This fact sheet illustrates how Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio offered non-recurrent short-term TANF benefits as flexible responses to address the needs of TANF-eligible populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sheet also briefly notes how Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, and Florida have implemented flexible adaptions to TANF work requirements. SNAP approved waivers are also highlighted.

This research brief from the Office of Child Support Enforcement identifies findings from a five-site Parenting Time Opportunities for Children (PTOC) grant. The grant, awarded to child support agencies in California, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Oregon, was intended to demonstrate how child support agencies can include parenting time orders in child support enforcement actions. The brief describes how increases in noncustodial parenting time, with safeguards in place for child welfare, led to improved relationships and increased compliance with child support payment orders.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) will host a webinar on July 11, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss best practices of using labor market information (LMI) data in creating Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plans. Speakers include LMI Directors from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan and representatives from the U.S. Department of Education and DOLETA.

This Urban Institute report examines findings from its replication validation of the National Institute of Correction’s Employment Retention Inventory (ERI). This study was conducted to determine the ERI’s capability of identifying workforce detachment risks and reductions in labor force participation for justice-involved populations in Indiana, New York, and Massachusetts. Conducted from June 2017 to July 2018, the study reviewed the employment and recidivism rates of 185 employed and 148 unemployed persons and compared this group with the overall justice-involved population. Employment outcomes and prediction of unemployment were made 3 to 6 months following release into community correctional settings.

This National Skills Coalition issue brief outlines effective industry partnerships for work-based learning that are designed to meet both business and worker needs. Four case studies are presented in addition to lessons about work-based learning and the need for partnership with employers to align workforce, education, and human service systems; these case studies cover models in Georgia (health care apprenticeships), Oregon (work-based learning), Texas (women in construction trades), and Indiana (advanced manufacturing).

This brief from OPRE reports their findings on the BIAS project, an experiment that conducted randomized controlled trials of behavioral interventions at two child care agencies in Indiana and Oklahoma. Each child care site saw a statistically significant improvement on at least one primary outcome of interest, with the measured improvements ranging from 2.1% to 10%.

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is part of the Self-Sufficiency Series: Solutions from the Field. The series profiles local programs from across the country finding solutions that meet HHS’s Strategic Plan for encouraging self-sufficiency and personal responsibility, and eliminating barriers to economic opportunity. The blog highlights the partnership between the Nurse-Family Partnership and Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana. The organizations have joined hands to improve the health of low-income, first-time mothers and their babies and to strengthen the economic stability of their families.