Educational and Treatment Council, Inc. Family Resource Center – Kinship Navigator Program

Record Description

Kinship caregivers often face challenges navigating benefits, services, and legal supports. This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network profile highlights how the Educational and Treatment Council Family Resource Center in southwest Louisiana operates a Kinship Navigator program to connect caregivers with critical resources and supports. TANF programs can draw lessons from this model to strengthen referrals, improve service coordination, and ensure kinship families are aware of the economic and community supports available to them.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-03-09T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-03-09
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Intergenerational Spaces and Programs in Rural Communities

Record Description

Rural communities are developing creative approaches to bring older adults and youth together through shared spaces and intergenerational programming. This Generations United resource highlights examples of programs that foster mentorship, caregiving support, and community connection across generations. TANF agencies working in rural areas may find these models useful for strengthening local partnerships, supporting caregivers, and creating opportunities for families to build supportive community networks.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-03-02T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-03-02
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Supporting Coordinated Benefits Delivery to Foster Whole-Family Approaches

Record Description

Coordinating services across multiple public benefit programs can significantly improve how families access supports and navigate human services systems. This toolkit, funded by the Administration for Children and Families, was designed to help state and local agencies better align programs and services to support whole families.

The resource provides practical tools and structured guidance for identifying coordination challenges, developing shared goals across agencies, implementing cross-program strategies, and tracking progress over time. By helping agencies move away from siloed service delivery and toward integrated approaches, the toolkit aims to reduce administrative barriers, improve the experiences families have when seeking multiple benefits, and strengthen outcomes for children and parents. For TANF programs, these strategies can support stronger coordination with programs such as workforce services, SNAP, childcare, and child welfare — helping families access the full range of supports needed to achieve long-term stability and economic mobility.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-01-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-01-01
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Intergenerational Program Database

Record Description

The Generations United Intergenerational Program Database provides a searchable collection of programs that bring multiple generations together for shared learning, caregiving, and community engagement. TANF programs and their child welfare partners can explore program models that support child development, strengthen family support networks, and reduce isolation among caregivers.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-03-02T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-03-02
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Sharing Our Space: A Toolkit for Developing and Enhancing Intergenerational Shared Sites

Record Description

Intergenerational programs are gaining momentum as a strategy to support families, reduce social isolation, and build community capacity. This Generations United toolkit provides step-by-step guidance for TANF partners interested in creating or strengthening shared intergenerational sites, spaces where older adults and children/youth participate together in learning, care, and engagement. With tools for planning, partnership development, and sustainability, this resource supports goals around family economic success, caregiving support, and community engagement.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-01-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-01-01
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Fostering Partnerships Between Child Welfare and Aging Systems to Improve Recognition of Support for Kin Caregivers

Record Description

This U.S. Aging guide offers a practical framework for strengthening collaboration between child welfare and aging networks to better identify and support kinship caregivers, many of whom are older adults stepping in to care for children when parents are unable. The resource outlines action steps to improve cross-system coordination, access to benefits and services, and recognition of the vital role kin caregivers play in family stability. This can help TANF agencies deepen connections with community partners serving older caregivers and reduce barriers to economic support and resource navigation.

Record Type
Combined Date
2025-08-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-08-01
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Buying Diapers in Bulk: Early Findings and Recommendations from the Diaper Distribution Pilots

Record Description

To help address diaper need and increase economic security for families, the Office of Community Services in the Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), launched the Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (Diaper Distribution Pilot) in September 2022. This pilot provides grants to expand diaper distribution programs using networks of community partners. In addition to providing diapers and diapering supplies such as ointment and wipes, these programs offer to connect families to wraparound services such as job training, educational support, and Head Start.

This OPRE brief describes early findings on how grant recipients and subrecipients from the first two cohorts of the Diaper Distribution Pilot obtain diapers and diapering supplies. It can be used by organizations designing diaper distribution programs to guide planning and decision making.

Record Type
Combined Date
2025-08-22T00:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-08-22
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

Leveraging Family Resource Centers to Support Kinship Families

Record Description

Family Resource Centers (FRCs) are community-based resource hubs where families can access support to promote child safety and child and family well-being. As conveniently located community or school-based hubs, FRCs bundle and co-locate many services, such as home visiting, parenting education, health screenings, childcare resources and referrals, playgroups, family counseling, government benefits screening, healthy eating and living activities, and food pantries. This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network resource highlights takeaways from learning collaboratives in three states that explored increased collaboration between kinship navigators and FRCs.

Record Type
Combined Date
2025-03-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-03-01
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

West Virginia TANF Fatherhood Support – The Expectations (Part IV)

Record Description

This National Responsible Fatherhood video explores the community's interest and openness to change, reflecting on insights from leadership, staff, and family members about anticipated improvements and expectations. Topics covered in this video include:

  • The collective commitment to enhancing the well-being of all families in West Virginia;
  • The overwhelming desire to encourage and provide services specifically for fathers, ensuring they receive the support needed to be actively involved in their children's lives;
  • The perspectives from leaders, staff, and family members about the future of social services and the changes they hope to see; and
  • The efforts to create programs that foster stronger community connections and remove barriers that fathers face. 
Record Type
Combined Date
2024-11-14T00:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2024-11-14
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)

West Virginia TANF Fatherhood Support – The Work (Part III)

Record Description

This National Responsible Fatherhood video highlights the dedicated efforts taking place within West Virginia's Family Support Centers (FSCs), which are essential community hubs that provide a wide range of services to families with children up to age 18 and pregnant families. Topics covered in this video include:

  • Innovative service models implemented at FSCs, designed to meet the unique needs of each community;
  • Diverse range of services offered, including parent education classes, child development activities, after-school programs, GED and literacy instruction, health information, and more;
  • Staffing, training, and recruitment practices that ensure effective and compassionate service delivery;
  • Continuous quality improvement measures in place to maintain the effectiveness and sustainability of these programs; and
  • Renewed efforts to support and empower fathers, enhancing their role in family dynamics.
Record Type
Combined Date
2024-11-14T00:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2024-11-14
Section/Feed Type
Latest Information from Network (Home)