The Welfare Peer TA Network held a one-day training on December 9, 2011 for the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency in Shelton, Washington. The training entitled, “Reviving the Vision of Cultural Values and Compassion in Client Services,” developed by the University of California, Davis Extension (UC Davis), is also referred to as “Tribal TANF Town” because it utilizes experiential learning in which participants assume roles and work through the systems that TANF clients must interact with on a daily basis. The training resulted in four key learning points for training participants:

• Provide case management services with compassion;
• Model positive communication and service delivery skills;
• Follow a uniform mission of assisting participants to achieve wellness and promote economic, cultural, and social well-being of individuals, families, communities, and Tribes; and
• Practice professionalism and partnership.

The Technical Assistance summary provides additional details about the training and includes specific feedback from participants.

The Rural Communities Initiative conducted a Site Visit to the White Mountain Apache Tribal TANF Program based on their request for TA. Rural Communities Initiative staff partnered with consultants from the U.C. Davis Extension at the University of California to provide the Tribe with an in-depth needs assessment in order to strategize on developing solutions for programmatic improvement. The consultants, Julie Gondry and Dr. Geni Cowan, are Tribal TANF subject matter experts with program based skills in training, case management, and data reporting. Based upon the assessment results, the White Mountain Apache Tribal TANF Program will receive valuable recommendations to further enhance aspects of their program’s structure and administration to reach the end goal of self-sufficiency for their TANF participants.

This paper, from the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Utah, provides an overview of the Navajo culture and their Tribal TANF program. The paper also discusses barriers that the Navajo Nation faces in effectively engaging their Tribal TANF clients and promoting self sufficiency. Barriers include support costs and lack of jobs among others.

This report to Congressional Requestors from the Government Accountability Office found that poverty and unemployment is still extremely high on Native American reservations despite Tribes’ efforts to stimulate the economy. According to the study, “57 Tribes with reservations reported that at least half of all families living of their reservations had incomes below the federal poverty level.” The report describes various specific Tribal enterprises. The authors also describe specific challenges that Tribes face in operating TANF programs including developing expertise quickly, obtaining data, and leveraging resources. Through the report, the Government Accountability Office recommended that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provide for more assistance to Tribes in operating their own welfare programs.

This series of reports, completed as part of a two-year study by James Bell Associates, describes how tribes use flexible Federal funds for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program. The reports highlight promising practices tribes have adopted to meet unique challenges they face in managing services to strengthen tribal families, children, and youth. This report is labeled as Issue Paper #1.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families, supported a 2-day conference held by Office of Family Assistance, Region VI, examining the issues of domestic violence and substance abuse as barriers to self-sufficiency for the Native American Population. The focus of the conference was to help TANF case workers better understand the impact of domestic violence and substance abuse in Native American populations, and identify barriers unique to Native American Communities. The conference also focused on developing strategies for collaboration with Native American organizations and governments. See Appendix A for the complete Agenda. TANF workers from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas were invited to attend.