This Office of Family Assistance resource answers these questions: May a state use TANF funds to provide a payment to an expectant parent before the birth of a child to cover costs associated with the preparing for a new child? Could the state have a similar allowance but after the child is born? If allowable, must the family meet a financial eligibility standard to qualify for such a payment?

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation released this brief, which summarizes an expert convening focused on the child support program’s current ability and future potential to help address child poverty. The convening focused on the current state of child support services, how child support services intersect with other programs and institutions, and innovations in service design and provision.

Self-regulation skills are the skills needed to finish tasks, stay organized, and control emotions, and they are critical in finding and maintaining employment. Poverty and other chronic stressors can hinder the development and use of these skills, but coaching can promote self-regulation skills and help adults with low incomes become economically secure. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report presents findings from a study of four employment coaching programs conducted as part of the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Related Populations. The report presents estimates of impacts of coaching on participants’ self-regulation skills, employment, earnings, self-sufficiency, and other measures of personal and family well-being throughout the 21 months after enrollment.

The Office of Family Assistance’s TANF Outcomes Technical Assistance and Logistics (TOTAL) team hosted a webinar in November 2024 to introduce the TANF Work and Education Outcomes Reporting requirements for states and territories required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The webinar was open to the public to include all states and their representatives: TOTAL FRA Work and Education Outcomes Reporting Introductory Webinar

The Office for Family Assistance partnered with Children’s Bureau to develop the Families Are Stronger Together Learning Community (FAST-LC), which focused on preventing family involvement in the child welfare system through developing, implementing, and enhancing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-Child Welfare partnerships and innovations. FAST-LC was a one-year initiative that involved eight state and two tribal TANF-Child Welfare partnerships. The FAST-LC launched in September 2023 and concluded in September 2024. OFA published the webpage that highlights various resources, including a journey recap for each participating site and research briefs.

This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) information brief aims to demystify research terms for fatherhood practitioners. In the brief, NRFC provides a comprehensive description of the different types of program data and their purpose, offers practical guidance for collecting and using data, and underscores the importance of routinely evaluating program services and outcomes to enhance programming and disseminate program impacts. Additionally, this brief emphasizes the value of using program data in a meaningful way and offers recommendations on how to leverage this data to improve program effectiveness and better support program participants.

This Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse snapshot describes the effectiveness of programs that were identified as using education as their primary service. It summarizes these programs and their impacts so Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other program administrators, policymakers, researchers, and the general public can apply the evidence to their context and the questions that matter to them.

This Department of Labor resource provides actionable strategies to boost employment outcomes by aligning and maximizing services and funding resources. Blending, braiding, and sequencing enables TANF front-line staff to partner with state and local workforce partners, creating a collaborative approach to employment support that leverages funding streams and services. The webpage and FAQ provide strategies designed to ensure participants in the workforce system have access to a broader range of coordinated resources and services, helping to create a more seamless and supportive pathway toward long-term employment success.

For more information, please contact Yvonne Wright at ywright@ndi-inc.org. 

This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit workshop shared the story of the Michigan Action Plan for Father Involvement (MAP-FI) and the collaboration between fatherhood practitioners and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MAP-FI is a model for other locations interested in expanding support for father involvement and establishing permanent structures that support policies and programs benefiting fathers and their families. This session offered ideas and guidance about how to create similar coalitions in other localities, what initiatives these coalitions can take on, and the impact and importance of bringing these groups together.