Using Family Input to Improve TANF and Child Support Programs
This video series is designed to encourage and make it easier for TANF and related program staff and leaders to actively seek to hear the opinions and perspectives of families they have served, are currently serving, or could serve in the future as they improve their services, processes, operations, service delivery, program spaces, or policies.
It was developed in partnership with the Office of Family Assistance’s Project IMPROVE. The content of this video series is based on work from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation’s project, “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Support Moving Forward – Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Further Incorporating Family Input” and the project’s toolkit, “Elevating Family Input in TANF and Child Support Programs: Resources for Program Staff, Leaders, and Families.”
Why engage families in improving your TANF program?
This video explores some of the expected and unexpected ways that both families and human services programs—including TANF—can benefit from working together to improve service delivery, policy, operations, and more.
Building and maintaining trust with families in program improvement
This video explores how you can establish and maintain trust to meaningfully engage families to improve programs.
Tips for establishing a family advisory council
This video explores some tips for success in creating an advisory council that can effectively collaborate with program leaders and staff, and provides a rewarding experience for council members
Acknowledgments
These videos were created with support from Project IMPROVE, a project for the ACF Office of Family Assistance. They use key insights provided by work from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation's project, “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Support Moving Forward – Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Further Incorporating Family Input” and the project's toolkit, “Elevating Family Input in TANF and Child Support Programs: Resources for Program Staff, Leaders, and Families.”
Mathematica staff Shaun Stevenson and Jeanette Holdbrook managed the creation of this video series. Stevenson focuses on technical assistance and program improvement in TANF agencies across the United States. Holdbrook specializes in providing technical assistance to state and local TANF and workforce programs. Special acknowledgements and thanks to the experts interviewed in these videos: Erin Frisch, Selamawit Habtom, Chelsey Hall, Ian McMahon, and Ealasha Vaughner.