Families are experts in their own experiences, and their perspectives can help improve programs. This Office for Planning, Research and Evaluation toolkit provides practical strategies, tools, and resources for gathering and using family feedback to strengthen Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child support services. TANF program leaders, frontline staff, and partners can use these resources to meaningfully engage families, improve service delivery, and ensure programs better reflect the needs and priorities of the communities they serve.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added new peer support programs to the Title-IV Prevention Services Clearinghouse, for which all states can now claim federal reimbursement. The expansion advances the Trump Administration’s Great American Recovery and A Home for Every Child initiatives by equipping states with evidence-based resources to help parents overcome addiction, thereby strengthening families and reducing the number of children entering foster care. The services are designed to connect parents and caregivers with people who have lived experience navigating similar challenges, providing practical support, encouragement, and connections to community resources before families reach a crisis point. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use this resource to better understand how peer support can complement existing services, engage families in a more accessible and supportive way, and connect parents and caregivers to resources that can help promote family stability and well-being.

This Administration for Children and Families announcement highlights $6 million in funding for 10 jurisdictions to advance the use of predictive risk modeling in child welfare. These jurisdictions will pilot technology aimed at using data to help child welfare agencies identify patterns and potentially recognize situations where families may benefit from earlier or more targeted support.

This announcement is useful for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) leaders and staff who are thinking about how to strengthen coordination across systems and improve early intervention efforts. The announcement may encourage practitioners to consider how data can support human judgment, relationship-building, and direct engagement with families. Ultimately, it offers a window into how child welfare systems are evolving and what that may mean for the broader network of services that support family stability.

Estimating child support payments can help families better understand their financial responsibilities and plan for the future. This online calculator provides an estimate of potential child support obligations based on basic financial information. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use this tool as a conversation starter with families, helping participants better understand the child support process while encouraging informed financial planning. Because child support guidelines vary by state, estimates should be used for educational purposes only.

States across the country are finding new ways to connect child support participants with employment opportunities. This federal webpage highlights child support-led employment programs operating across the country and the services they provide to help parents find and keep jobs. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use these examples to identify promising practices, strengthen partnerships with child support agencies, and expand employment supports for families.

Steady employment benefits both parents and children. This National Conference of State Legislatures resource highlights how child support agencies are partnering with workforce programs to connect parents with employment services that can improve earnings and increase their ability to support their families. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use these examples to strengthen partnerships with child support and workforce agencies while helping participants access employment opportunities that promote long-term financial stability.

Parents who face barriers to employment often need coordinated support to remain actively involved in their children's lives. This Office for Planning, Research and Evaluation report shares lessons learned from programs serving disadvantaged noncustodial parents, including strategies for improving employment, parenting, and family engagement outcomes. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use these findings to develop more effective services that address the unique needs of noncustodial parents while supporting stronger family stability.

Oregon offers an example of how coordination between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child support programs can improve services for families. This resource explains how the two programs work together in practice, including shared processes, referrals, and the role child support plays in supporting family economic stability. Oregon exemplifies how intentional collaboration can reduce duplication, improve communication across programs, and create a more seamless experience for families. TANF practitioners can use this resource to consider how stronger partnerships with child support agencies can improve program operations and better support families on their path to self-sufficiency.

Child support payments can make a meaningful difference for families receiving public assistance. This National Conference of State Legislatures resource explains pass-through and disregard policies, which allow some or all child support payments to go directly to families without reducing their public benefits. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use this information to understand how these policies support family financial stability and encourage consistent child support payments while helping families meet their everyday needs.

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.