A strong, stable, and comprehensive social safety-net is critical to the well-being of low-income and working families. Strong partnerships not only improve the quantity of services delivered, but also contribute to the overall quality of available services that families rely on in order to become economically self-sufficient. The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Regions I, II, and III hosted the 2012 East Coast Strategic Collaborations Workshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 18-20, 2012 in an effort to bring together TANF, workforce, child support, responsible fatherhood, housing, and community services stakeholders to map out a plan for better communication and collaboration. The workshop included targeted discussions with policy, research, and service delivery experts and culminated with an interactive building of a self-sufficiency puzzle made up of specific next steps, action items, and technical assistance needs. The workshop brought together State TANF directors, local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) directors, and other human service administrators and leaders to strategize on ways to better coordinate services for low-income and working families while improving program performance and service delivery outcomes. Workshop topics included the role of TANF in the safety-net, the current and future research agenda, career pathways, subsidized employment, and partnership development.

August 22, 2011 marked the 15th anniversary of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program which was passed in an effort to “end welfare as we know it.” Although TANF cash assistance caseloads have fallen dramatically over the past 15 years, the need for assistance has remained high as the economic recovery continues to batter low-income and working families. Analyses of Federal and State caseload data, food stamp data, poverty data, and unemployment data show that TANF has not kept pace with the rates of food stamp usage or kept pace with unemployment and poverty increases, but remains an important component of the work-based safety-net for many Americans. State and Territory TANF programs are continuously challenged with developing and implementing effective work readiness, job skills, barrier reduction, and job placement activities for their TANF participants and as a result the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance. Regions I, II, and III convened the TANF at 15: Where Do We Go from Here 2011 Tri-Regional TANF Directors’ Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island on November 1-3, 2011 to discuss the status of the TANF program and to determine appropriate next steps for programs and families. The TANF at 15 meeting focused on pertinent issues impacting TANF families and the TANF programs including improving responsiveness, engagement, fiscal management, domestic violence, asset-development, the TANF/SSI connection, and the work-based safety net during periods of sustained and increased unemployment. The meeting brought together national experts, Federal officials, researchers and program officials from the Urban Institute, MDRC, ICF International, and State and TANF directors representing nearly a third of the country to strategize around peer-developed practical solutions to common challenges facing TANF programs and participants. TANF at 15 represented a beginning of a tri-regional discussion on the status of TANF programming and laid the foundation for continued dialogue, focused planning, and increased responsiveness.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was developed to assist low-income and working families transition into employment and achieve greater levels of economic self-sufficiency. State/Territory/Tribal TANF grantees are responsible for managing more than $16 billion in Federal funds and successfully managing TANF programs requires skill and understanding. On June 15-16, 2011, the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Regions I, II, and III hosted the first ever fiscal management workshop for TANF programs. The 2011 Tri-Regional TANF Fiscal Management Symposium in New York, New York 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.

Some TANF recipients may have disabilities that would qualify them for the specialized employment preparation services Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide. TANF recipients may seek out VR services on their own, or be referred to VR by a TANF case manager on his or her own accord, however, because VR is an unfamiliar service system, few may be inclined to do so. Creating a formal partnership between the agencies can ensure that all TANF recipients who can benefit from VR services have access to them. Though linking the services of these two agencies through formal cooperative agreements is not a widespread strategy, some states have had such partnerships in place for many years and other states are developing them. This practice brief explores the benefits and challenges of linking TANF and VR services, describes partnerships that have been formed in Vermont and Iowa, then discusses key features that appear to be critical to developing a successful partnership. (author abstract)

In the foreground of reauthorization the Administration for Children and Families Regions I, II, III, and IV convened the first ever 2010 East Coast TANF Directors’ Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 19-21, 2010. The conference brought together 24 State TANF directors and program staff to strategize on ways to move low-income and working families closer to economic self-sufficiency while providing important input on the development of new TANF legislation. Specific topics included subsidized employment, strengthening safety-net partnerships, improving assessments and service delivery for domestic violence victims, and asset development strategies to improve long-term economic development. The conference brought together federal, state, and local partners and stakeholders to develop a new vision for a new decade and to enhance the program options available to low-income families and TANF participants.

ACF Region I held a TANF Emergency Funds: Strategies for Maximizing Federal and State Resources for Families Meeting on January 14, 2010. There were representatives from each of the ACF Region I States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Representatives from the central and regional offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ACF Office of Family Assistance (OFA), the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), the Child Care Bureau (CCB), and the regional offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), were in attendance. This meeting explored how States could utilize the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which included the TANF Emergency Contingency Funds, and appropriated $5 billion for the provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for creating/enhancing subsidized employment programs, providing basic assistance (cash grants to low-income families), and providing non-recurrent short-term payments (e.g. four months of rental assistance for homeless families, security deposit and first month’s rent, utility assistance). In order to assist States in developing and implementing innovative initiatives to respond to rising caseloads and/or rising expenditures, ACF Region I held this meeting for States to discuss and share subsidized employment programs, on-the-job training, and non-recurrent short term benefits programs and to work together to determine next steps.

As part of the Rural Communities Initiative and the Vermont site’s Individualized Technical Assistance Plan, Vermont decided to alter their TANF case management approach. Through a series of meetings, the team sketched out a new case management structure which included a team approach in place of one- on- one case management. In addition, the team decided that their staff could benefit from additional training in career coaching. To this end, the team requested that Charles Modiano, a youth development and employment initiative trainer, hold a training for all staff around career coaching and team based case management. The training was held March 25-26, 2009, and was attended by three of Vermont’s Economic Services Districts as well as the Vermont Economic Services central office. Due in part to this training, Vermont has developed a new model of service delivery, moving away from traditional case management and toward a community based teaming model of service. This model brings together all community partners working with the TANF participant to provide enhanced support towards reaching self-sufficiency. Also, as a result of the on-site training, the team chose to change the language used in service delivery to convey their philosophy of team oriented service. For example, the initial contact with a participant is now referred to as a “welcoming interview” instead of intake or assessment.

The capstone event for the Rural Communities Initiative was the Rural Leadership Forum that took place in Charleston, South Carolina on September 1-2, 2009. Representatives from the 16 rural TANF sites met to share lessons learned; explore leadership and sustainability plans; and discuss successes garnered and challenges encountered from the implementation of the Rural TANF sites’ TA plans over the past year.

The Rural Communities Academy was the "kick off" event for the 16 selected rural sites and included time for each rural site team (consisting of four/five team members) to participate in information gathering, networking, and action planning. The team members who attended the Academy participated in workshops and plenary sessions, and met with Rural Content Specialists and representatives from other rural communities who shared their insight into strategies being utilized in rural areas with TANF participants.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services/Career Options Roundtable was held in Bismarck, North Dakota from May 5-6, 2009. Attendees included representatives from seven Rural Communities Initiative sites as well as administrators and case management staff from Career Options, Inc. Based on Career Options’ presentation during the Rural Communities Academy in September 2008, a number of Initiative sites requested follow-up on certain aspects of the programmatic work taking place at the organization. Specifically, sites expressed interest in Career Options’ organizational development model, child care and education programs, and case management strategies for hard-to-serve participants. With these requests in mind, the Roundtable was designed to include a series of in-depth breakout sessions that focused on the unique tools and case management approaches utilized by Career Options. In addition, as a way to show the diversity of Career Options’ caseload, Roundtable attendees participated in a site visit to the Standing Rock Reservation where they visited with case management staff and toured the Reservation. During the close-out session, attendees discussed their next steps for taking strategies from this Roundtable and replicating them in their local areas.