The Office of Family Assistance’s (OFA) Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy (Policy Academy) was an 18-month intensive technical assistance (TA) initiative in 2015–2016 for seven states and one county interested in modernizing and improving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practice. During the initiative, sites received dedicated coaches, onsite strategic planning, access to expert consultants, and tailored written resources. Additionally, they participated in several in-person convenings, peer exchanges, and virtual training. These state profiles detail the journey and lessons learned of the 8 teams that participated in the Policy Academy.

Upgrading America’s transportation and physical infrastructure is a bipartisan priority, and also an opportunity to provide millions of jobs to Americans who are unemployed or underemployed. This National Skills Coalition report describes the education and training policies that are necessary to prepare enough skilled workers to meet the demand that a large investment in infrastructure would create. The authors recommend creating and expanding sector partnerships in the infrastructure industry, creating incentives for apprenticeships and work-based learning, and funding support services to ensure that work-based learning participants are fully ready to work. This report also includes examples of successful transportation sector partnerships from Seattle and Central Iowa.

This Brookings Institution report provides an in-depth analysis of 24 million working-age adults who were not in the labor force in 2016. The researchers examined the reasons why these adults were not working, who they were living with, and how they were making ends meet. Women without a high school diploma were the largest group of Americans who were not in the labor force, and both men and women cited illness, disability, being a student, or retiring early as the reasons why they were not working. Nearly 75% of adults who were not participating in the workforce lived in a household with earned income, and the most common living arrangements were living with a spouse or a parent.

This Urban Institute brief examines the experiences of clients applying for work supports, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Medicaid, and child care assistance. Applying for these benefits can be a daunting process for low-income families, so six states participated in the Work Support Strategies initiative to streamline and improve the application and service delivery process. The authors describe the experiences of families applying for work supports, then they identify three areas where the process could be improved. Those areas include minimizing wait times so families can receive their benefits sooner, improving customer service so families applying for benefits are treated with respect, and providing clearer information about the process of applying for benefits. The authors recommend that states provide a range of options for applying for benefits and aim for providing benefits on the same day that a client applies.

Many states have recently passed “ban the box” laws, which prevent employers from asking job applicants whether they have a criminal record. This article from The Pew Charitable Trusts examines several recent studies that show that these laws may be preventing black men from getting job interviews. Employers may be weeding out young black men because they are disproportionately more likely to have criminal records or raising the minimum requirements for jobs so that these men no longer qualify. To be more effective, “ban the box” laws need to be paired with other interventions that prevent racial discrimination in hiring.

Providing additional training or education opportunities for workers, or upskilling, has the potential to benefit both employers and employees. Upskilling can range from providing pre-employment training to helping employees complete a high school diploma, apprenticeship, certification, or college degree. The Aspen Institute developed this playbook to highlight examples of employers who have successfully helped their employees increase their skills. The playbook includes nine chapters that focus on why employers should care about upskilling, what the different models of upskilling are, and how employers can choose the right model to fit their needs.

This Congressional Research Service report explores the involvement of child support enforcement in fatherhood programs and discusses initiatives to promote and support father-child interaction outside the parents’ relationship. The report also focuses on the need many see for more work-oriented programs that would enable fathers to consistently meet their child support obligations and reviews the current initiatives already in place.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the LEAD Center published training materials to help create a Customized Employment program for individuals with disabilities. These trainings use a Guided Group Discovery approach, which helps jobseekers find employment that would matches both their skills and interests and an employer’s needs. The materials available include a facilitator manual, a PowerPoint introduction and course, and a participant workbook.

This Lead Center brief details employer perspectives on customized employment for individuals with disabilities. In customized employment, the job candidate and employer create an individualized match between the candidate’s strengths and interests and the business needs of the employer. The brief includes the results of six focus groups of employers of various sizes, industries, and locations who had hired individuals with disabilities for customized jobs. Employers who had tried customized employment found it to be worthwhile and valuable, but many employers lack experience in working with individuals who have disabilities. The brief includes recommendations for employers, funders/policymakers, employment service providers, and trainers to inform the approach of customized employment programs moving forward.

This policy brief from the Center for Poverty Research at UC Davis highlights new research that demonstrates a connection between a parent being employed or receiving cash assistance and a higher likelihood of the parent(s) being reunified with their children after a child welfare interaction. It provides examples of how a parent may become economically disconnected once their child is removed and how this can significantly impact the chance of reunification. Suggestions for further supporting vulnerable families are given.