When families receive both child support and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), there are rules that determine how child support payments are shared between the family and the government. This is often called “cost recovery,” which means that states may use some or all of the child support payments to repay TANF assistance that was provided. This report explains how this process works in simple terms, why it matters for family income, and how it can affect the money families actually receive. TANF administrators and policymakers can use this report to better understand how these rules impact families and explore ways to support greater financial stability while still meeting program requirements.

Understanding the child support system can help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners better support the families they serve. This National Conference of State Legislatures tutorial provides an overview of how child support programs operate, including how orders are established, payments are collected, and services are delivered. It is a valuable resource for TANF staff who are new to child support or want to strengthen their knowledge so they can connect families with the appropriate resources and explain how child support can contribute to long-term financial stability.

This Administration for Children and Families’ webpage serves as a timely outreach tool for explaining child support in a way families can use. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, it offers ready-made materials that help show child support as more than enforcement: it is a source of income and a way to support children’s needs.

For Tribal communities working to strengthen child welfare services, understanding how to access and use federal funding can be an important part of building long-term capacity. This webinar PowerPoint from the National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement explains three pathways Tribes can use to access Title IV-E funding: operating a direct Title IV-E program, developing a Tribal-State agreement, or working through a Tribal-State contract. Title IV-E can help support costs related to foster care, adoption and guardianship assistance, training, administration, and prevention services.

For Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, the resource is useful for understanding how child welfare and economic support systems can intersect for families. It also offers a practical way to think about which funding and partnership approach may best fit their community’s existing capacity and goals. The discussion of Tribal-State agreements is particularly helpful for TANF programs interested in building administrative systems, strengthening culturally responsive services, and moving toward greater control over child welfare programs. Rather than simply describing federal funding, the resource helps practitioners consider how different funding arrangements can support stronger systems and better align services with the needs and priorities of Tribal families.

Men play a vital role in helping children and families thrive, yet they are often overlooked in conversations about foster and kinship care. This Creating a Family podcast episode explores the unique contributions of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mentors, and other male caregivers, while discussing strategies for engaging and supporting them in meaningful ways. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners who work with kinship and foster families can use this resource to strengthen family engagement, promote inclusive caregiving practices, and better highlight the important role male caregivers play in helping children build safe, stable, and supportive relationships.

In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed technical assistance and compliance support to Tribal TANF programs.

During the second session, participants heard from Subject Matter Experts and participated in discussions on strengthening two-parent families and father engagement through partnerships with Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) and Responsible Fatherhood (RF) programs. 

In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed technical assistance and compliance support to Tribal TANF programs.

During the first session, participants heard from Tribal TANF practitioners and engaged in discussion about how to support economic and family stability and resilience. Presenters were invited to share practical knowledge of how Tribal TANF programs can provide holistic services to strengthen and stabilize families.

Kin caregivers often step in unexpectedly to care for children and may not realize they are eligible for support. This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network fact sheet explains how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can help relatives raising children by providing financial assistance and connecting families with additional services. TANF practitioners can use this resource to better inform kin caregivers about available supports, answer common questions, and ensure families receive the assistance they need. This fact sheet can also be a useful tool for expanding awareness of TANF and helping caregivers access resources that promote stability for the children in their care.

This vignette features a Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that participated in the Family Routes Initiative Learning Community and expanded their Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) services. This resource highlights steps the program took to achieve their goals and concludes with a brief exercise for other TANF programs to bring to their programs.