In 2003, the State of West Virginia submitted a Peer TA request form, asking for assistance in determining the most effective mental/emotional health screening instrument available to meet the needs of their TANF clients. This short report summarizes the technical assistance request, and provides information on screening and assessing the mental health of TANF eligible clients.

Brighter Future, Inc. (Brighter Future) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Texas. This organization is a minority operated, community-based organization that provides educational training, vocational support services, and pre-vocational services to underprivileged Texas adults and adolescents. Brighter Future submitted a technical assistance (TA) request to the Welfare Peer TA Network requesting assistance and guidance in securing grants that would allow for the expansion of their youth and adult literacy education program services.

The ability of States and counties to meet TANF participation goals through the use of subsidized employment, work experience and community service strategies has been a central part of TANF. Recognizing these realities, especially those facing large urban centers, the California Department of Social Services made a Technical Assistance (TA) request on behalf of their largest urban center (Los Angeles) and on behalf of four very similar urban centers (Chicago, Houston, New York City and Philadelphia.) The five target cities were led through a series of facilitated discussions involving the core subject areas of performance management and contracting, saturation engagement, diversion and immediate employment, and re-engagement and sanctions.

The Peer Technical Assistance Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, held a 1 and a 1/2 day interactive workshop addressing the issue of welfare reform in the rural community context. The focus of the workshop was to promote the sharing of ideas and innovative practices designed to assist rural communities to effectively collaborate and utilize community resources to move welfare recipients to employment and self-sufficiency.

This document details a recent review of Nebraska’s new Employment First Screening and Assessment Form (“Screening Form”) and Guide, conducted by the staff of the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network. This review involved a document analysis of the Screening Form and the Guide, as well as interviews with an Employment First Program Specialist and two Employment First caseworkers.

One of the most prominent roadblocks that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) clients face to a successful transition to employment is substance abuse. In order to address these issues that TANF families affected by substance abuse face the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network held a conference entitled Effectively Serving Clients with Substance Abuse Problems: Making a Difference on the Frontline in Newark, New Jersey on February 19th and 20th. The purpose of this 2-day seminar was two fold: to provide participants with an opportunity to understand how TANF agencies and treatment providers can work together to better serve clients and to showcase New Jersey’s referral process for families struggling with substance abuse in order to meet work requirements and remain self-sufficient. The report provides a summary of this workshop.

On March 26-27, 2002, the Welfare Peer TA held a technical assistance meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in order to compare and contrast Louisiana’s joint interagency substance abuse initiative to that of the State of North Carolina. As part of this comparison, staff members from North Carolina’s Division of Social Services and its Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services were onsite to participate in the meeting. Their role in this technical assistance meeting was to provide information about their initiative and informal observations and recommendations to Louisiana about their interagency substance abuse initiative. The overall goal of the meeting was to examine what “works” and what “doesn’t work” from the perspective of the North Carolina staff. The meeting included a visit to a pilot site for the State’s substance abuse initiative, which afforded the North Carolina staff an opportunity to gain an in-depth observation and understanding of Louisiana’s program.

Professionals from Cass County solicited specific technical assistance from the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network in response to this developing problem of drug screening. Their technical assistance request broadly covered substance abuse screening in general, but also included specific aspects of methamphetamine use and identification among TANF clients. The TA request from North Dakota touched on multiple aspects of substance abuse. The technical assistance request from North Dakota solicited help in addressing substance abuse among TANF families and devising strategies to assist substance abusing families find and maintain employment. 

The Welfare Peer TA Network sponsored this statewide Roundtable event that took place in Fargo, ND from September 27-29, 2004. Attended by over 40 individuals, this Roundtable brought together regional teams from each of the 8 service regions in North Dakota to address issues of substance abuse screening and identification as well as service integration. The impetus for this Technical Assistance Request built on previous Welfare Peer TA work completed in Fargo, ND with a specific focus on a pilot project in Cass County.

The Olmstead Decision and Welfare-to-Work ACF Region IV Meeting was held on August 23-24, 2000, at The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 80 participants attended, including State Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) Directors, and Welfare-to-Work (WtW) administrators along with representatives from State Medicaid offices, and representatives of the Developmental Disabilities Network (State developmental disabilities councils, protection and advocacy agencies, and the university affiliated programs). The focus of this Regional meeting was to examine how the Olmstead Decision and Welfare-to-Work initiatives can be incorporated into each States’ Strategic Plan.