The Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) helps states improve program integrity by securely comparing public assistance data across state lines. This Administration for Children and Families resource provides a sample Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines how state public assistance agencies can participate in interstate data matching and establish a framework for sharing information while protecting privacy. TANF administrators and program staff can use this MOU template to better understand how interstate data matching supports accurate eligibility determinations, reduces duplicate participation across states, and helps ensure public assistance benefits are administered efficiently and responsibly.

Men play a vital role in helping children and families thrive, yet they are often overlooked in conversations about foster and kinship care. This Creating a Family podcast episode explores the unique contributions of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mentors, and other male caregivers, while discussing strategies for engaging and supporting them in meaningful ways. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners who work with kinship and foster families can use this resource to strengthen family engagement, promote inclusive caregiving practices, and better highlight the important role male caregivers play in helping children build safe, stable, and supportive relationships.

In August 2026, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Department of the Treasury jointly released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to help states, territories, and Tribes establish and administer Fostering the Future Accounts. 

New FAQ highlights include:  

• Establishing and administering Fostering the Future Accounts; 
• Available funding sources, including federal funds and private contributions; and 
• Fostering the Future Accounts eligibility, management, transfer, and withdrawal considerations. 

To further support implementation, ACF launched the National Fostering the Future Accounts Advancement Center to provide technical assistance tailored to the needs of states, territories, and Tribes. 

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is seeking input on the use of research from a range of audiences working in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or related family self-sufficiency programs. TANF and other human services providers, technical assistance providers, researchers, research funders, and others that use or may use ACF-sponsored research are invited to participate in a survey. This survey is part of a project that aims to understand how ACF-sponsored research can better support your work and improve outcomes for people and families with low incomes. 

ACF invites you to take the 15-minute survey to share your insights about:  

• What type of research is helpful or important to you; 
• How you use research findings or information; or 
• What would make ACF research more useful for your work. 

The survey will be open until Tuesday, August 25, 2026.  

In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed technical assistance and compliance support to Tribal TANF programs.

During the second session, participants heard from Subject Matter Experts and participated in discussions on strengthening two-parent families and father engagement through partnerships with Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) and Responsible Fatherhood (RF) programs. 

In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed technical assistance and compliance support to Tribal TANF programs.

During the first session, participants heard from Tribal TANF practitioners and engaged in discussion about how to support economic and family stability and resilience. Presenters were invited to share practical knowledge of how Tribal TANF programs can provide holistic services to strengthen and stabilize families.

The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces funds for a National Center for Native Training and Technical Assistance (the Center). The Center will be ANA's primary provider of training and technical assistance (TTA). The goal is to build the capacity of ANA applicants and recipients to implement successful strategies and facilitate sustainable and successful outcomes that strengthen Native American communities. The beneficiaries of TTA are tribes and Native American communities, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islander organizations and their partners. 

The Center will assist applicants and recipients to plan, develop, and implement community-driven projects aligned with ANA's goals. The Center will also train communities on leveraging additional resources, complying with federal requirements, and sustaining projects past ANA funding. ANA expects the Center to use innovative and user-friendly solutions for providing TTA in both virtual and in-person formats. The Center will also focus on collecting data to better understand how beneficiaries interact with ANA's TTA and how to improve the success of funded projects. Submissions are due August 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

As the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program marks nearly 30 years, conversations about the program’s original intent is gaining renewed attention. This opinion piece reflects on how families, the workforce, and state programs have changed since welfare reform was first enacted in 1996 and argues that today's policies should be reformed to meet current needs.

This article by the Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and Families, Alex Adams, and the Office of Family Assistance Director, David Swegle, could serve as a useful discussion starter for TANF practitioners because it encourages thinking beyond day-to-day program operations and considering how policy changes could affect the families they serve. Whether you work directly with participants or help shape program decisions, the resource highlights questions about balancing work, family stability, and long-term economic mobility. It can also support conversations with colleagues about how TANF can continue helping families overcome barriers to employment while adapting to today's economic realities.

Kin caregivers often step in unexpectedly to care for children and may not realize they are eligible for support. This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network fact sheet explains how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can help relatives raising children by providing financial assistance and connecting families with additional services. TANF practitioners can use this resource to better inform kin caregivers about available supports, answer common questions, and ensure families receive the assistance they need. This fact sheet can also be a useful tool for expanding awareness of TANF and helping caregivers access resources that promote stability for the children in their care.