This report from the Foundation for Child Development highlights the benefits of dual-generation programs in terms of children’s outcomes. Specifically, research shows the many disparities between children whose mothers had not graduated from high school and children whose mothers had obtained a bachelor’s degree. Children whose mothers had not graduated from high school experience higher rates of poverty, lower rates of mathematics and reading proficiencies, a lower likelihood of graduating high school on time, and poorer overall health. The report also spotlights dual-generation programs in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Los Angeles, California. Finally, the authors offer policy options for all levels of government to develop and implement successful dual-generation programs.

The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Regions V, VI, VII, and VIII hosted a webinar, "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Other Child-Only Issues" on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT. This webinar was the second in the 2014 Regions V, VI, VII, and VIII Tribal TANF webinar series "Addressing the Needs of Children." The Webinar provided strategies for addressing the needs of the growing population of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, particularly those with child-only, TANF-eligible grandchildren. The speakers provided strategies and resources that were relevant to both social service providers and grandparents.

The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Regions V, VI, VII, and VIII hosted a webinar, "TANF Children Endangered by Drug Use" on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT. This webinar was the first in the 2014 Regions V, VI, VII, and VIII Tribal TANF webinar series: "Addressing the Needs of Children." It addressed the growing issue of protecting children in environments of increasing drug use. Key topics included: identifying when a child is exposed to drug use in his/her home; implementing processes for addressing the needs of drug endangered children; and strategies for keeping a child's life stable when his/her family is unstable.

The Region VI State TANF Meeting: Building a Path to Family Stability, convened by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, took place on September 23 - 25, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. The meeting brought together TANF program directors, stakeholders, and State administrators to learn strategies, engage in dialogue, and build linkages with peers to improve program outcomes and promote economic and social well-being for individuals, children, and families. Specific topics covered during the meeting included: moving towards evidence-based practices; engaging non-custodial parents to improve child and family outcomes; improving effective programming for families facing homelessness; working with victims of family violence; and addressing the needs of rural TANF participants.

On September 27, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, the Office of Family Assistance hosted the first Webinar in a series highlighting promising practices for building sustainable subsidized employment programs. This Webinar provided an overview of different types of subsidized employment programs that can work in different settings and with different types of employers; discussed the varied funding streams utilized and strategies for matching subsidized employment opportunities to local labor markets and employer needs; and outlined practical strategies used by peer agencies for creating targeted subsidized employment programs. Presenters for this webinar included representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the Oregon Department of Human Services, the city and county of San Francisco Human Services Agency, and MDRC.

The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Region VI hosted a hands-on and interactive training for TANF programs on September 11-13, 2012. The 2012 Fiscal and Data Management Workshop in Dallas, Texas covered topics from caseload reduction credits and maintenance of effort (MOE) to cost allocation, audits, and penalties and provided TANF program representatives with the most comprehensive and hands-on training on managing TANF programs available. The workshop brought together State TANF directors and fiscal staff to strategize on ways to manage TANF dollars, collect, analyze, and report TANF participant and program data. Attendees learned strategies for maximizing TANF dollars and local partnerships and worked with peers to understand promising strategies for improving program performance and participant outcomes.

The Essex County Division of Training and Employment in New Jersey was interested in learning strategies that would help assist TANF Work Eligible recipients to achieve marketable skills that will move them to self-sufficiency and remove them from TANF roles and other forms of public assistance. The ultimate goal of Essex County was for individuals to self-provide for their families. The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network convened a peer-to-peer conversation between Essex County and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Oklahoma so that Oklahoma could share strategies on running literacy programs designed to screen, assess, and provide literacy training to TANF participants. The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network also developed an environmental scan of literacy programs in TANF organizations for Essex County to use as a tool and resource.

The final report is now available! The Administration for Children and Families Regions VI and VIII and the Employment and Training Administration Region IV came together to host the Client Success through Partnership: 2010 TANF and Workforce Meeting in Dallas, Texas from July 25-27, 2010. The meeting contained a series of targeted discussion forums, interactive plenary sessions, and peer-to-peer breakouts coordinated to improve partnership and collaboration among TANF and workforce programs. Over the two and one-half days, attendees were exposed to a variety of sessions presented by more than 20 distinguished experts and peers from the TANF, workforce, social service, and research communities.

In keeping with the goal of engaging all families and improving employment and self-sufficiency outcomes as well as the goal of increasing collaboration between the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Regions IV, VI and VIII, held a Tri-Regional Technical Assistance Forum, September 23-25, 2008, in Dallas. The theme of the 3-day Forum was titled, “The Power of Partnership.” The forum, in plenary sessions, addressed the interfacing issues of both programs. Separately, State TANF Directors and members of their staff learned about strategies and new resources to help refine implementation of the provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.