, and policies designed to create or improve case management are given. An annotated list of resources is also included.

The Urban Institute released a brief entitled "Case Management Strategies for Successful Jail Reentry." In 2007, the National Institute of Corrections partnered with the Urban Institute to develop and test a comprehensive Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) model for effective jail-to-community transition. The TJC model and initiative advanced systems-level change and local reentry through collaborative, coordinated jail-community partnerships. This brief presents the TJC Initiative's approach to case planning and draws upon the implementation experiences of six TJC learning sites, all of which implemented elements of the TJC case management process.

The U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, released an article presenting an overview of two projects in the Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstrations: California's Bridges to Youth Self-Sufficiency and Mississippi's Model Youth Transition Innovation. These programs provided transitional assistance for youth with disabilities who are entitled to Social Security benefits. Key outcomes are reported in the article, along with highlights from two youth who successfully completed the programs.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a quick guide to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and benefits. This guide can be used to assist individuals in determining eligibility and calculating benefit amounts. Common questions are answered and examples are given for clarity. In addition to this, a resource that assists in locating local human service offices is available, along with a pre-screening eligibility tool that can determine if an individual may qualify for SNAP.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) is an online resource that provides validated industry competency models that can be used as the basis of educational programs and curricula for a variety of industry sectors. The CMC also offers two tools designed to help businesses, educators, and workforce professionals achieve their talent development goals: the Build a Competency Model Tool and the Build a Career Ladder/Lattice Tool.