COVID-19 has amplified health inequities in American Indian communities because of underfunded and under-resourced health systems, limited access to health services, poor infrastructure, and underlying health disparities. These new data maps track the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact across more than 100 Tribal Nations, streamline data collection efforts, and provide visualizations to display the pandemic’s disparate impact in areas not typically monitored by mainstream media sources. The depictions of the Tribal Nations are limited to federally recognized Tribal nations in the continental United States and Alaska Village lands.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this workshop, discussion focused on transforming the delivery of anti-poverty tax credits. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), together with the California Policy Lab (CPL) and Code for America (CFA), discussed the Department’s tax outreach effort for California's TANF and SNAP participants. Participants learned how to leverage data, communication strategies, and partnerships to increase economic supports available to clients via the tax system.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, discussion focused on sharing lessons from the Pathways Clearinghouse. In addition to the enormous challenges COVID-19 posed to TANF agencies’ service delivery, it also led to sharp increases in unemployment. To help TANF agencies better serve clients during such unprecedented times, the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse undertook two projects to learn from past periods of economic difficulty and to identify innovations spurred by COVID-19. Participants learned about interventions and strategies that work during periods of economic recession and recovery.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, speakers from two projects funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation presented research and on-the-ground experiences from programs that adapted service provision to maintain and develop new connections with employers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as respond to job seekers’ health, substance use, and recovery needs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, researchers from the TANF Data Collaborative (TDC) team identified key components to sustaining data analytic capacity in government agency environments, provided examples of activities and practices that fall within each sustainability component, and elicited audience participation to source additional strategies and examples of sustainable practices. The research is based on work with eight pilot states across the country and the results of a comprehensive TANF Data Needs Assessment.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this panel-style session comprised of “success snapshots,” speakers presented innovative strategies that enable programs to link people to jobs, to better communicate and respond to participant needs, and to provide training and skills development to the community. Presenters shared various strategies for finding employment opportunities, including work activities that are culturally relevant and responsive to the needs of their participants. This session also explored the option of Tribal TANF and NEW programs partnering with local organizations to fulfill community needs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, panelists explored how Tribal TANF and NEW programs can consider expanding virtual services to motivate participants to pursue opportunities, especially those which may have been previously inaccessible. Speakers discussed a variety of strategies used in the past year to create virtual education and training opportunities and virtual case management services for clients, as well as how these offerings were developed, challenges along the way, witnessed successes, and recommendations for programs considering offering similar resources. This session concluded with a review of OFA’s Coaching for Success eLearning modules, which program staff can use to provide virtual coaching and mentorship to participants.

“Tribal TANF – The Basics and Beyond” and “Tribal TANF Data – The Basics” are two online learning modules intended to support Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) staff or any individual interested in learning more about the Tribal TANF program through step-by-step instructions and screenshots. “Tribal TANF – The Basics and Beyond” covers topics such as Tribal TANF program flexibility, the purposes of TANF, proper uses of TANF funds, TANF work requirements and time limits, as well as strategies for TANF program management and achieving program goals and objectives. “Tribal TANF Data – The Basics” describes the background of Tribal TANF data collection and submission, the process of installing data reporting software, steps for submitting quarterly TANF data reports, and an overview of how tribes calculate work participation rates.

The Office of Family Assistance will be livestreaming sessions from the 2019 National Tribal TANF/NEW Summit on September 16-17, 2019, and the 2019 National TANF State Directors’ Meeting, Helping Families to Overcome: Partnering to Build a Stronger Society on September 17-19, 2019. Both events will be held in Arlington, Virginia, and will provide state, tribal, and territory TANF administrators, staff, and stakeholders with actionable and replicable implementation strategies for improving employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for customers and families.

Sessions to be livestreamed include:

Coaching as a Strategy for Supporting Client Success
September 16th, 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 am ET
This plenary will provide an overview of the intersections between executive functioning and coaching, and then dive deeper into the importance of coaching and its impact on a client’s long-term goals and employment. 

Tribal TANF and NEW Fiscal Management 101
September 16th, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
The first of two sessions that will focus on fiscal management of TANF and NEW programs and is especially relevant for any staff involved with program finances. It will cover a variety of financial management topics, including how OFA informs programs of grant awards and how to understand grant Terms and Conditions. Speakers will explain procedures for funding draw downs, financial reporting due dates, and required reporting submissions.

Tribal TANF and NEW Fiscal Management 201
September 16th, 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET
The second of two sessions that focuses on fiscal management of TANF and NEW programs, and is especially relevant for any staff involved in their program’s finances. Speakers will 1) discuss how internal controls and compliance programs can help tribes protect their TANF programs from fraud and abuse; 2) highlight best practices for maintaining record-keeping systems; 3) explain how programs can prepare for an audit and potential audit resolutions; and 4) highlight why and how finance managers can eliminate unobligated balances.

