The National Healthy Marriage Academy, held January 8 and 9, 2003,  in Arlington, VA, provided an opportunity for representatives from several States to learn more about the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Healthy Marriage Initiative. The Academy afforded States an opportunity to hear presentations from nationally recognized speakers, researchers, and Federal policy makers, as well as from other States with successful Healthy Marriage Initiatives.

One of the most prominent roadblocks that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) clients face to a successful transition to employment is substance abuse. In order to address these issues that TANF families affected by substance abuse face the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network held a conference entitled Effectively Serving Clients with Substance Abuse Problems: Making a Difference on the Frontline in Newark, New Jersey on February 19th and 20th. The purpose of this 2-day seminar was two fold: to provide participants with an opportunity to understand how TANF agencies and treatment providers can work together to better serve clients and to showcase New Jersey’s referral process for families struggling with substance abuse in order to meet work requirements and remain self-sufficient. The report provides a summary of this workshop.

The ACF Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, coordinated this one day workshop presentation by Ms. Toby Herr, the Founder of Project Match. Ms. Herr provided an in-depth description of the Pathways System developed through Project Match. This workshop was the result of a collaborative effort between the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network and the New England Promising Practices Workgroup. The technical assistance event was a multi-state workshop with a focus on providing participants with a thorough understanding of the Pathways System philosophy and approach to serving a large and diverse welfare population with serious or multiple barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.