The Indian Health Service (IHS) is accepting applications for grants for the Domestic Violence Prevention (DVP) program. This IHS grant supports development and expansion of DVP programs by incorporating prevention efforts that address social, spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of victims. The grants facilitate integration of culturally appropriate practices and trauma-informed services for tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations (UIO) serving the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. This IHS program promotes prevention efforts that address domestic and sexual violence, including sexual exploitation/human trafficking, Missing and Murdered AI/AN people, and child maltreatment. Applications are due by February 2, 2022.

This bulletin briefly overviews racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system and the factors that contribute to the problem. It then describes practices that child welfare caseworkers, administrators, program managers, and policymakers can implement to address these issues in general and at specific decision-making points along the child welfare continuum (such as prevention, reporting, screening and assessment, service delivery for children and affected families, and permanency for children in out-of-home care in a child welfare case). Further, the bulletin also stresses the importance for State and local child welfare agencies to understand Tribal sovereignty within the relationship between the two agencies. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) allows for the formation of Tribal-State agreements which often serve to improve ICWA compliance and outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native children, and to increase Tribal access to Federal child welfare funding.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the livelihoods, finances, and well-being of millions of individuals in Indian Country. Compounding the burden of job losses are widespread school shutdowns and the lack of affordable child care, which simultaneously hinder TANF-participating parents, particularly mothers, from gaining meaningful employment while imposing additional costs on already tight family resources. These trends present urgent and essential demands on Tribal TANF programs. To respond to these challenges, the Office of Family Assistance hosted a webinar on October 27, 2021, which provided insights on Federal and State resources that can assist parents in transitioning into employment, as well as innovative practices from Tribal TANF, child care, and community organizations to support low-income families. The webinar also identified strategies for coordinating Tribal TANF and Child Care offices.

The American Public Human Services Association and the National Association of Welfare Research Statistics will host a hybrid (in-person and virtual learning) conference from August 22 to August 25, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conference will bring together policy, practice, research, and various programs to advance the collective goal of achieving economic mobility and well-being for everyone. Workshops are being developed to help health and human service leaders, policymakers, and researchers in developing human services programs through collaboration, integration, modernization, and guidance on effectively monitoring quality control and performance management. A registration fee is required.

The Office of Family Assistance will host a webinar on Thursday, July 29, 2021 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. ET to engage TANF and tribal leaders and staff in conversation as they reimagine a post-pandemic TANF environment. This webinar will include a series of large group and small, rapid-fire break-out sessions. Each rapid-fire session will include questions that spark meaningful dialogue about TANF programs’ experiences during the pandemic and how they plan to transition back to in-person services. Participants will learn how TANF programs across the country are managing issues such as implementing safety protocols, balancing remote and in-person work, and reinstating TANF work requirements. Project IMPROVE will facilitate the session and capture and share lessons learned across the discussions.

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation has issued a Call for Papers for the Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) 2022, to be held in-person from June 1-3, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Call invites proposals for full conference sessions, individual presentations, and roundtables on the following topics: TANF programs, policies, and populations; employment and mobility in the labor market; youth well-being and the transition to adulthood; strengthening families, fatherhood, marriages, and relationships; evaluating social programs, building evidence, and using data; and approaches to alleviate poverty and expand opportunity. A virtual information session on preparing and submitting a proposal will be held on July 22, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Proposal submissions are due by August 27, 2021.

This Program Instruction (PI) identifies a change in Office of Family Assistance reporting requirements—specifically, that tribes that integrate TANF in a P.L. 102-477 plan are no longer required to submit quarterly reports. However, the PI notes the continuation of requirements of the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF), such as funds to be spent on non-recurrent, short-term benefits and grantees needing to request allotments and reallotments. The PI also provides guidance on use of funds, reporting forms, and reporting requirements for tribes under the PEAF.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation research-to-practice brief assesses how Tribal HPOG 2.0 grantees incorporated tribal culture and practices into their healthcare training programs. The Tribal HPOG 2.0 Program includes projects that connect eligible individuals with education and training in a healthcare-related field or occupation. Integrating tribal values into the curricula helped students to deliver culturally sensitive healthcare services. Attention is paid to how these grantees offered events and supportive services to connect students with their respective culture to build community and provide culturally specific gathering spaces for trainees of similar backgrounds.

This report examines how organizational culture, office design, and office procedures contribute to the client experience with TANF, the services offered, and the potential outcomes. It highlights examples of productive client-oriented office settings, organizational processes and culture, and the day-to-day influence of organizational culture on clients and frontline staff. The report’s findings are drawn from field interviews and observations at six TANF offices: Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services (Virginia); Mesa County’s Workforce Center (Colorado); New York City’s Human Resources Administration (New York); Owens Valley Career Development Center’s Tribal TANF Program (California); Santa Cruz County’s Human Services Department (California); and the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 amends Section 403 of the Social Security Act to create a new $1 billion Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) for states, tribes, and territories to assist needy families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 15, 2021, the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted an informative webinar for tribes to learn about the PEAF. Participants heard from OFA’s TANF policy experts on how they can use this fund, its requirements, and the process for applying for the funds. OFA speakers included Susan Golonka, Acting Director; Stan Koutstaal, Division Director, Tribal TANF Management and Regional Operations; Deborah List, Associate Deputy Director; and Peter Germanis, Senior Policy Advisor and National Expert. In addition to this webinar, OFA hosted a separate webinar for territories. Also, additional guidance will be published with more information about the allocations formulas, how to request funds, and other general policy guidelines.