Promising Practices for Using Creativity to Address Resource Challenges
September 17th, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. ET
Several communities will highlight their innovative and impactful workforce and community development programs despite resource constraints. Speakers will share examples ranging from transit to tourism, with the intention of encouraging participants to consider how resource challenges may be reframed as opportunities to spur job creation while providing the community with a needed service.

Tools to Help Tribal TANF and NEW Programs Reach Their Full Potential and Document Their Success!
September 17th, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
Tribal TANF and NEW program leaders will be given strategies and tools for identifying meaningful program goals, developing clear and compelling performance measures, and documenting ongoing progress toward improving outcomes for tribal members and communities.

Greeting from ACF and OFA/OFA Director Carter’s Vision: Rethinking the American Safety Net
September 17th, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET
Director Carter will provide his insights on the need to transform the American Safety Net by grounding it in a collection of core values and supporting principles, and engaging all sectors of society. This transformative effort would redefine how American society assists vulnerable individuals and families so they can grow beyond their need for supports.

Strategies for Addressing the Opioid Crisis
September 17th, 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. ET
Addiction and the misuse of opioids is a health emergency that affects the quality of life, economy, and social cohesion of communities across the United States. Speakers will describe different approaches to addressing the opioid crisis, from direct service interventions that emphasize the importance of stabilizing the entire family, to a range of community-based supportive services such as capacity-building, technical assistance, and culturally-sensitive approaches. 

Young Adult Participant Success Panel
September 17th, 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. ET
The TANF program provides family assistance to create a stable foundation and economic opportunities for low-income youth. Growing up in a low-income household creates uniquely challenging circumstances for children, making it critically important to focus on this population. Young participants in TANF programs will share their experiences and their successes in working towards economic stability and a brighter future.

Insights from ACF Leadership
September 18th, 8:55 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. ET
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is committed to helping families through difficult circumstances through a broad range of activities. Participants will hear from ACF Leadership in the Office of Head Start, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Office of Child Care, and Office of Family Assistance about collaborative efforts to improve social services through economic growth and work-based public policies.

Shifting the Poverty Paradigm: Moving to Results that Matter
September 18th, 10:35 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. ET
Human service agencies across America are exploring how to achieve whole-family outcomes for those they serve by transitioning procurement systems to an outcomes-oriented approach, which rigorously tracks priority outcomes using data and incentives to improve the impact of services. Speakers will showcase the outcomes-oriented work in Washington state by the Ballmer Group, the lessons learned, and the achievements in the context of the broader national outcomes’ movement that Third Sector Capital Partners has spearheaded around the country.

H2O Family Forum
September 18th, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET
The TANF program can help individuals overcoming significant obstacles on their path toward economic mobility and self-sufficiency. In the theme of Helping Families to Overcome (H2O), previous participants will share their stories and the initiatives they have taken to transcend barriers and use their experiences as a catalyst to create change for themselves and their communities.

TANF Data Collaborative: Assessment of TANF Data Analytic Needs and Plans to Address Them
September 19th, 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. ET
Data is essential for programs to evaluate how well they are helping needy families. As part of the TANF Data Innovation (TDI) project, a needs assessment of TANF state agencies was conducted in early 2019 that focused on the use of TANF data and other related state program data, priorities for data analysis and research, and states’ preferences on technical assistance.  Speakers will provide an overview of the states’ research and analysis on data infrastructure, data sharing, priorities for data use, and use of employment and earnings data. They will also describe how the TANF Data Collaborative, an initiative of TDI, is planning on addressing the identified needs through a robust pilot and training and technical assistance effort.

Listening and State Sharing Session with OFA Leadership
September 19th, 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with OFA leadership on TANF policies and implementation, including current and emerging trends, challenges, and service-delivery innovations.

WIOA and TANF Integration: Uncovering the Benefits of Blending Funding through Interagency Services Agreements
September 19th, 2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET
Since the enactment of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), TANF agencies and workforce development/labor agencies have taken steps to align their services to best help TANF such as fund blending and braiding. Yet, there are often barriers to this blending and braining of funds such as different rules between agencies and resistance to organizational change. Participants in this workshop will hear how Massachusetts overcame such challenges using Interagency Service Agreements (ISAs), which set expectations for collaboration, service delivery, and performance.

Legislative Perspectives from Capitol Hill on TANF Reauthorization
September 19th, 4:10 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET
Interest is building in substantive TANF reforms but is there time and enough political consensus to make it happen? Key staff from Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees will discuss Congressional priorities for welfare reform, provisions of current TANF proposals, and possible timelines.

Early childhood development (ECD) investments are rarely considered an important part of economic development, yet they are deeply interconnected. When children have a healthy start in life, they are more likely to become the scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs that drive economic development in their communities. This Administration for Children and Families resource highlights an important return on investment approach to investments in ECD that is uniquely augmented in Native communities.