The economic and social needs in many Tribal communities are substantial. Poverty and related social challenges have long provided American Indian and Alaska Native Nations increased reason to improve economic development while enhancing service delivery for Tribal members. To aid in the development of comprehensive strategies to improve the available services for Tribal TANF participants, the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region X hosted the Tribal TANF Conference in Tulalip, Washington on September 27-29, 2010. The 2-and-a-half day conference highlighted a variety of topics including data management, subsidized employment, emergency preparedness, client assessment, responsible fatherhood, domestic violence, self-sufficiency programming, and non-custodial parent services.

The second Webinar in our EITC Series, this Webinar provided information on innovative EITC marketing and outreach strategies. Speakers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provided a comprehensive overview of marketing materials available through the IRS’s Stakeholder, Partnerships, Education and Communication Office. Additionally, speakers from Oregon offered information on how to successfully market an EITC campaign through strategic messaging for employees and consumers and how to conduct direct outreach through community events.

The Urban Partnerships Initiative cities of Cleveland, Oakland, and Portland presented during this session of the National Academy, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. Partner cities explained how they have improved technology to better serve children and families on the TANF caseload in their localities.

This is a breakout session from the Rural Communities Initiative Academy.

Staff from the Healthy Family/Healthy Child Project in Siletz, Oregon, submitted a technical assistance (TA) request to the Welfare Peer TA Network in hopes of increasing their knowledge around collaborating among their tribal service agencies to better serve their TANF and Child Welfare participants. The Healthy Family/Healthy Child Project operates through a Tribal TANF-Child Welfare Coordination Grant from the U.S. Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance. In response to the request, an event was held on December 3-5, 2008 that focused on wraparound case management practices and the Systems of Care (SOC) framework from the perspective of the Medicine Moon Initiative through the Native American Training Institute. Deb Painte, Director of the Medicine Moon Initiative, Jan Birkland, Sacred Child Project Coordinator for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and Claresa Blacksmith, Parent Coordinator for the St. Mary’s Parent Support Group of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, facilitated the meeting.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sponsored a 3-day conference for Tribal TANF grantees in Regions VI, VIII, and X. The annual meeting was designed to address the needs of grantees who have received funding to operate Tribal TANF programs. A total of 30 Tribal TANF programs were represented at the conference. The objective of the conference was to promote awareness and provide information on effective implementation and service delivery, as well as afford grantees the opportunity to collaborate and communicate with each other.

This discussion paper, from the Urban Institute, summarizes how States are serving clients with multiple barriers on their TANF caseloads and provides information on recent changes in States’ approaches to serving this population. Authors interviewed TANF program officials in the States of California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The purpose of this seminar was to provide State representatives the opportunity to join with Federal partners on identifying and sharing information related to service integration efforts. The conference was centered on peer-to-peer learning among participants.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) and Emergency Assistance programs wit the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Under TANF, the nature of public assistance changed from an entitlement program to one that requires individuals to work in order to receive time-limited support. This change in the welfare delivery system was accompanied by an increase in State-level flexibility in program design and operation. Welfare reform required no less than a redefinition of the role of decision makers at the Federal, State and local level, including the role played by front line workers when interacting with welfare recipients. In the journey toward reinventing the social safety net, States have met a variety of formidable challenges. Five years after the passage of welfare reform, this report takes stock of the past and current challenges that States have encountered. This report focuses on the policies and services provided to the hardest-to-serve and on the network of collaborations that States have developed to address the needs of these populations.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network coordinated this site visit to the offices of the Oregon Department of Human Services (OR, DHS), Adult and Family Services (AFS) Division on behalf of staff from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MN, DHS) and the Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN, TEA-WERC. The MN DHS office was interested in learning more about Oregon=s efforts to integrate substance abuse and mental health treatment into their Welfare-to-Work Program. MN-DHS is in the process of implementing a program similar to OR that involves coordination among social services, employment services, welfare, and health care staff. This was the second phase of technical assistance provided to MN earlier in the year from OR coordinated and supported by the Welfare Peer TA Network.