Strong partnerships between TANF programs and employers can lead to better long-term employment outcomes for TANF participants. By developing a partnership with employers, TANF programs gain direct access to information about potential and existing job openings, current occupational and skill needs, and anticipated changes within the organization that may impact jobs. In return, employers benefit by having access to a large pool of work-ready job applicants who have been pre-screened to fit the employer’s need, receive job supports that improve the likelihood of workplace success such as transportation and child care, and have access to education and training resources that help participants continue to build their skills. In these partnerships, TANF programs can work with employers to balance an employer’s need for productive employees and a TANF program’s need for job placements.

 

In this facilitated webinar, presenters shared how they leverage stable, long-term relationships with employers to increase employment opportunities for TANF participants. Additionally, presenters highlighted lessons learned and strategies for making such partnerships work. This webinar was held on August 22, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT.

This video from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation highlights the findings of a large-scale rigorous research study on the effectiveness of career pathways programs. Under the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) study, an evaluation was conducted to assess nine innovative career pathways programs around the country.

The Urban Institute was contracted by a Washington State housing authority to evaluate its 2013-2016 Student and Family Stability Initiative that provided supportive housing and employment to homeless or vulnerable families with elementary-aged children. Case management for those willing to work was combined with short-term financial assistance for housing-related costs, like searching or moving expenses. The program successfully raised participants’ income and promoted housing stability and income gains after the program ended, but also had high attrition rates. Households that opted out, failed to find housing, or failed to complete the program because they fell out of touch with case managers represent areas for programmatic improvement. The program may be more cost-efficient than providing long-term assistance like Housing Choice Vouchers, but it was difficult to understand how well the housing pilot program worked.

This webinar explored promising practices and programs from TANF programs and Department of Labor grantees that help TANF recipients with a disability move toward employment. The webinar examined opportunities and challenges in providing supports and services as well as strategies and approaches, such as customized employment being used to help recipients with a disability secure and maintain employment. It explored opportunities for partnerships between TANF and disability and workforce programs to promote employment outcomes and:

• Provided a context for the connection between disability, TANF, and intergenerational poverty.
• Shared information on evidence-based approaches that offer universal design strategies for youth on TANF and/or in families receiving TANF support.
• Provided information on different user-friendly strategies for implementing Customized Employment, another universal design evidence-based approach to employment that better ensures a successful job match with higher retention rates.
• Highlighted states that are implementing successful practices to engage and support people with disabilities that promote employment outcomes.
• Provided links to resources that can assist TANF program staff in designing programs and providing services that promote employment outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities.

This webinar was held on Thursday, July 12, 2018 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EDT. 

To understand and better meet the needs of young parents, the Urban Institute analyzed 14 programs that serve this vulnerable and often disadvantaged group to explain common themes and useful approaches in service provision. The institute’s summary report provides demography and challenges for young parents and a historical reflection on young parent programs as well. Common services included education and credential attainment, employment assistance, and parenting help, and other supports like mental health counseling, referrals for government services, child care, and transportation assistance. Based on repeated successes and challenges across programs that serve young parents, the report recommends increased federal funding and flexibility with that funding, plus more corollary supportive services and tailored solutions based on the programs’ specific target populations.

This detailed report by the American Enterprise Institute reviews the skills gap in the labor market today and underlines the inefficiencies in coordination between the U.S. Department of Labor and programs seeking to train workers. Because there are more jobs for middle-skill workers than there are people to fill them, the Federal Government created programs like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to upskill workers into these positions for the benefit of the workers and the economy. The report explains ways to improve workforce development initiatives by clarifying the program to grantees, improving coordination between college financial aid officers and American Job Center caseworkers, making requirements for data collection and reporting more flexible and easier to track, finding other sources of state and federal funding for WIOA beneficiaries, partnering with private businesses to offer training, and allowing training providers to transfer their credentials between states. These initiatives will streamline the workforce development process and allow for fewer inefficiencies and higher quality training.

This Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation report is the result of a literature review, a listening session, and individual conversations with stakeholders about the growing need for healthcare workers and the unnecessary hiring restrictions against people with criminal backgrounds. There are five things to consider in this area: some individuals with criminal records are qualified to satisfy the growing healthcare demand; effective screening methods are already being used throughout the country; certain occupations like Emergency Medical Technicians have already been filled by the previously incarcerated; federal and state governments and communities are trying to lower unnecessary barriers to entry into the healthcare sector; and those with criminal records can strengthen the healthcare workforce if properly screened. Examples of programs, state initiatives, and screening criteria are listed in the report to inform future policies and practices.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation-funded (OPRE) study illustrates the early implementation of the Ramsey County, Minnesota, Lifelong Learning Initiative (LLI). Research has found that chronic stress associated with living in poverty can hinder executive skills, such as planning, decision-making, and organizing. The LLI uses a goal-oriented approach to help TANF recipients set their own employment-focused goals by breaking them down into more manageable tasks and develop these executive skills as they work toward employment outcomes.

This brief comes from an event hosted by the Center for Law and Social Policy on the importance of career pathways and evidence-informed practices that can bolster career pathway interventions. The research shows positive earnings and educational results from career pathway programs, although some study results have provided mixed reviews of their effectiveness. To better evaluate career pathway outcomes, the report emphasizes the need to collect better data and more indicators of performance, build more awareness between workforce development and child and adult education systems, and eliminate TANF work requirements that constrain funding on a narrow scope of work activities. The report ends with components of effective career pathway interventions and includes tangible guiding and research questions for practitioners and program designers.

This Administration for Children and Families (ACF) blog post discusses the “power of work” relative to the nation’s safety net, as well as ACF’s encouragement of state TANF programs to harness this power when striving to improve employment outcomes. ACF’s Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is evaluating programs and methods that promote work among TANF recipients and other TANF-eligible populations, while also assessing job search assistance strategies, career pathways, and subsidized/transitional employment initiatives. Looking ahead, ACF’s Office of Family Assistance will continue work with state TANF agencies to identify models for career pathways, coaching case management, and employment-related initiatives. As well, the Fiscal Year 2019 President’s Budget proposal included a request for a minimum funding level for resources to support states as they invest in work-related programming.