TANF and Child Support Moving Forward: Further Incorporating Family Input
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
Human services leaders and staff can effectively engage families in program improvement when they:
Human services programs, including TANF and child support, vary widely in how they engage families in their program improvement efforts. Using insights from discussions with state, local, and Tribal leaders and a scan of academic and nonacademic literature, this brief summarizes how human services programs gather and use family input. It describes the variation in time commitment, number of families engaged, and the amount of decision-making power families have in different program improvement initiatives. It provides examples of how and for what purpose programs engaged families for their input, including from Colorado, Ohio, and the Quinault Indian Nation. The brief discusses how programs can build trust with families and offers considerations for program leaders and staff who want to engage with families for their feedback in a program improvement process.
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