As part of the Rural Communities Initiative and the Vermont site’s Individualized Technical Assistance Plan, Vermont decided to alter their TANF case management approach. Through a series of meetings, the team sketched out a new case management structure which included a team approach in place of one- on- one case management. In addition, the team decided that their staff could benefit from additional training in career coaching. To this end, the team requested that Charles Modiano, a youth development and employment initiative trainer, hold a training for all staff around career coaching and team based case management. The training was held March 25-26, 2009, and was attended by three of Vermont’s Economic Services Districts as well as the Vermont Economic Services central office. Due in part to this training, Vermont has developed a new model of service delivery, moving away from traditional case management and toward a community based teaming model of service. This model brings together all community partners working with the TANF participant to provide enhanced support towards reaching self-sufficiency. Also, as a result of the on-site training, the team chose to change the language used in service delivery to convey their philosophy of team oriented service. For example, the initial contact with a participant is now referred to as a “welcoming interview” instead of intake or assessment.

As a strategy to provide asset-based training for caseworkers and serve New Mexico's growing population of individuals with substance abuse barriers, New Mexico Works requested a substance abuse case management training, with a focus on motivational interviewing techniques. The training was designed and delivered by Dr. Alyssa Forcehimes from the University of New Mexico Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions. The curriculum was delivered over one day in April 2009 and two days in July 2009. The training provided participants with an overview of substance abuse in the TANF population, strategies for building self-efficacy in TANF participants, and ways to motivate participants to make positive behavioral changes. The New Mexico substance abuse case management training was attended by 35 caseworkers and managers. Evaluations from the training indicated that participants acquired a set of tools that can assist their clients in overcoming substance abuse barriers. A section of the training was also dedicated to strategies for conducting train-the-trainer sessions at participants' home sites.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) authored this report on the TANF program to assess the state of the TANF program in the midst of the economic recession. Of 21 states surveyed, the TANF caseload grew from June 2008 to June 2009 in 12 states. Researchers provide an overview of factors that contributed to the decline in the TANF caseload since 1996 and give demographic data on participating versus nonparticipating families. The GAO concludes with the impact of the high participation more recently in the TANF caseload on child poverty.

New York City’s Human Resource Administration designed and implemented the WeCARE program to assist the high number of TANF participants on their caseload with clinical barriers to work; the model has since been successful in moving clients with mental health and other needs off of cash assistance. This 2010 webinar provided TANF stakeholders with information on the program’s creation and implementation. Also available on PeerTA are reports from two site exchanges to WeCARE, with Wisconsin and Hawaii.

The Rural Communities Initiative conducted a Site Visit to the White Mountain Apache Tribal TANF Program based on their request for TA. Rural Communities Initiative staff partnered with consultants from the U.C. Davis Extension at the University of California to provide the Tribe with an in-depth needs assessment in order to strategize on developing solutions for programmatic improvement. The consultants, Julie Gondry and Dr. Geni Cowan, are Tribal TANF subject matter experts with program based skills in training, case management, and data reporting. Based upon the assessment results, the White Mountain Apache Tribal TANF Program will receive valuable recommendations to further enhance aspects of their program’s structure and administration to reach the end goal of self-sufficiency for their TANF participants.

This was a session at the Urban Partnerships Initiative's National Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta and Kansas City, MO city partners offered strategies on tracking work participation rates through innovative case management.

This was a session at the Urban Partnerships Initiative's National Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Chicago and Houston city partners shared strategies from their cities on getting to full engagement through integrated case management teams.

This is a presentation on motivational interviewing that was given by Alyssa Forcehimes, Ph.D. at the New Mexico Works 2009 Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Client motivation is the key to change in terms of addressing barriers to work such as substance abuse.

This newsletter is from the What Works Clearinghouse and provides an overview of the New Chance program. The program supports TANF recipients who have dropped out of school through GED preparation, life skill training, parenting programs, childcare assistance, and case management. New Chance was found to be successful in helping participants complete education.

At the request of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the OFA Peer TA Network sponsored this event to assist participants in improving systems and resources for providing services to TANF participants residing in rural areas. This Roundtable included participants from the Utah Department of Health and Welfare’s Regional Offices, and representatives from programs in Texas, New Mexico, Virginia, and Vermont. Partner states presented on innovative ways to serve rural families and address barriers to employment in States with large rural areas. Networking sessions afforded participants the opportunity to leverage the Roundtable as a catalyst for action planning efforts across and among regions in the State of Utah.