This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report presents evaluation findings of the Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Carreras en Salud program. Carreras en Salud supports low-income, low-skilled Latino adults in Chicago in accessing and completing occupational training in nursing, which can result in improved outcomes in employment and earnings. Carreras en Salud is one of nine programs examined under the Administration for Children and Families’ Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education project.

This June 29, 2021 Annie E. Casey Foundation webinar presented findings from a study of 26 young parents with foster care experience. The webinar explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and covered multiple themes: employment disruptions, economic hardships, educational challenges, mental health challenges, insufficient resources, barriers to receiving services, and silver linings.

This Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation brief summarizes findings of a Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) grantee peer-learning experience held in summer 2020. Six YARH grantees shared their experiences, challenges, lessons learned, and solutions to engaging youth.

This report, a review of the current state of the two-generation model, explains the components for two-generation approaches, including physical and mental health, early childhood development, K-12 education, postsecondary education and employment pathways, economic asset building, social capital, and the assumptions behind designing programs that simultaneously improve outcomes for children and families. Also, the report identifies the impacts of implementing two-generation approaches, lessons learned, and recommendations for future action.

This report examines lessons learned, including successes and challenges, from waivers and flexibilities that were used for ensuring equitable SNAP access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also reviews barriers and best practices that scale program changes for greater SNAP access and identifies needed modifications as well as technical support. Findings are drawn from an online survey conducted with SNAP administrators in December 2020 and January 2021.

To improve understanding of ways to coordinate early care and education (ECE) with other health and human services, the Administration for Children and Families sponsored the Assessing Models of Coordinated Services (AMCS) project. This report shares findings of current state and local coordinated services approaches. States and localities interested in developing or continuing a coordinated services approach for families may not have access to information about the characteristics of such approaches; AMCS intends for this overview to begin to fill that gap.

This webinar was held by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation on April 28, 2020. Speakers Lauren Supplee from Child Trends, Gerrie Cotter from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Office of Workforce Development, and Joe Raymond from ICF covered considerations for undertaking successful virtual case management in human services programs, including access to and use of technology, privacy issues, virtual interactions such as home visits, and eligibility and enrollment processes.

Next spring, the Administration for Children and Families will launch the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, a new website to help TANF administrators and other program providers make evidence-informed decisions, so that they can design effective programs to help low-income individuals find and succeed in employment. On Monday, July 29, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. ET, members of the Pathways team will lead a panel discussion at the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) conference in New Orleans to preview the website and gather feedback to inform its ongoing development.

Want to attend the panel, but unable to attend the conference in person? Join Mathematica’s Facebook Live event broadcasting the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/MathematicaNow.

Government agencies are exploring artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to streamline routine work, improve services, and make better use of information. But for programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), adopting AI is not simply a matter of finding a tool that can save time. Agencies also need to consider how new technology fits into existing processes, protects sensitive information, and affects the people who rely on public services.

GovLoop will host a webinar on September 16 at 2:00 P.M. ET to demonstrate how AI can be used in government operations while keeping practical outcomes in view. For TANF practitioners, this can help frame conversations about where AI may be useful—for example, reducing administrative burdens or helping staff manage information—while recognizing where human expertise and judgment remain essential.

The resource is valuable for TANF leaders and staff who are beginning to explore AI or are already considering how it could fit into their work. It encourages agencies to focus on the problems they are trying to solve rather than adopting technology simply because it is new. That approach can help TANF programs pursue innovation in ways that improve staff capacity and service delivery while keeping participant's needs, privacy, accountability, and trust at the center.

Skills-based hiring is intended to help employers focus more on what people can actually do and less on traditional requirements such as degrees or years of experience. But making that approach work requires a clear understanding of which skills are needed for a job. This resource from the American Institutes for Research looks at how four states are working to define job-related skills in a consistent, evidence-based way. The effort focuses on public benefits specialist roles, making the lessons especially relevant to government agencies.

The resource is especially useful because it moves beyond the idea of “skills-based” hiring and looks at the foundational work needed to make it practical. By defining skills based on how jobs are performed, states can create more consistent approaches to hiring, career development, and workforce planning. For TANF agencies, these lessons can support both stronger internal workforces and more informed conversations with participants about the skills they can build and demonstrate in the labor market.