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 response to a recent increase in questions about non-recurrent short-term benefits (NRSTs), the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) has released a new Q&A discussing the possibility for states to provide TANF funds to new and/or expectant parents. OFA clarifies that a state could use federal TANF funds to provide an NRST to help with the unmet costs associated with a pregnancy or preparing for a new child as long as a family meets financial eligibility criteria. Click here (https://buff.ly/40lPcBH) to read more. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #NRST #NewParents #ExpectantParents #pregnancy

The Office of Family Assistance and Children’s Bureau’s initiative, Families Are Stronger Together Learning Community (FAST-LC), supported ten TANF and child welfare programs across the country as they worked to promote strategies to reduce families’ involvement with the child welfare system through TANF partnerships. FAST-LC Site Journeys detail the participating states’ and tribes’ motivations for change, the innovations they implemented, and the lessons they learned from their journey experiences. Check out this site journey for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s FAST-LC story (https://buff.ly/4fQCv7t). #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TribalTANF #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #ChildWelfare #TribalTANF #PascuaYaqui #families #FAST-LC

In recognition of National Homelessness Awareness Month, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) will host a national webinar for state TANF programs and partners. The webinar, entitled Building Strategic Partnerships and Maximizing TANF Flexibilities to Reduce Housing Instability, will occur on January 15, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET. OFA will provide an overview of current and relevant research for TANF programs, offer peer perspectives from two TANF programs investing in housing stability activities, and roll out its newly released Dear Colleague Letter on Housing Instability (https://buff.ly/40c4k3p). Register at this link (https://buff.ly/4adOBpc). #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #Fatherhood #KnowledgeSharing #Research #FatherEmpowerment

This year, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) met in Georgia for the 2024 National Fatherhood Summit that brought together fathers, fatherhood practitioners and advocates, leaders, representatives, and researchers from across the nation to share knowledge, best practices, and innovative strategies for engaging and supporting fathers. Over two-and-a-half days, participants explored cutting-edge research, impactful program models, and policy recommendations. Participants uncovered ways to enhance services and systems that empower fathers to be an active, loving presence in their children's lives and pillars of strength in their communities. OFA has released a webpage that reflects the agenda for the 2024 National Fatherhood Summit and contains materials and recordings (as available, with permission) for sessions. Click here (https://buff.ly/3Zifm6x) to visit the 2024 National Fatherhood Summit Webpage. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #Fatherhood #KnowledgeSharing #Research #FatherEmpowerment

The Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) is releasing a series of stakeholder resources that analyzes data from the 2023 Current Population Survey-Child Support Supplement (CPS-CSS). The survey generates a nationally representative sample of custodial parents with children under 21 in the home. In 2023, the CPS-CSS added new questions for custodial parents about their experience working with the child support program. Overall, parents found it easy to work with the program but desired an easier way to communicate. Read this OCSS resource (https://buff.ly/4ghGWIf) to learn more about custodial parents' experience with the child support program. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #TribalTANF #Parents #Families #ChildSupport #CustodialParents

Register today! The National Indian Child Welfare Association is hosting the January 2025 Training Institute in Arizona from January 28 to 30, 2025. The institute has multiple pathways, including Positive Indian Parenting, Understanding the Indian Child Welfare Act, Cross-Cultural Skills in Indian Country, and Tribal Customary Adoption on the land of the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community. This training is a valuable and cost-effective opportunity to help you remain current in your knowledge of the ever-changing field of child welfare. These interactive courses are taught by dynamic trainers who are experts in the field of Indian child welfare and have extensive experience working with tribal communities. Click here to learn more: https://buff.ly/3VlKReV. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #TribalTANF #AIAN #Children #Welfare #IndianChildWelfare #NativeChildren #Training

Your colleagues want to hear from you - engage in a peer exchange today! A representative from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is interested in learning more about nonrecurrent, short-term benefits (NRSTBs), including how NRSTBs are used, how long NRSTBs are made available, and to what “breadth” they are provided. CDSS would also like to learn about any innovative NRSTB approaches jurisdictions use. Help out CDSS by commenting below or submitting an answer, comment, or question here: https://buff.ly/3Zkr4Of #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #TribalTANF #Peers #PeerExchange #PeerTechnicalAssistance #NRSTB #Question

Don’t forget! Tomorrow, December 12th, at 3PM ET PeerTA, in collaboration with the Administration for Children and Families and (ACF) and Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR), is holding a webinar to discuss TANF disaster response and preparedness. Register at the link below for highlights from the new TANF Disaster Response & Preparedness Playbook and presentations from TANF agencies with disaster response strategies and experience. https://buff.ly/3CS7Urx #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #NaturalDisaster #DisasterResponse

Direct Support Professionals (DSP) support people with disabilities and older adults in living independently, participating in their communities, and seeking and maintaining competitive integrated employment. DSPs are critical in helping the employment of people with a wide range of disabilities. Although DSPs are indispensable, there is a dire shortage of them due to low wages, lack of benefits, and limited upward mobility. The DSP shortage calls for employers, policymakers, and others in the workforce development system to find new strategies to recruit and retain DSPs. This National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities resource (https://buff.ly/3CW8ODd) presents three recommendations for making the DSP occupation more attractive to job seekers. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #Careers #Employment #DirectSupportProfessionals #DSP #Disabilities #Jobs #ElderCare #Elders