Question from Turtle Mountain Employment & Training

This report describes the first year of activities of the 14 tribes and tribal organizations who in 2011 received demonstration grants from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) for Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services to Tribal Families at Risk of Child Abuse or Neglect.  The overarching goal of the Study of Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services is to document the way in which the tribal grantees are creating and adapting culturally relevant and appropriate approaches, systems, and programs to increase coordination and enhance service delivery to address child abuse and neglect.

Low-income families such as those who qualify for TANF are generally at greater risk for child maltreatment than other families. Since many families are involved with both the welfare (TANF) and child welfare (CW) systems, TANF and CW agencies are ideal partners to coordinate efforts to provide services that can address family risk factors, as TANF is intended not only to encourage parents to improve their socio-economic status, but also to provide stable homes. The funded projects were expected to focus on one or more of the following services: (1) improved case management for families eligible for assistance from a Tribal TANF program; (2) supportive services and assistance to tribal children in out-of-home placements and the tribal families caring for such children, including adoptive families; and (3) prevention services and assistance to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect. (author abstract)

This Interim Report provides an overview of the tribal HPOG grantees’ progress over the first two years of the program with initial evaluation findings organized around program structure, program processes, and education and employment outcomes. The report also summarizes the evaluation questions and methodology. The report was written by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board. (author abstract)

This brief provides an overview of the strategies that Tribal HPOG grantees have used to implement the HPOG program, challenges encountered during implementation, lessons learned, and ongoing program evolution and adaptation to address unique tribal cultural and programmatic needs. The brief draws upon qualitative data collected from the first year of evaluation activities with the Tribal HPOG programs. It is part of a series of briefs being developed by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). (author abstract)

On June 27-28, 2012 the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Region X hosted a Tribal TANF Institute in Seattle, Washington bringing together Tribal TANF stakeholders throughout the Region to engage in dialogue and action planning on a variety of topics. The Institute featured presenters from the Tanana Chiefs Conference and their coaches from the Promising Pathways Initiative who led Institute attendees in sessions on data collection and TANF staff collaboration, developing process maps and logic models, and connecting Information Systems/Information Technology and TANF. Other sessions included: a facilitated conversation with the Tribes on work participation in rural areas; a panel on Child Welfare and Tribal TANF collaboration that included representatives from the Region X Child Welfare office, Mark Kimball from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and Don Shircel from the Tanana Chiefs Conference; Pamela Panther from the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency and Ilene Stohl from the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence who presented on the Family Violence Option and how to successfully develop and implement a comprehensive response to domestic violence; and Christy Finsel, a consultant, and Karen "Jack" Granberg who led a session on creating an Individual Development Account (IDA) program within Tribal TANF programs.

On September 25 and 26, 2012, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Administrators along with other key stakeholders gathered in San Francisco for the Region IX 2012 Tribal TANF Technical Assistance Workshop. The central purpose of this workshop was to enable attendees to dialogue with one another and hear from field experts on a variety of critical topics pertaining to Tribal TANF program administration. Attendees were also provided with the opportunity to network amongst their peers and share recent successes and challenges. Over the course of the two-day workshop, a number of important topics were addressed, including: case management to achieve successful outcomes; creating opportunities for Tribal TANF participants via partnerships and collaborations; successful work placements for Tribal TANF participants; TANF penalty process; and supporting Tribal TANF participants with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.

On June 26-27, 2012, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Region IX Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Office held the annual Tribal TANF meeting for Arizona Tribes in the Region. The meeting provided an opportunity for Tribal TANF programs to join together to network and share lessons learned and best practices that will help lead to improved program effectiveness. The meeting provided information on key ACF initiatives and provided a forum for discussing strategies for increasing and improving employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for Tribal TANF participants through supportive services, assessments, career pathways models, and healthy relationship skills.

The Region IV Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA); Region IV U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); and Region IV Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) convened a meeting entitled "Sustainable Employment Strategies: A TANF, Workforce, and Child Support Collaboration" in Atlanta, Georgia, from August 14-16, 2013. The meeting provided TANF, Workforce, and Child Support administrators and staff with an open forum for discussing critical issues impacting the collaboration of their respective entities towards sustainable employment strategies for their TANF and hard-to-serve population, and an opportunity to network both amongst themselves and with Region IV leadership. Region IV staff from each agency--ACF, DOL, and OCSE--shared lessons learned and gathered strategies that can improve their own programs' ability to identify and address multiple barriers, and develop pathways to create sustainable employment and career building opportunities for program participants. In addition, the meeting gave participants an opportunity to meet with their individual State teams to develop action plans that support interagency collaboration.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the 2013 Tribal TANF--Child Welfare Coordination Projects Annual Grantee Meeting on August 14-15, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The meeting provided Tribal TANF--Child Welfare Coordination Project grantees with the opportunity to share information with their peers regarding their program structure and performance. The meeting also addressed grant requirements for Year Two of the projects, strategies for building coalitions in Native American communities, home visiting programs, program sustainability, and approaches for documenting cross-agency coordination and collaboration.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Division of Tribal TANF Management hosted the first national Tribal TANF Summit to Improve Program Performance and Strengthen Native Families on August 12-14, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The workshop focused on Tribal TANF program administration and participant engagement. Experts from the field shared information on a variety of topics including: career pathways and subsidized employment, TANF policies and procedures, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, opportunities for economic development, and effective prevention and treatment programs for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.