Improving Employment Outcomes: Using Innovative Goal-Oriented Strategies in TANF Programs
Evidence | Publications

Improving Employment Outcomes: Using Innovative Goal-Oriented Strategies in TANF Programs

OPRE Report #2019-40
Published: Feb 28, 2019
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Family Support TANF and Employment Issues
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Authors

Michelle K. Derr

Jonathan McCay

Jacqueline F. Kauff

Key Findings
  • Science-informed, goal-oriented strategies can require time and effort to integrate into the service environment.
  • Strong “champions” at all levels of the organization can be critical to the success of interventions focused on self-regulation and goal-achievement.
  • The purpose of and rationale behind the new tools and processes should be made clear for staff.
  • More specific and tailored guidance is needed on how to use interventions focused on self-regulation and goal achievement with participants who are in crisis.
  • Using a systematic, analytic process like a LI2 can pay off by helping programs uncover “sticking points” in implementation, reinforce desired behaviors among staff, and foster staff buy-in.

This brief describes the efforts of four TANF programs to implement three new interventions that are informed by evidence on self-regulation and designed to help participants reach their personal and job-related goals. It also offers overarching lessons for the field based on the programs’ experiences on how to adapt, implement, and scale up these types of interventions.

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