This article describes a community-engaged, mixed-methods research project to identify barriers to TANF among families with young children in Illinois which examined TANF sanctions related to child support enforcement. The study, which used TANF administrative data analysis and included semi-structured interviews with TANF customers, explored demographic differences in sanctioning and sanction types; it found that Black families were more likely than families of other races to be sanctioned. Mothers who were survivors of intimate partner violence voiced particular challenges with child support compliance. The article proposes policy recommendations that include shifting to alternative cash assistance models and removing pass-through funding so that families receive the full child support benefit.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) was launched nationwide in October 1987 as a way to connect and unite individuals and organizations working on domestic violence issues while raising awareness for those issues. This toolkit from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) provides information, background, messaging, templates, and content to promote involvement in #DVAM2022 and express a commitment to seeing a national culture where we are all safe, empowered, and free from domestic violence.

The #WeAreResilient toolkit includes:

• Details about NCADV and DVAM
• Information about Domestic Violence (including graphics, links to blog posts and fact sheets, and online resources)
• Samples and Templates
• More Ways to #PowerUp with NCADV

The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health held a webinar on February 9, 2022 based on its Core Curriculum on Creating Accessible, Culturally Responsive, and Trauma-Informed Services. This session examined the impact of domestic violence on families and how best to support parenting survivors and their children together. A recording of the webinar and handouts are available for download.

One of the largest victim service providers in New York City, Sanctuary for Families (SFF), has implemented a workforce development program called the Economic Empowerment Program that works exclusively with domestic violence survivors. This report describes a program evaluation and points to interim findings which suggest that after four months of completing the required program modules, clients not only improve their skills attainment and job readiness, but become able to address critical barriers to employment, such as safety concerns, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence in career outlook. These interim findings can inform service providers and policymakers who may otherwise shy away from launching workforce development programs that work solely with survivors.

This case study profiles Kentucky’s Targeted Assessment Program (TAP), which provides comprehensive assessment and intensive case management for parents in the state’s child welfare and TANF systems. The program’s goals are to support participants in overcoming barriers to self-sufficiency and family safety with a focus on mental health, substance use, intimate partner violence, and learning disabilities or deficits in 35 counties statewide. The case study also notes services provided by TAP; how the program manages staffing, communication, and funding; and how program participation and outcomes are measured. The case study also highlights TAP’s promising approaches, challenges, and future plans.

(See also Resources on "domestic violence" in the Resource Library)

Supportive services are one of 14 program elements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth program that enable individuals to participate in WIOA activities. This second set of resources on providing supportive services to youth includes information on: addressing the needs of runaway or homeless youth; youth exiting the juvenile justice system; legal aid, including children’s law programs; transportation; domestic and intimate partner violence; and youth assessment and case management.

(See also Resources on "domestic violence" in the Resource Library)

This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse brief discusses some of the key issues facing American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Indigenous families in the United States, particularly fathers. The brief highlights three programs that are working with AI/AN fathers to strengthen their roles in Native families, includes an overview of each program, and provides a discussion of key takeaways to help other programs better serve AI/AN fathers and their families.

Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking need access to education and job training programs that are grounded in trauma-informed practices. Futures Without Violence hosted a webinar in January 2022 and focused on recognizing barriers to employment and education for survivors and strategies for building strong cross-sector collaborations between advocacy service providers and workforce development programs.

Very few domestic violence survivors are getting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) waivers from the work requirements and time limits, despite being eligible. Federal law allows states to grant domestic violence waivers to TANF recipients when time limits, work requirements, and other policies would unfairly penalize victims of abuse or increase their risk of abuse. This Rutgers resource was developed through an examination of the annual reports from Michigan to the federal government on the number of domestic violence waivers issued from 2008 to 2021, as well as focus groups with TANF caseworkers. This resource discusses the importance of waivers for survivors and other work being done around this issue.

The goal of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Economic Justice and
Domestic Violence Advisory Council is a long-term, in-depth collaboration of national experts in the domestic violence (DV) field working to advance survivors’ economic empowerment and financial well-being. NNEDV virtually gathered those working at the intersection of DV and economic justice to identify gaps and strategize ways to expand awareness and
solutions through recommendations. These recommendations include:

1. Expanding funding for culturally specific programs;
2. Increasing survivors’ access to flexible funds;
3. Employers should have a workplace policy specifically addressing DV;
4. DV programs and advocates should receive training in intimate partner violence and workplace safety; and
5. Reformations to public policies.