As part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023, all states are required to submit the Secondary School Diploma or its Recognized Equivalent Attainment Rate report annually, with the first report due on November 14, 2027. This outcome measure is intended to assist federal and state policymakers to better understand the effectiveness of TANF programs in promoting successful education credential attainment. States have some flexibility in determining the data sources used to create this report. However, when collecting or sharing school records, education organizations must adhere to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requirements and any additional state privacy laws.

This fact sheet provides an overview of FERPA, describes different options for collecting school records, and includes additional resources.

This webpage highlights the announcement of the new vision, mission, values, priorities, and guiding principles for the Administration of Children and Families. The webpage outlines the values and offers resources that highlight exemplary practices for each.

During their work in multiple states, the Foster Insights team at the University of Chicago has observed notable trends in kin placement rates and the stability of kin placements. The Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network will host a webinar on September 29, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. ET to share these observed trends and discuss their implications for stakeholders across the child welfare space. There will be a discussion on what can be learned about kinship families using placement data, and how these data-driven insights can help further the case for a kinship-first culture.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is requesting a 3-year extension of the form ACF-202: Caseload Reduction Report. There are substantive changes requested to the instructions and form. ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above, due October 14, 2025.

This notice outlines changes requested by ACF and the information they are requesting from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) requires states and territories to report secondary school attainment outcomes for TANF recipients. Although this information may be available from administrative data sources, some states or recipients may find it necessary to gather data through surveys. This resource offers helpful guidelines and tips to improve survey response rates.

The Office of Family Assistance’s TANF Outcomes Technical Assistance and Logistics (TOTAL) team delivers training and technical assistance to state TANF programs and partners responding to the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA). The team hosted their July office hours on July 31, 2025 to review the best practices and tools for collecting education outcome data for FRA reporting. The discussion included data collection through self-attestation and how TANF programs may implement this method for reporting on secondary school outcomes of TANF recipients and exiters.

Public benefits agencies can use public data and simple analytic techniques to make decisions about program design and service delivery to ensure they are reaching the people they are trying to serve. This Urban Institute report provides six recommendations for using public data for the goal of understanding more about populations of interest and access challenges. The report also describes the process of conducting these analyses and key considerations for other agencies, researchers, and advocates who wish to implement this approach.

Many families are involved in numerous health and human services programs, with data systems that do not always communicate effectively. This presents risks for duplication and overpayment. This Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation brief describes how enhancing linked data infrastructure across health and human services programs can improve efficiency and increase transparency through strengthening outcomes research.

As part of implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023, state and territory TANF programs are required to submit the Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report by May 15, 2025. This report is mandatory for states and territories to submit on a quarterly basis. 

Below is the high-level timeline for submissions:

• May 8, 2025: Employment Outcomes Reporting: Drop-in Office Hours
• May 9, 2025: FRA Submission Functionality Available for Jurisdictions with Designated Submitters
• May 12, 2025: FRA Submission Functionality Announcement for Jurisdictions without Designated Submitters
• May 15, 2025: Submission deadline for Q1 FY2025 Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Data
• To Be Announced: Reflection Meeting on the First Work Outcomes Submission

Any questions can be submitted to TANFData@acf.hhs.gov. 

As part of implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023, state and territory TANF programs are required to submit the Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report by May 15, 2025. This report is mandatory for states and territories to submit on a quarterly basis.

Any questions can be submitted to TANFData@acf.hhs.gov.