Want practical ways to boost your program’s employment outcomes and help advance core purposes of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)? The Office of Family Assistance is sponsoring The Family Routes Initiative (FRI) to assist TANF programs in achieving employment, two-parent family formation, and responsible fathering goals, and invites TANF program staff of all levels to join us for a special Office Hours session on July 30th, 2026, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

Why Attend? 

The Administration for Children and Families launched the FRI to facilitate the transfer of practical Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) tools to help human services programs improve practical skills of TANF program staff and enhance the experience of families and participants engaged in TANF services. Participation in the initiative is intended to strengthen key skills and program capacities. 

Drawing from proven HMRF research and practices, this interactive, open forum will provide peer-to-peer and expert facilitated training, ideation, and design support focused on improving practical relational and employment-related skills, while linking participating programs with tailored technical assistance for strengthening employment and social outcomes for TANF participants.

Key Takeaways for Your Program:

• Emotional Regulation: Model emotional self-regulation and co-regulation skills with participants to manage daily stressors.
• Healthy Communication: Integrate practical communication skill-building directly into your existing employment and family services to strengthen participant engagement and improve employment outcomes.
• Advance TANF Purposes: Gain actionable strategies to help your program build economically stable and intact families.

Many families do not enter the child welfare system all at once; they arrive there after a series of crises that no one stepped in to address early enough. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can be a part of that early intervention, providing income support, employment services, and family stability before situations escalate.

The Administration for Children and Families has now added new evidence-based interventions to the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse, a federal list of proven programs states can fund to keep families together and reduce unnecessary foster care entries. For TANF practitioners, this resource signals where federal child welfare investment is heading and opens opportunities to align TANF-funded services with approved prevention strategies. If your agency is already providing parenting support, substance use navigation, or family counseling, these new interventions may mean new pathways to coordinate funding and recognition for that work.

From the Wheatley Institute at BYU, this report examines how economic shifts, education gaps, and digital engagement patterns are influencing men’s participation in work, relationships, and family life. The resource connects broader structural trends to challenges in marriage formation and father engagement. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it provides context for understanding barriers men face in employment and family roles, and it informs efforts to strengthen fatherhood supports, workforce engagement, and family stability strategies.

This research from the Institute for Family Studies highlights differences in reported relationship satisfaction depending on how couples meet, suggesting that in-person connections may be associated with stronger long-term outcomes. It adds nuance to how relationship formation pathways can shape family experiences. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use it to support discussions about healthy relationship development and the factors that contribute to stable partnerships and families over time.

This resource from the Institute for Family Studies explores how online dating is changing the way relationships begin and the potential implications for commitment and long-term family formation. It raises questions about how modern relationship patterns influence stability and partner selection. In Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) settings, it can be used to inform relationship education discussions that focus on intentionality, communication, and the broader context shaping the successful development of families today.

This Institute for Family Studies resource examines how consistent, quality employment for men is connected to stronger family stability and engagement. The report highlights employment not only as an economic factor, but as something closely tied to relationship stability and family formation. Within Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it can be used to better align workforce development efforts with family well-being goals, particularly in supporting fathers’ economic participation and long-term family contributions.

The Urban Institute’s Marriage Calculator shows how marriage can change a household’s income, taxes, and benefit eligibility. It helps surface the often complex financial consequences of family structure decisions. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it can be used as a neutral, educational tool in coaching conversations to help participants better understand how relationships and financial systems interact as well as the financial benefits that marriage can offer.

This resource by Study.com provides practical family conflict resolution activities that help people recognize what is driving disagreement, see situations from different perspectives, and work through problems in a more structured way. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this resource can help address how families often experience conflict but lack simple, guided tools to resolve issues and improve relationships. Practitioners can draw on these activities in coaching sessions, group workshops, or family engagement work to help caregivers practice calmer communication and step-by-step problem-solving. The focus is on usable skills, which makes it easier for families to apply immediately in real situations at home. Over time, this can reduce ongoing conflict patterns and support more stable, predictable household environments that TANF programs are working to strengthen.

Self Esteem Boston Educational Institute offers practical tools that help individuals communicate more clearly, listen with intent, and express their needs in a respectful, confident way. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this resource can address the many families navigating stress and conflict without concrete strategies to manage everyday interactions. Practitioners can use these trainings to introduce real-world communication techniques in workshops or case management settings, helping participants reduce conflict, set healthy boundaries, and build stronger relationships at home. These skills are immediately applicable and can improve how families problem-solve and support one another, contributing to greater stability over time. Materials are available for purchase, offering a structured option for programs looking to incorporate relationship skills into their services.

The National Fatherhood Initiative offers ready-to-use programs and tools that help fathers build stronger relationships with their children and take a more active role in family life. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this fills a common gap: many services focus primarily on mothers, leaving fewer structured ways to engage fathers. These resources give TANF practitioners concrete curricula, activities, and strategies they can use to involve fathers in case planning, parenting education, and family stability efforts. By bringing fathers into the conversation in a meaningful way, programs can better support whole-family outcomes, improve child well-being, and strengthen long-term stability. Materials are available for purchase, making them a practical option for programs looking to implement structured fatherhood services rather than building content from scratch.