Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs have long supported families in building economic stability. This Dear Colleague Letter by the Office of Family Assistance explores how TANF funds may now be used to support Trump Accounts, which are federally backed, tax-advantaged savings accounts for children, creating new opportunities to help children and families build assets for the future. For TANF practitioners, the guidance shares how these accounts can fit within broader strategies that promote financial well-being and long-term self-sufficiency. TANF programs may use this guidance to consider innovative approaches that help families move beyond immediate needs and build a stronger financial foundation.

Children that require out-of-home care still need stable, permanent home connections. This Administration for Children and Families brief examines how states are using the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program to support relatives and caregivers who assume legal guardianship of children in foster care. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this brief offers valuable insight into the needs of kinship caregivers who may also rely on TANF supports to help meet a child's basic needs. TANF practitioners can use this information to better understand permanency options, strengthen partnerships with child welfare agencies, and identify opportunities to connect caregivers with financial assistance, employment services, and other supports that promote long-term family stability.

When a young person turns 18 in foster care, the system too often just disappears. Extended foster care (EFC) programs exist to bridge that gap, keeping older youth connected to support as they transition into adulthood. But not all extended care programs are equally accessible or effective, and youth themselves are rarely centered in decisions about how these programs are designed. The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) will host a webinar on June 24, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET to highlight the work of the National Collaborative for Transition-Age Youth, a partnership among APHSA, FosterClub, and Youth Villages, and discuss EFC outcomes.

These organizations co-developed guidance with young people, child welfare leaders, and policymakers to strengthen services for youth turning 18 in foster care. Research shows that when extended care is available and inclusive, anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of young people in care at age 17½ will remain in the program at 19, and roughly half will still be enrolled at 21, with benefits that persist well into adulthood. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners working with transition-age youth, this session will offer both evidence and strategy to understand why extended care matters and how to better connect young people to the services that can make it work.

The Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR) within the Administration for Children and Families will host a webinar on June 22, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. ET to introduce a new opportunity for human services agencies and partners to share innovative solutions that strengthen human services systems before, during, and after disasters. This session will overview two challenge tracks, one focused on supporting foster and kinship families during disasters and the other focused on building coordinated human services responses that can quickly connect families to assistance. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs, this offers an opportunity to explore strategies for strengthening emergency preparedness, building partnerships, and ensuring families can continue accessing critical supports when disasters disrupt communities. Participants will also learn about eligibility requirements, submission timelines, and the challenge application process.

Too often, accessing public benefits requires families to travel to offices during business hours, wait in long lines, and navigate systems that were designed around administrative convenience rather than client need. The San Francisco Human Services Agency decided to try something different. Their Mobile Benefits Center was built around a simple idea of bringing human services directly to communities that face barriers getting to agency buildings and was designed in close partnership with clients of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences, as well as frontline staff and community partners. This American Public Human Services Association practical case study covers what it means to design with communities rather than for them. It raises important questions worth asking about your own Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program: Where are clients actually located? What barriers are we asking them to overcome before they even walk in the door? And what would it look like to meet them there instead?

To increase participant engagement, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs must create and offer programming that reflects community needs. This Chapin Hall resources describes how New Mexico strengthened their vital services across the state by drawing on local input. Researchers from Chapin Hall and the Anna, Age Eight Institute conducted town halls and focus groups in seven counties with providers and residents to gather firsthand accounts of barriers preventing families from accessing medical care, childcare, housing, food, transportation, and behavioral health services. Residents described systems that were fragmented, under-resourced, and difficult to navigate, and reported staff interactions that increased their feelings of shame and stigma while seeking help. For TANF practitioners, this report is both a mirror and a roadmap. It reflects what families across the country commonly experience, and it offers concrete, community-generated solutions. It is also a strong model for how to conduct meaningful community listening, a skill all TANF program staff can use as they work to improve client engagement and outcomes.

The core mission of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is helping families reach self-sufficiency, but that goal is much harder when a parent is trying to go to school, raise children, and hold a job at the same time, all without reliable childcare or transportation. A two-generation (2Gen) approach tries to solve for the whole family at once by supporting parents' education and careers while investing in children's development. This report from Jobs for the Future examines Rising Futures Maine, an initiative that invests in community-based organizations as local 2Gen leaders that connect student parents to education and career pathways. The work spans three counties and includes models focused on cohort-based coaching, barrier removal, industry credentials, and even a father-focused pilot addressing long-standing gaps in engaging noncustodial parents. For TANF practitioners, this resource looks at what it takes, operationally and relationally, to support parents as both caregivers and students. The recommendations the report offers on sustaining funding, protecting income supports, and using data on student parents are directly applicable to how TANF programs are designed and prioritized.

Young people aging out of foster care may face a stark reality. They leave the system at 18 with little financial cushion and few of the family safety nets on which most young adults rely. To address this, federal guidance has been issued by the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of the Treasury enabling state, territorial, and Tribal child welfare agencies to open dedicated savings and investment accounts called “Fostering the Future Accounts” for children and youth in their care. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this is a critical moment to understand how these accounts fit into the broader picture of economic security for families you serve. Youth in or aging out of foster care are a population TANF programs frequently encounter; understanding how to help youth access and benefit from this new financial tool will position your program to be a more informed connector of services.

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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing how people work, learn, and access information. WorkforceGPS is hosting a four-part webinar series to introduce foundational AI concepts and explore the skills needed to navigate a rapidly changing workplace. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, the series can help build understanding of emerging technologies while identifying ways participants may benefit from AI-related knowledge and workforce skills. It will offer an accessible starting point for staff who want to stay informed about technology trends and prepare participants for future employment opportunities.