This first webinar in the 2013 Region VI and VIII TANF Data Reporting and Analysis Webinar Series was held on Thursday, June 27, 2013. The webinar, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Regions VI and VIII, was open to all Region VI and VIII State TANF Directors and staff, local TANF agencies, and contractors. The webinar featured Patrick Brannen, a Statistical Consultant to ACF's Office of Family Assistance. He was responsible for statistical aspects of data collection and reporting of the TANF Data Report and the Separate State Programs – Maintenance of Effort (SSP-MOE) Data Report and for data analysis, including the calculation of the Work Participation Rates. Patrick Brannen provided a brief overview of the Section 1-4 reports, Work Participation Rate files and feedback, TANF sampling, and common edits and error flags.

On August 1, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the first Webinar in a series of Webinars for the Promising Pathways Initiative. The Promising Pathways Initiative provided technical assistance to State, Tribal, and local TANF programs and nonprofit organizations to promote successful outcomes for low-income families, and seeks to address the knowledge needs of the TANF field through an evidence-informed practice approach. The Initiative is grounded in the research on evidence-based practices. The Promising Pathways Initiative supported ten selected sites from the ten OFA Regions by building capacity of the sites to identify practice and program components; develop and document evidence; and articulate the resulting "story" about the effectiveness of the program or practice. Titled "Using Data to Improve and Show Program Performance," this Webinar introduced participants to a system for identifying, collecting, and assessing information to demonstrate measurable program impacts beyond funder requirements. Participants learned about developing effective measures and creating performance plans to make data actionable. The Webinar featured an overview of LINCWorks, a program in Kansas City, Missouri which participated in the Promising Pathways Initiative performance tracking tools.

From Public/Private Ventures, this resource was designed for workforce development organization managers to work with their frontline staff to encourage the use of data entry and management to ultimately improve performance and outcomes for their participants. The goal of this resource is to strengthen staff on program outcomes, teach staff to understand the importance of data, and to encourage problem solving among staff. This resource includes 5 activities for managers to lead with their staff and also provides worksheets to accompany each activity.

On October 21, 2008, the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network conducted a site visit to support the New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) Information Technology Division (ITD) to assess technical options to transferring the Wisconsin ACCESS system to New Mexico. The purpose of the site visit to New Mexico was to provide technical assistance to New Mexico because they wanted to replace their Income Support Division system (ISD2). Several New Mexico Human Services Department assistance programs use ISD2 for eligibility determination, benefit delivery, case management, financial, reporting, and claims processing. The ISD2 system interfaces with other government agencies and private sector companies, and has been in operation for about twenty years.

Published through Child Trends, this newsletter includes information from the National Survey of Children’s Health, which provides state-level data on children’s health and wellbeing. Additionally, authors provide information on new data tools and resources on child welfare.

This study was completed through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, and explores how local management of TANF programs has adapted practices to address changing needs of the TANF population in the local areas. This study was conducted in five sites across the country, including Phoenix, Arizona; Macon, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Newark, New Jersey and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Findings conclude that the implementation of TANF varies across the sites, and that programs will have upcoming changes in response to the Deficit Reduction Act.