This blogpost draws upon assessments of the Housing Opportunities and Services Together Initiative and the Family Centered Community Change program and presents four key elements that made their two-generation initiatives successful. These elements include employing engaged coaches or case managers to help families, providing “glue” money to support service partnerships and staff time for program coordination, developing strong partnerships focused on a common goal of supporting families, and selecting an effective backbone organization to provide for or raise funds to ensure the two-generation initiative’s sustainability.

This report, a review of the current state of the two-generation model, explains the components for two-generation approaches, including physical and mental health, early childhood development, K-12 education, postsecondary education and employment pathways, economic asset building, social capital, and the assumptions behind designing programs that simultaneously improve outcomes for children and families. Also, the report identifies the impacts of implementing two-generation approaches, lessons learned, and recommendations for future action.

This initiative highlights the importance of coordinated, community-based approaches to supporting families and preventing child welfare involvement. TANF programs can use this model to strengthen cross-system partnerships and align services across child welfare, community organizations, and other supports. By leveraging collaborative approaches, TANF agencies can expand access to prevention-focused services that promote stability, safety, and family well-being.

This resource page from the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services highlights state-level prevention strategies, including in-home family support and kinship navigator programs. TANF programs can use these models to expand prevention-focused services and strengthen partnerships with child welfare and community organizations. These approaches demonstrate how coordinated, family-centered strategies can reduce risk factors and support child safety while keeping families together.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resource provides evidence-based strategies and tools to help prevent child abuse and neglect, including the Prevention Resource for Action. The resource highlights practical approaches that strengthen families, reduce risk factors, and promote safe, stable environments for children.

For TANF programs, these strategies align with efforts to support families through economic assistance and work-focused services that help reduce stressors impacting caregiving. Programs can use this resource to inform service delivery, strengthen coordination with public health, child welfare, and community partners, and reinforce approaches that support family stability and continuity.

This guide from the Child Welfare Information Gateway provides a protective factors framework along with practical strategies for strengthening families. TANF programs can use this resource to design prevention-focused services that build on family strengths while coordinating with child welfare and behavioral health partners. By integrating protective factors into program design, TANF agencies can support resilience, reduce risk, and promote long-term family stability.

This resource from the Children’s Safety Network highlights data, strategies, and cross-sector approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect. It offers practical insight into how coordinated efforts across systems can better support families and reduce risk factors early.

TANF programs can use this guide to strengthen prevention-focused services by aligning with child welfare, public health, and community partners. By using data and evidence-informed strategies, programs can improve coordination, target supports more effectively, and reinforce stable, family-based environments.

This Child Welfare Information Gateway podcast highlights how TANF can play a critical role in preventing child welfare involvement by addressing economic hardship and reducing stressors on families. It reinforces the connection between economic supports and family stability, an area where TANF programs are uniquely positioned to make an impact.

TANF programs can use this resource to strengthen coordination with child welfare partners and better align services that support families before challenges escalate. By taking a more connected, cross-system approach, programs can help stabilize caregiving environments and support safe, nurturing conditions for children.

A resource from the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network highlights how agencies are prioritizing placement with relatives or trusted caregivers when children cannot remain with their parents. These approaches help maintain family connections, reduce disruptions, and support more stable caregiving arrangements.

TANF programs can support this work by reinforcing care in the home or with relatives, including efforts that help stabilize caregiving arrangements, reduce placement changes, and support caregivers in meeting the day-to-day needs of children. This may also include coordinating with partner systems and aligning services to strengthen family-based care and promote continuity.