A Question about Fraud Detection

When TANF and related programs gather and use input from the families they serve, they are better able to understand challenges and identify opportunities for change to improve how they serve families. This video series was developed by Project IMPROVE and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation’s (OPRE) Moving Forward: Family Input Study and consists of three short videos on why and how to use family input to improve programs. The videos feature interviews with five TANF and other human services experts, ranging from program directors to individuals with lived experience in human services programs. They explore the importance of engaging families in program improvement, how to build and maintain trust with families, and tips on establishing a family advisory council. These resources accompany this video series:

• OPRE brief: Gathering and Using Family Input to Improve Child Support and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Services: Approaches from the Human Services Field
• OPRE toolkit: Elevating Family Input in TANF and Child Support Programs: Resources for Program Staff, Leaders and Families
• PeerTA Podcast: Incorporating Lived Experiences into Decision Making

The ACF Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted a webinar to summarize the open Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM): Strengthening TANF as a Safety Net and Work Program and instructed interested parties on how to submit a formal comment.

The NPRM is intended to strengthen TANF's role in supporting family well-being and work, as well as creating additional accountability for states to ensure TANF funds serve their intended purpose, while maintaining state flexibility. 

Review the recording here as you are preparing to submit formal comments on the NPRM for HHS consideration. Comments are due December 1, 2023. HHS welcomes comments from all affected parties and will closely review and consider every comment it receives. We refer you to the NPRM on information on how to submit comments if you wish to do so. 

If you have questions about the webinar, please email TANFquestions@acf.hhs.gov. 

Employment coaching involves trained staff working collaboratively with participants to help them set individualized goals related to employment and providing motivation, support, and feedback as participants work toward those goals. Recently, there has been growing interest among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in using employment coaching to assist Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other adults with low incomes become economically mobile. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report highlights the evaluation that was designed to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the four programs participating in the Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations study. The report answers the following research questions: In what contexts were programs implemented? How did the designs of the programs vary and differ? How was coaching implemented across programs? The programs highlighted in this evaluation are: • Family Development and Self-Sufficiency, which serves TANF recipients and their family members in Iowa. • Goal4 It!TM, which provides employment coaching to TANF recipients in Jefferson County, Colorado in lieu of traditional case management. • LIFT, which is a voluntary coaching program operated in four U.S. cities. • MyGoals for Employment Success, which serves recipients of housing assistance in Baltimore, Maryland, and Houston, Texas.

Watch the Corresponding Video

This webinar provides an overview of the Learn, Innovate, Improve (LI2) road test process, with examples of how it has helped large and small, urban and rural TANF programs to make targeted improvements and manage change. The presentation was held on March 26, 2018, as part of the IIEESS Coaching for Success series.