The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) hosted a Webinar on August 23, 2012, that provided ideas and resources to help increase father involvement in schools and their children's education. Information was provided on various initiatives that have helped engage fathers and father figures, inspire children, reduce bullying, and generally improve the educational environment in order that men may become more involved in the lives of their children.

The Congressional Research Service released a report on October 02, 2012 that examined the work participation standards and requirements for cash assistance recipients of the TANF block grant, which was created in the 1996 Welfare Reform law. This report provides a short history of work requirements in programs that provide cash assistance to needy families with children; reviews the major studies that contribute to the knowledge of what types of welfare-to-work programs are effective; discusses the TANF work provisions that apply directly to individuals; discusses the TANF work participation standards that apply to States; and addresses future issues for Congressional discussion, such as how work standards can address changing circumstances and the difficulties of measuring performance of States in the context of a block grant.

The Urban Institute introduced the Low-Income Working Families (LIWF) project. This project tracks the well-being of low-income families over time and analyzes the risks families can face. The new Web site for the Low-Income Working Families project features the latest information on factors that contribute to poor outcomes for families and policy options that would reduce barriers and promote meaningful work for adults and positive outcomes for children.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy launched the Workplace Flexibility Toolkit. This Toolkit makes more than 170 resources easily accessible for workers and job seekers with complex employment situations, such as parents with young children, single parents, family caregivers, mature workers, at-risk youth, ex-offenders, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people with HIV/AIDS. Visitors may access case studies, fact and tip sheets, issue briefs, reports, articles, websites and a list of frequently asked questions. This Toolkit is funded by the ODEP in partnership with the department's Women's Bureau.

The Office of Planning, Research, & Evaluation (OPRE) released the report, "The Supporting Healthy Marriage Evaluation: Final Implementation Findings." This is the final report documenting the implementation by eight organizations of the yearlong, multi-component Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) program model of marriage and relationship education services. An earlier report, "The Supporting Healthy Marriage Evaluation: Early Impacts on Low-Income Families" presented findings on the impacts of SHM programs about 12 months after couples enrolled. This report presents information about implementation of the programs, the characteristics of couples who enrolled, and their participation in the programs. The project is being conducted by MDRC in collaboration with Abt Associates and other partners.

Joblinks is a program of the Community Transportation Association of America that connects workforce development agencies, transportation providers and other stakeholders with transportation-to-work solutions that are affordable, reliable and accessible. Joblinks focuses on the mobility needs of low-wage job seekers and earners, as well as workers with disabilities, youth, veterans, and older workers. Joblinks activities are supported with funding through the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) developed a Guide to Resources and Funding for Community and Faith-based Organizations as an effort to inform the public about the wide range of programs and resources provided by them. This Guide contains an overview of the agency, basic information about finding and applying for federal funds, specific information about ACF's grant opportunities, and numerous resources and toolkits available for community or faith-based organizations.

In light of the recent recession, this paper examines the effect that financial strain can have on the occurrence of domestic violence and in turn, how domestic violence impacts an individual or family's financial situation. Though being low income does not correlate directly to victimization, research shows a strong relationship between economic hardship and the risk for domestic violence. Financial status can also be affected by the type of abuse a victim suffers, economic abuse being a common tool employed by batterers. The article also addresses how social services, particularly TANF can play a part in helping survivors move towards safety and self-sufficiency. The report concludes by highlighting research which shows that victims feel that housing and financial assistance are the most helpful, over and above counseling and other non-tangible forms of help.

This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) hosted a Webinar that presented strategies and approaches you can use in your program to raise awareness and change behavior, and had an emphasis on working with men in a fatherhood context and empowering them to take these conversations to family, friends and community. Topics included: ways to raise fatherhood program participants' awareness of the realities of violent and controlling behavior and the negative impacts for children; emphasize communication, mutual understanding, and healing; and, ways to use fatherhood groups to reinforce the message and build mutual support systems to change behavior.

One in five women experience domestic violence at some time in their lives, and over 15 million children witness domestic violence each year. Given these statistics, fatherhood programs may be serving families where violence has been an issue. It is imperative that fatherhood programs establish protocols to address domestic violence and protect the safety of all family members, including children. Health and Human Services' funded State domestic violence coalitions are an important resource in building partnerships with domestic violence providers and developing protocols. The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) has resources, training webinars, and more tools to help fatherhood programs address and combat the issue of domestic violence.