The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is soliciting invitations from ACF program offices, state- or county-administered human services programs, and local ACF grantees for participation in a pilot study under the Human Centered Design for Human Services (HCD4HS) project. Human-centered design (HCD) is a means to generate innovative solutions to complex problems through new, creative ways of thinking about a problem, and through intentional engagement with the beneficiaries of the solution. Learn more on how to nominate a state or county-administered, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) program office, or local ACF grantee to participate in a pilot study under ACF’s Human Centered Design for Human Services project. Self-nominations are allowed but all nominations are due by December 5, 2019. Submit your nomination here!

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief and the accompanying presentation introduce rapid learning methods designed to advance rapid program improvement and support program effectiveness. The brief also seeks to address the considerations and criteria used to design an optimal rapid learning approach and offers recommendations on how federal agencies can promote the use of rapid learning methods.

This Office of Family Assistance-sponsored case study shares the experiences of the Department of Social Services of Anne Arundel County, Maryland in its use of OFA’s Online Work Readiness Assessment (OWRA) to improve the outcomes of its TANF participants. Maryland has been involved with OWRA since it was a pilot site in 2009. For this case study, county representatives recount the most useful parts of the tool in working with their participants towards self-sufficiency as well as potential places of improvement. They also detail the state’s data systems as well as the partnerships already established with two research institutions to explore avenues for determining OWRA’s impact.

This updated and expanded report from the Congressional Research Service provides a summary of TANF block grant information and addresses frequently asked questions. The report covers TANF funding and expenditures, TANF caseload data, level of TANF cash benefits, and TANF work participation standards.

The Social Capital Webinar Series is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative. Comprised of three parts, the Social Capital Webinar Series includes insights from subject matter experts with experience building social capital from research-based, programmatic, and workforce development perspectives, as well as testimonials from TANF participants. Part 3, “Applying Social Capital in the Real World” offers strategies for TANF agencies to build agency social capital and to integrate the building of clients’ personal social capital into their overall program approach.

The Social Capital Webinar Series is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative. Comprised of three parts, the Social Capital Webinar Series includes insights from subject matter experts with experience building social capital from research-based, programmatic, and workforce development perspectives, as well as testimonials from TANF participants. Part 2, “Building Social Capital” highlights examples of current programs that are partnering with clients to help them grow their social capital, with a testimonial from a former TANF participant.

The Social Capital Webinar Series is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative. Comprised of three parts, the Social Capital Webinar Series includes insights from subject matter experts with experience building social capital from research-based, programmatic, and workforce development perspectives, as well as testimonials from TANF participants. Part 1, “Understanding Social Capital,” provides an overview of the most current research on social capital and the potential impact of social networks on low-income individuals’ employment opportunities.