This Executive Order (EO) by the Trump-Vance Administration announces that they will consolidate and streamline fragmented Federal workforce development programs that are too disconnected from propelling workers into secure, well-paying, and high-need American jobs. This EO will expand Registered Apprenticeships (RA) to new industries and occupations, including high-growth and emerging sectors, as well as improve RA’s efficiency and provide consistent support to program participants.

This resource, released by Casey Family Programs, examines how child protection agencies can work alongside faith-based and community-based organizations to better meet the needs of families involved in or at risk of involvement with the child welfare system. It highlights how these partnerships can expand the reach of trusted, community-rooted supports that families often turn to first—such as mentoring, material assistance, emotional support, and informal navigation help.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can be part of this broader support ecosystem where child welfare agencies and community partners are already engaging families. TANF-funded services—such as cash assistance, work supports, child care assistance, and case management—can connect more intentionally with faith-based and community organizations that are addressing immediate, practical needs like food security, housing stability, and family support. This alignment helps ensure families are not moving between disconnected services, but instead receiving complementary supports that reinforce stability and self-sufficiency goals. Strengthening these connections can reduce fragmentation across systems and improve continuity of care for families navigating multiple challenges at once.

WorkforceGPS will host a webinar on April 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET to highlight how apprenticeship models can connect youth to career pathways. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use this information to increase their knowledge of registered apprenticeship opportunities for young people. They will also learn how to expand career options for young participants, especially those who may not be engaged in traditional education or employment, by connecting them to these hands-on training opportunities that build skills, support long-term employment, and reduce reliance on government assistance.

The Heritage Foundation will host a webinar on April 30, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET to explore how family stability connects to broader economic and social outcomes. This presentation will help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs to better understand how strengthening family relationships and supports can complement employment and income-focused services, producing stable families that achieve more sustainable outcomes.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) will host the National Fatherhood Summit from August 3 to August 5, 2026, providing a forum for stakeholders interested in sharing and discovering ways to support and promote responsible fatherhood. OFA encourages stakeholders from a variety of vocations and walks of life to help shape the Summit agenda by submitting workshop proposals that align with the Summit theme, “The Fatherhood Mandate: Building Families, Building America,” and one of their five concurrent Summit learning tracks:

1. Strengthening Marriage and Family Stability in the Context of Fatherhood
2. Fathers, Child Welfare, and the Path Beyond Foster Care
3. Workforce Readiness and Economic Mobility for Fathers
4. Fathers as Leaders in Faith-Based and Civic Institutions in Their Communities
5. Data-Driven Fatherhood Programming

If you are interested in presenting, OFA is welcoming submissions until April 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

For more information on participating as an attendee, please check out The 2026 National Fatherhood Summit webpage. 

The American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar on May 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. to explore how childcare systems and TANF programs can better align in a shifting policy and operational environment. TANF programs can use these insights to strengthen partnerships with childcare administrators, improve access to subsidized care, and better support work participation and family stability.

CareerOneStop’s Skills Matcher is an online tool that helps individuals identify their skills and connect them to potential career pathways. TANF programs can use this resource to support participants in identifying strengths and exploring employment opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency.

Credential Finder is a tool that helps individuals explore certifications and training programs that align with career goals and labor market needs. TANF programs can use this resource to support participants in advancing their education and improving long-term employment outcomes.

The Administration for Children and Families published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on April 6, 2026, outlining changes to TANF work participation rate calculations, including recalibration of the caseload reduction credit and updates to how certain benefit payments are counted. These proposed updates may significantly affect how states measure performance and structure work activities. During the public comment period, stakeholders should review the proposed rule to understand potential impacts on program operations, reporting, and participant engagement, and are encouraged to submit feedback by May 6, 2026, to help inform the final rulemaking.

The Sutherland Institute offers this framework which outlines state policy options to address benefit cliffs that can discourage career advancement. For TANF programs, it provides actionable approaches to smooth transitions off assistance, ensuring participants can pursue higher earnings without risking sudden loss of critical supports.