In this short video, TANF practitioners explain how partnerships at their local American Job Centers are creating opportunities to reach more people who utilize their services. North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah programs are highlighted for their successes in TANF/WIOA collaborations.

The Office of Child Care and the Office of Family Assistance published an Information Memorandum (IM) on opportunities for coordinating the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. In particular, the IM focuses on how the 2014 CCDF reauthorization offers new ways for the two programs to align.

The CCDF and TANF programs are linked in federal legislative history and, in many states, through the daily operations of both programs. In fiscal year 2014, states spent approximately $2.6 billion of federal TANF funds on child care, either directly or through a transfer to the CCDF program. Coordination between the two programs is a key part of two-generation strategies that can address the needs of children and their parents together along with the goal of improving the entire family’s overall economic security. The implementation efforts for CCDF reauthorization provide an opportunity to take even greater advantage of the benefits of this kind of partnership.

On September 18 - 19, 2014, the Office of Family Assistance sponsored a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) technical assistance (TA) site visit to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) (Region X). This visit was in response to rising TANF caseloads in the State, challenges addressing budgetary concerns, issues meeting the employment and service needs of TANF participants, and other concerns stemming from the ongoing effects of the recent recession. During this visit, TA coaches facilitated sessions in the following areas: program assessment, performance-based contracting, and change management. Staff visited the Community Works Project in Portland, Oregon and the Oregon Department of Human Services headquarters in Salem, Oregon and participated in the TANF Alliance Meeting at Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon. After each session, TA coaches were able to provide recommendations and key steps for implementing changes to their processes to improve collaboration with contractors and case management for TANF clients.

This e-learning guide from the Office of Community Services, Compassion Capital Fund (CCF)/Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF) is designed to help organizations identify, evaluate, and incorporate effective practices into their service delivery to improve organizational performance. Sections include: benchmarking basics; identifying areas of need; identifying effective practices; validating and classifying practices; and promoting and implementing effective practices.

This Information Memorandum (IM) encourages TANF and child welfare agencies to coordinate and share data on the children, youth, and families they both serve. It reminds TANF programs that they are permitted under federal law to determine their own confidentiality rules and recommends cross-training and information sharing across TANF and child welfare to maximize resources and services, and help families meet the requirements of both programs.

This fact sheet for community organizations and leaders offers recommendations for handling economic downturns within communities. Topics include instilling a sense of safety, calming the public, self-efficacy, and hope. The publication explains that community organizations are in a unique position to lead, partner with others, and inspire essential changes to help their communities overcome hardship.

This blog post highlights the work of a Family and Youth Services Bureau grantee, the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP). ACAP partners with local teen pregnancy prevention groups and other stakeholders to provide more effective services to youth. In 2014, they found that most youth reported positive perceptions of their programs.

On June 22, 2015, the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) convened the Strengthening Collaboration between TANF and WIOA National Experts Roundtable in Washington, DC. The roundtable brought together a select group of practice, policy, and research experts to discuss the opportunities and challenges that the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) system offers to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants, programs, and systems.

On July 1, 2015, the National Skills Coalition (NSC) hosted this webinar focused on opportunities for integration between the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) systems. The Webinar featured national and local experts to address key principles for aligning human capital investments to produce better outcomes for individuals and local economies.

This post from a TANF program specialist at the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) describes OFA’s efforts in improving TANF programs across the country. To share ideas about improving case management, integrating two-generation approaches, engaging workforce partners, and enhancing training, OFA has launched a national policy academy. The first groups to enter the academy are Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina, Ramsey County (Minnesota), Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.