The Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) helps states improve program integrity by securely comparing public assistance data across state lines. This Administration for Children and Families resource provides a sample Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines how state public assistance agencies can participate in interstate data matching and establish a framework for sharing information while protecting privacy. TANF administrators and program staff can use this MOU template to better understand how interstate data matching supports accurate eligibility determinations, reduces duplicate participation across states, and helps ensure public assistance benefits are administered efficiently and responsibly.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is seeking input on the use of research from a range of audiences working in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or related family self-sufficiency programs. TANF and other human services providers, technical assistance providers, researchers, research funders, and others that use or may use ACF-sponsored research are invited to participate in a survey. This survey is part of a project that aims to understand how ACF-sponsored research can better support your work and improve outcomes for people and families with low incomes. 

ACF invites you to take the 15-minute survey to share your insights about:  

• What type of research is helpful or important to you; 
• How you use research findings or information; or 
• What would make ACF research more useful for your work. 

The survey will be open until Tuesday, August 25, 2026.  

The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces funds for a National Center for Native Training and Technical Assistance (the Center). The Center will be ANA's primary provider of training and technical assistance (TTA). The goal is to build the capacity of ANA applicants and recipients to implement successful strategies and facilitate sustainable and successful outcomes that strengthen Native American communities. The beneficiaries of TTA are tribes and Native American communities, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islander organizations and their partners. 

The Center will assist applicants and recipients to plan, develop, and implement community-driven projects aligned with ANA's goals. The Center will also train communities on leveraging additional resources, complying with federal requirements, and sustaining projects past ANA funding. ANA expects the Center to use innovative and user-friendly solutions for providing TTA in both virtual and in-person formats. The Center will also focus on collecting data to better understand how beneficiaries interact with ANA's TTA and how to improve the success of funded projects. Submissions are due August 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs are exploring new ways to improve services while helping staff meet growing demands. This MDRC video examines how organizations can thoughtfully evaluate artificial intelligence (AI) tools before using them to support clients. Rather than focusing only on technology, the video offers practical guidance for selecting tools that improve service delivery, protect client information, and complement staff expertise. TANF leaders and practitioners can use these insights to make informed decisions about incorporating AI into programming and identify opportunities to enhance client engagement without compromising trust or program quality.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs rely on accurate information to ensure benefits reach eligible families while maintaining program integrity. The Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) helps states identify duplicate public assistance participation across state lines and verify information that may affect eligibility. For TANF practitioners, understanding how PARIS works can support more accurate eligibility determinations, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen coordination with other public assistance programs while helping safeguard limited program resources.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) supports families as they work toward financial independence, but misconceptions about who receives assistance and how they participate in work activities continue to shape public discussions. This issue brief, co-written by Office of Family Assistance Director David Swegle and Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams, explores the gap between public perception and how TANF's work requirements operate in practice. As the first in a series on TANF work requirements, it explains the purpose of the federal work participation rate, why measuring state performance is more complex than it appears, and how federal rules influence program reporting and accountability. TANF leaders, administrators, and frontline staff can use this resource to better understand the policies behind work participation requirements and support informed conversations with partners and stakeholders.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) supports families as they work toward financial independence, and the policies used to measure state performance play an important role in how the program is administered. This issue brief, co-written by Office of Family Assistance Director David Swegle and Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams, examines the TANF Caseload Reduction Credit and how it affects state work participation requirements. As the second in a series on TANF work requirements, it explains how the credit is calculated and why it was created, identifies its limitations, and examines recent legislative attempts to strengthen work requirements. TANF leaders and administrators can use this resource to better understand the relationship between caseload trends, accountability, and work participation requirements, helping them interpret program data and engage in informed policy discussions about the impact of workarounds on TANF participants’ financial independence.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new opportunities for human services, but integrating lived experience into AI design is essential for ensuring these systems are designed with and for the communities they serve. Wonderschool will host a webinar on July 20, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to explore how public welfare programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can responsibly incorporate AI while keeping the experiences and needs of families at the center of decision-making. For TANF practitioners, this webinar will offer valuable insights into using AI to improve customer service, streamline administrative tasks, and design more responsive programs without losing the human connection on which families rely.

The Office of Human Services and Emergency Preparedness and Response, in partnership with The Council of State Governments, will host a webinar on July 16, 2026, from 2:00-3:00 P.M. ET to examine how the Social Work Licensure Compact enhances disaster preparedness, response, and recovery by increasing workforce mobility and strengthening human services delivery. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners and social workers can play a vital role in disaster relief and emergency preparedness, and multistate licensure can help ensure affected communities receive timely, coordinated support during emergencies. This webinar is open to the public and is free.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) non-assistance funds flow through workforce boards, employment program providers, and community partners—but data about service delivery often lives in separate systems. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified this as a core program integrity challenge: without cross-agency data infrastructure, TANF agencies struggle to assess provider performance, identify service gaps, and connect spending to participant outcomes.

As a result, the Office of Family Assistance’s State and Tribal Technical Assistance and Resources (STAR) team developed the TANF Program Integrity Office Hours as a series of topical peer learning sessions where TANF agencies can share what's working, explore real challenges, and walk away with practical strategies they can use to address the challenge identified by GAO.

This recording includes key takeaways from the June session, highlights from peer discussions, and an overview of how to use and navigate the companion resource, which can help TANF programs assess and strengthen their own provider contracts and accountability structures.