This report describes this Rapid Response Technical Assistance event held in Washington, DC, September 5-6, 2001. The purpose of this conference was to give practitioners an opportunity to exchange information on experiences, learn of promising program strategies, and consider what can be done in to carry out the next phase of welfare reform.

This report details the three day Leadership Conference of ACF's West Central Hub. Topics discussed include fatherhood, healthy marriages, faith-based and community initiatives, and positive youth development.

The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy that took place in Dallas, Texas from February 2-4, 2003 at the Fairmont Hotel-Dallas.

Authored by Jeanette Hercik, Karen Lynn-Dyson, H. Lien Bragg, Courtney Kakuska, and Bradley Myles. This technical assistance packet was developed by Caliber Associates, Inc. as part of the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Initiative. This initiative is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and Office of Community Services (OCS), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).

The Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) coordinated this rural workshop involving select representatives from twelve States from across four ACF Regions. State agency representatives were present from a variety of agencies including TANF, WTW, transportation, economic development, and domestic violence. Private sector speakers included a town mayor, a chief executive officer for a mass transit district, directors of several State coalitions against domestic violence, and key individuals from various private state-wide welfare service organizations. States represented included Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

The purpose of this one-day workshop was to promote the sharing of ideas and innovative practices designed to assist rural communities to effectively collaborate and utilize community resources to move welfare recipients toward employment and self-sufficiency. During the workshop, participants examined partnership building and the importance of collaboration among and between state, local, and community agencies as a key element in addressing many welfare reform issues. Collaboration among the following agencies was discussed: welfare, transportation, domestic violence, and economic, community, and housing development.

This report summarizes a workshop entitled "Solutions to Rural Issues Through Partnerships - A Community-Centered Approach" that took place on September 24-25, 2003 and was jointly sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Department of Labor (DOL) Regional offices. The purpose of the workshop was to focus on improving service delivery in rural communities to strengthen rural families and communities and support economic development.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network conducted a national needs assessment with all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico and documented the results in a report called "Progress and Promise of TANF Implementation." As its name suggests, the report highlights the challenges and successes of states' implementation of their TANF program. In addition to identifying the challenges faced by states, this report also highlights a variety of emerging innovations taking place throughout the country as states implement their welfare reform agendas.

This report summarizes a workshop entitled "Promoting Performance in TANF Programs" that took place on July 29-31, 2003 and was sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Family Assistance (OFA). The workshop focused on performance and performance considerations in the TANF program.

Substance abuse is recognized as one of the most common barriers facing hard-to-employ TANF recipients. Due to the stringent work requirements and time limits under Federal welfare policy, substance abuse treatment and counseling services are becoming a necessity for any public assistance program attempting to move recipients from welfare to work. Under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) Welfare Reform Technical Assistance Project, Caliber Associates produced this document as a reference tool on two specific Federal funding sources - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Welfare to Work (WtW) funds - which can be targeted at supporting substance abuse treatment services for the welfare population.

This report summarizes a national conference that took place in Arlington, VA, on March 20-21, 2003. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This conference brought together substance abuse treatment agency directors and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) administrators from forty States, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. The conference provided a forum for these policymakers and administrators to share information about their experience and concerns, and their promising strategies used in strengthening the collaboration and partnership of TANF and substance abuse treatment directors.