This June 29, 2021 Annie E. Casey Foundation webinar presented findings from a study of 26 young parents with foster care experience. The webinar explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and covered multiple themes: employment disruptions, economic hardships, educational challenges, mental health challenges, insufficient resources, barriers to receiving services, and silver linings.

This Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation brief summarizes findings of a Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) grantee peer-learning experience held in summer 2020. Six YARH grantees shared their experiences, challenges, lessons learned, and solutions to engaging youth.

To improve understanding of ways to coordinate early care and education (ECE) with other health and human services, the Administration for Children and Families sponsored the Assessing Models of Coordinated Services (AMCS) project. This report shares findings of current state and local coordinated services approaches. States and localities interested in developing or continuing a coordinated services approach for families may not have access to information about the characteristics of such approaches; AMCS intends for this overview to begin to fill that gap.

Coaching is a person-centered, strength-based way of working with others that helps them direct the changes they want to make in their own lives. The Office of Family Assistance has made available to State and Tribal TANF agencies and Native Employment Works (NEW) programs a 14-module eLearning Curriculum called “Coaching for Success.” This curriculum aims to leverage coaching techniques to support employment case managers. Taken over time or for a specific topic, these self-paced modules on active listening, powerful questions, emotional intelligence, praise, and other important techniques can elevate TANF case management services. For additional information and sample module demonstrations, please refer to this introductory OFA webinar.

This webinar was held by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation on April 28, 2020. Speakers Lauren Supplee from Child Trends, Gerrie Cotter from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Office of Workforce Development, and Joe Raymond from ICF covered considerations for undertaking successful virtual case management in human services programs, including access to and use of technology, privacy issues, virtual interactions such as home visits, and eligibility and enrollment processes.

Through the TANF Works! Series, the Office of Family Assistance seeks to disseminate information about promising practices within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) field that can be scaled or adapted by other programs. The series includes three components:

• Emerging Practices Series – Special topics briefs and a three-part webinar series share strategies implemented by TANF programs to help low-income individuals gain and maintain employment.
• TANF-WIOA Collaboration Series – Fourteen case statements highlight the collaboration between TANF and WIOA agencies in 19 locations across nine states to improve service coordination for job seekers.
• Coaching for Success Series – This toolkit offers strategies for integrating client-centered coaching practices into TANF programs. Resources include topical webinars, tip sheets, and multi-page guides.

TANF Works! is part of the Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) project, which supports TANF agencies and their partners in identifying, adopting, and sharing innovative practices to improve employment outcomes for low-income individuals.

The New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) is helping TANF participants with opioid/substance involvement to obtain and maintain employment. Reflecting the belief that all participants are employable, four New York City providers have combined treatment and work activities to comprehensively address barriers so participants can move into both recovery and self-sufficiency.

This brief is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative, which highlights the strategies of TANF agencies and their partners to help low-income individuals gain and sustain meaningful employment. Each brief describes an emerging practice that has been implemented in one site, an overview of the program model, and the results that have been achieved. Compelling stories of participants’ success and suggestions from TANF agency staff to their peers provide actionable insights and on-the-ground perspectives.