OFA PeerTA for TANF

The PeerTA team is available to take your technical assistance requests! As a reminder, PeerTA sustains and broadens a peer-based network that builds upon promising employment, economic security, and family well-being strategies administered by TANF programs and partners. We support TANF programs in adopting innovative approaches that strengthen service delivery and improve outcomes for TANF families. We provide services to any local, state, county, and Tribal TANF social service agencies that operate a TANF program or provide services to TANF families. We're here to help in a variety of ways. Some of our offerings include: • Peer-to-peer roundtables • Site visits • Moderated teleconferences • Workshops We're open to lots of different requests that will ultimately help improve your agency's processes, programs, and capabilities to serve the families who come in for assistance. Here are some examples of requests we've received in the past: • Developing and implementing a family centered training program for TANF staff and supervisors • Developing an evaluative toolkit for agencies looking to become more trauma-informed • Holding discussions to learn about challenges that an agency faces • Facilitating a site visit to learn from the experiences of another state who overcame similar challenges If you're interested in requesting technical assistance from the PeerTA team, please submit a form at this link: https://buff.ly/3QhA4PF. We're looking forward to hearing from you and your team!

In 2023, Jobs for the Future and the National Association of Workforce Boards formed the Task Force on Data Access, Alignment and Integration for Improved Workforce Outcomes. The task force was composed of executives from workforce development boards from across the country with special interest and expertise in data and workforce development. Through three meetings and subsequent interviews, the task force explored how federal policies can better use existing workforce systems to deliver people-first, equity-centered results for all. Read this report (https://buff.ly/4cMhJUf) to learn more about the resulting principles and recommendations that lean into the power of the nation’s workforce development system while remaining locally responsive and data-driven. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #Data #Workforce #Outcomes #Development #Equity

Section 304 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023 requires all states to report the data necessary to produce outcome measures for work-eligible individuals who leave Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The interim final rule on TANF Work Outcomes Measures was published on June 28, 2024. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) will be hosting a webinar on July 24, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET, where OFA will review the new measures and provide technical guidance for preparing and submitting three new reports for the measures: Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report (quarterly), the required Secondary School Diploma or its Recognized Equivalent Attainment Rate (annually), and the Supplemental Work Outcomes Report (annually). Learn more about the webinar and how to register here: https://buff.ly/3XKAoM0. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #FiscalResponsibility #Outcomes #Jobs #Employment #Work #Finances #Attainment

About half of US employers review information from credit reports, including collection items, as part of their hiring process. Meanwhile, nearly 25% of American adults have debt in collections on their credit reports. Given how widespread preemployment credit checks are, credit checks can critically impact economic security for workers. Low-income workers could be disproportionately impacted because they are more likely to have late payments listed on their credit reports and have the highest amounts in collections. Read this brief (https://buff.ly/3zqQu3l) for more information about how preemployment credit checks relate to worker outcomes such as job finding and employment and implications for programs and practitioners working to improve economic security for workers. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #Preemployment #Economy #Jobs #Employment #Finances

Historical and inter-generational trauma continues to impact tribal and urban communities. When working with Tribal TANF communities, being trauma and healing-informed can assist communities in moving past the residual impacts of inter-generational trauma to embrace historical and intergenerational wisdom. The Native Wellness Institute is hosting a virtual training on July 16 and 17, 2024, for tribal and urban workers representing health and social service programs, tribal leaders, TANF staff, behavioral health, administrative staff, and others wanting to learn about trauma impacts on the brain, behavior, and policies. The training will focus on providing an understanding of trauma on the brain and behavior, how it plays out in the workplace and community, and how to begin to address trauma and healing in your community. Learn more about the training and how to register here: https://buff.ly/3L7kdAX. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #Equity #TribalTANF #Indigenous #Training #Healing #Wellbeing #Community

Through conversations with Tribal leaders, Tribal administrators, and Tribal members, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration developed the National Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda (TBHA). The TBHA includes foundational elements, priorities, and strategies that chart a course for more meaningful collaborations and opportunities for strengthening policies, programs, and activities to address mental and substance use disorders impacting tribal communities. It includes five foundational elements: historical and intergenerational trauma, a socio-cultural-ecological approach, prevention and recovery support, behavioral health systems and support, and national awareness and visibility. Although the TBHA is not an exact map, it is an initial step toward driving action in the same direction and along a common path. Read more about the TBHA's collaborative priorities here: https://buff.ly/3wSLrbc #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #Equity #TribalTANF #AIAN #Indigenous #MentalHealth #Trauma #Wellbeing #Visibility

Evidence-driven support provides TANF programs with skills and tools to use analytic methods to develop, test, and refine program changes. TANF and related programs that use and build evidence to guide decisions can achieve more efficient, equitable services and better outcomes for their participants. ACF and TANF programs can use the evidence-driven support approach to assess the TTA they fund or participate in, and TTA providers can use it to inform their work. Read this brief (https://buff.ly/4btmLoC) to learn about the core components of evidence-driven support, including how it works and how it builds on foundational TTA activities like sharing knowledge and fostering connection. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #Families #Evidence #Equity #Employment #CaseManagement #Outcomes #Earnings

What does wellness mean to you? Wellness often encompasses caring for one's mind, body, and soul but is dynamic and unique to all individuals and families, encompassing both economic and social factors. However, the influence of welfare and family self-sufficiency programs on a range of social well-being outcomes has received limited focus in research and evaluation. To fill this gap, the Measuring SUCCESS project conducted focus groups with 44 caregivers to hear from them about what it means to "be well" and how self-sufficiency programs and policies relate to families' social well-being. Read this brief (https://buff.ly/3WSVkzX) to learn how caregivers defined social well-being and how the research team incorporated caregiver voices into the project. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #HumanServices #SocialServices #MentalHealth #Wellness #Wellbeing #Caregivers #FamilyInput

People with low incomes face various challenges in improving their financial situations. Employment and training (E&T) and financial capability services can help improve people's financial circumstances by providing valuable skills, knowledge, and access to resources and opportunities. E&T programs also have the potential to offer financial capability services that complement E&T services to increase the likelihood of financial stability for participants. The Integrating Financial Capability and Employment Services (InFin) study, funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), aimed to build systematic evidence for policymakers and practitioners on the extent, forms, and practices of integrating financial capability interventions in E&T programs for adults with low incomes. This OPRE report (https://buff.ly/4bk16z7) summarizes the study's key findings about the approaches that organizations use to integrate these services, their motivations for doing so, details on the types of financial capability services involved, and participant perspectives on integrated services. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #FinancialStability #Economics #Economy #Jobs #Employment #FinancialCapability #Finances #Training

A simple and effective way to disrupt poverty is to give money to those who need it most. Guaranteed income initiatives provide recurring, direct cash payments to targeted groups of individuals. These programs are one way to give families meaningful, monthly, no-strings-attached payments. In this brief (https://buff.ly/3JKpjSW), Economic Mobility Pathways interviews eight social service organizations implementing guaranteed income programs. If your social service organization is looking to implement a guaranteed income program, read this brief to learn more about program design and process, implementation challenges, lessons learned, and early programmatic outcomes. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #GuaranteedIncome #Finances #Families #CashAssistance #Income #Money