The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) will convene the 2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) in person in Washington, DC on May 29–31, 2024. RECS 2024 will focus on programs, policies, and services that support families on the path to economic self-sufficiency. Presentations will feature research findings and their policy and practice implications for an audience that includes researchers, practitioners, state and local administrators, federal officials, and policymakers. Join OPRE for a virtual information session on Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET to hear more about the conference, conference tracks, proposal types, tips for preparing a successful proposal, and how to submit a proposal through the website.

The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network hosted a webinar in May 2023 to cover strategies for tribal programs wishing to engage in collaborative services to support kinship and grandfamilies. The webinar addressed how government or private organizations can best prepare for collaboration with tribes. Additionally, the webinar helped participants be able to discuss why grandfamilies and relative care providers can benefit from collaborative approaches among tribes, or between tribes and non-Native government or private service providers; become familiar with principles that support successful cross-cultural and cross-jurisdiction collaboration; and be able to explore and weigh several issues when planning a collaboration. The recording and presentation are available for review.

Sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), the Family Input Study seeks to 1) understand how TANF, child support, and other human services programs gather and use family input for program improvement; 2) identify ways for TANF and child support programs to incorporate family input for program improvement; and 3) identify the successes and challenges these programs face in gathering and using family input. To support programs in planning for and engaging families in program improvement, the Family Input Study has developed a toolkit of resources, guides, and tools for TANF and child support program administrators and practitioners.

The Study is seeking TANF and child support programs run by states, tribes, territories, and counties to pilot test the toolkit. During the 12-month pilot test period, participating programs will lead a program improvement effort using the Family Input Resources toolkit and input from the families they serve to guide their effort.

If interested in participating in this pilot test opportunity, please complete the expression of interest form by May 12, 2023.

Accompanying this request are two one-pagers. The first document is a set of FAQs which identifies the expectations and benefits of participating in the Family Input Study. The second document is background information about the Family Input Study.

For questions, please contact the study team lead (Jeanette Holdbrook at jholdbrook@mathematica-mpr.com) or the OPRE project officer (Lisa Zingman at lisa.zingman@acf.gov).

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration hosted a webinar on May 8, 2023 and brought together experts from Native American organizations and tribal entities to discuss the prevalent use of opioids in Tribal communities and how the workforce system combats the impacts associated with the opioid crisis. Following a presentation of an overview on the opioid and substance misuse in Native American communities, representatives from the Cherokee Nation shared how the tribe leverages its workforce system and Department of Labor grants to promote recovery and reintegration.

The Office of Family Assistance, Division of Tribal TANF has posted National Tribal TANF characteristics data for fiscal years 2016 to 2020 in a set of annual reports. Data in these reports cover: number of individuals participating in Tribal TANF work activities by activity; adults by work participation status; adults by relationship to head of household; types of families receiving assistance (e.g., one-parent, two-parent, child-only); families by the number of children in the family; and average age of recipient children. Data tables for the reports are available for download.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation will host a webinar on March 16, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, to help youth justice staff better serve Native American youth involved in the justice system. The webinar will address the reasons behind the higher risk of system involvement for Native American youth, the need for support and treatment for historical, intergenerational, and contemporary trauma, and the importance of identifying and working with Native nations. Participants will learn about a successful Native nation diversion program and have the opportunity to request more information on supporting Native youth.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will host its Annual Tribal Consultation meeting in person and virtually on Monday, October 31, 2022. During the session, ACF leadership will speak with Tribal leaders and discuss issues important to the tribes and ACF tribal program priorities. The in-person meeting will take place at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento, California from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon PT. Virtual participation will also occur at 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Alaska time, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. MT, 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT, and 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.

TANF Disaster Response Highlights from the Office of Family Assistance provide a broad overview on how some state and tribal TANF programs responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many programs’ responses were informed from lessons they learned in responding to prior disasters. The information within these highlights has been shared to assist with the development of adaptable approaches and proactive disaster responses. Such preparations help ensure the uninterrupted continuation of services to the populations supported by TANF programs during crises like health pandemics and natural disasters.

TANF Disaster Response Highlights have been developed on the Colorado Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and the Morongo Tribal TANF Program.