The Systems to Family Stability (SFS) National Academy was an OFA initiative that consisted of eight teams (comprised of state TANF agencies, OFA representatives, and subject matter experts) that were organized to design and build collaborative systems within and across agencies to improve family economic security. In this one of three videos that were produced as a result of this initiative, SFS National Policy Academy participants provide guidance and tips to engage staff in change management processes as agencies prepare and implement new practices.

This brief by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation is based on more than 80 interviews with organizations, their workers, and the youth that they support. The intent of the brief is to generate and share knowledge that is useful in dealing with youth that face serious challenges. Findings include that when youth face serious adversity, the relationship they establish with a worker is often incremental. The report looks at these “transitional relationships,” what workers actually do to forge successful relationships with the youth, and what their organizations do to create a culture for the workers to succeed. Interviewees for this report are between 16-25 years old and have faced serious challenges including child welfare involvement, substance abuse, and homelessness. Workers interviewed are leaders of organizations noted for their exemplary work and who have repeatedly formed bonds and relationships with such youth.

On August 17, 2017, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) sponsored a technical assistance site exchange for Ramsey County (Minnesota) Workforce Solutions to meet with staff from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation’s (DLLR) Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning, and Maryland Department of Human Services’ Office of Workforce Development to discuss service delivery methods. During the site exchange, Ramsey County shared materials that reflect their approach to adopting and implementing a comprehensive, strengths-based, service delivery model, including how they built staff capacity through training on coaching, motivational interviewing, and executive functioning skills. (When using these materials, Mathematica, Goodwill Easter Seals of Minnesota, and Ramsey County Workforce Solutions should be credited.)

The Office of Family Assistance’s (OFA) Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy (Policy Academy) was an 18-month intensive technical assistance (TA) initiative in 2015–2016 for seven states and one county interested in modernizing and improving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practice. During the initiative, sites received dedicated coaches, onsite strategic planning, access to expert consultants, and tailored written resources. Additionally, they participated in several in-person convenings, peer exchanges, and virtual training. These state profiles detail the journey and lessons learned of the 8 teams that participated in the Policy Academy.

Utah Department of Workforce Services commissioned the Public Consulting Group to develop two videos about executive functioning to be used in employment counselor trainings. The short videos can be used with employment counselors or case workers in any human services program that want to develop their capacity to recognize and respond to executive functioning challenges among their customers.

The first video, An Overview of Executive Functioning (10 minutes), provides a short primer on the brain science of executive functioning and explains how the concept pertains to the lives of adults in poverty. The video seeks to normalize executive functioning challenges, helping viewers recognize their own weaknesses and strengths, and encourages employment counselors to think about how they can help customers navigate rough situations.

The second video, How to Build Executive Functioning Skills (13 minutes), provides employment counselors with ideas about how to help customers. It explains how to build executive functioning through strategies that many employment counselors are already using, (e.g., coaching, Motivational Interviewing, and trauma-informed care). It offers advice on how to talk to customers about executive functioning challenges and motivate them to improve, and then natural exercises to build skills. It concludes with examples from human services agencies across the country that are implementing executive function-informed models.

A new study, launched by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and Abt Associates, will document the design and implementation of coaching interventions and examine their effectiveness of helping low-income individuals work toward economic stability.

In addition to academic, technical, and professional skills, today’s workers also need a set of personal success skills. Personal success skills are skills that allow adults to deal with challenges, relationships, and transitions involved in the workplace. This report from SRI Education and the Joyce Foundation highlights the need for unemployed and underemployed adults to hone these skills in order to build a sustainable career.