Human services and workforce agencies face complex, systemic challenges in serving families receiving TANF and other low-income families. Such challenges include bureaucratic program requirements, program leadership and staff entrenched in a compliance-focused mindset, limited financial and staff resources, and a mismatch between what customers need and what programs can provide. The Office of Family Assistance will host a webinar on March 24, 2020 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. which will describe the successes, challenges, and opportunities for getting good, evidence-informed interventions to stick in human service and workforce programs.

During the webinar, we will hear from Dr. Michelle Derr, a leading implementation researcher who has studied TANF and workforce programs for more than 20 years. Additional presenters include exceptional program administrators who have rolled out science-informed strategies across programs within their respective service delivery systems who can share their day-to-day experience with getting good interventions to stick!

To support Child Support Awareness Month, the Office of Family Assistance, in collaboration with the Office of Child Support Enforcement, will host a webinar on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET on state pass-through and disregard policies. By attending the webinar, participants will deepen their knowledge of pass-through and disregard policies and identify factors to consider when adopting a programmatic change like a pass-through option. Speakers will include representatives from the Colorado Department of Human Services who will share their experiences implementing a full pass-through and the effects of the policy change.

This case statement describes the American Job Centers in Central Arkansas (called Arkansas Workforce Centers). Strategies to coordinate cash assistance and employment services for TANF recipients and job seekers include in-house referrals between TANF and WIOA, the development of a new integrated data system (ARWINS) to track participant outcomes, and information sharing among program staff. Through strong relationships with local workforce development boards and business partners, the Workforce Centers also offer work-based learning and subsidized employment opportunities to job seekers.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.