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In order to engage all or most TANF recipients in work or work-related activities, programs must be designed and program staff equipped to serve recipients with a range of characteristics, needs, and abilities--including those with few or many challenges to work. As noted in Chapter II, the study sites did not all approach universal engagement in the same way. Some focused on creating a broad range of program options, while others concentrated on providing employment opportunities outside the paid labor market for recipients who are not work ready. To support placement in these activities, the sites also conducted comprehensive assessments, implemented an individualized approach to case planning and worked with other service providers to increase access to needed programs or services.
In this chapter, we examine in detail how the sites used these strategies to engage all or nearly all TANF recipients in work or work-related program activities. It is likely that one of these strategies alone, or even a few combined, will not achieve full engagement. To do so, programs will have to incorporate many of the strategies into their approaches.
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Most of the study sites used broadly defined and flexible program requirements to encourage wide participation in program activities. To engage all or most TANF recipients in program activities, six of the seven study sites have flexible work requirements; that is, they define allowable activities broadly and provide case managers with discretion to decide which activities should be included in a recipients' employment services plan. Four of the six also allow flexibility in the number of required hours for at least some portion of the TANF caseload (see Table III.1). Case managers in all sites are encouraged to place recipients in federally countable activities when the activities are deemed appropriate to facilitate the transition to paid employment. However, case managers in sites that define acceptable activities broadly are encouraged to place recipients who are not ready for work in activities that best address their circumstances and needs--often as a first step to be followed by placement in federally countable activities.
| Flexibility with Hours | Limited Flexibility with Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Broad range of activities | Utah El Paso County Wisconsin (W-2T)* Oswego (Pathways)* |
Montgomery County Riverside County Oswego County (traditional)* Wisconsin (CSJ)* |
| Limited range of activities | Franklin County | |
| * Indicates study sites that use two different approaches within the same site. | ||
Sites seeking broad participation allow case managers to go beyond federally countable activities in case planning. Nonfederal activities fall into several categories as shown in Table III.2. Many of the activities are designed to address personal and family challenges such as domestic abuse, physical and mental health conditions, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, and learning disabilities. Others are intended to help clients obtain work supports, such as child care or transportation, before securing employment. Still others are geared toward facilitating recipient efforts to obtain services or comply with service plans in other agencies (for example, relating to child welfare, social security, and public housing). El Paso County and Utah offer the broadest range of nonfederal activities to the broadest group of TANF recipients.
Although six of the seven sites define activities broadly, they differ in terms of the extent of flexibility afforded to the case managers who work with recipients to design employment plans. Three sites — Montgomery County, El Paso County, and Oswego County — have formal lists of program activities to help guide case managers' decisions.(1) The remaining sites (Utah, Wisconsin, and Riverside County) allow case managers complete flexibility in assigning clients to activities. Case managers who are afforded this level of flexibility are usually required to justify their selection of activities.
| Employment and Training | Accessing Work Supports | Specialized Treatment | Life Skills | Child-Related Activities | Requirements for Other Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Rehabilitation Homework for college program | Find child care provider
Obtain drivers license Apply for transportation assistance (e.g., car repairs, auto loans, bus passes) Obtain work-related equipment or clothing |
Specialized assessment
Physical or mental health treatment Substance abuse treatment Domestic violence Physical or developmental disabilities Pre-natal programs Services for learning disabilities |
Family life skills
Teen parent services Parenting programs Mentoring Personal development activities (e.g., journal writing) Organizational skills workshops Budgeting skills workshops |
Attend school appointments
Help with homework Attend to physical or mental health conditions Volunteer for child-related activities (e.g., little league, tutor in child's class) |
Comply with child support enforcement
Child welfare service plan (for dual agency families) Apply for SSI Attend court appointments Apply for housing assistance |
The sites also differ in whether they allow participation in nonfederal activities alone or only in combination with federally countable activities. In both Utah and El Paso County, and for recipients in Wisconsin in the W-2T (Transitions) tier, TANF recipients can participate in activities that are deemed most appropriate to address their needs and circumstances, regardless of whether they are federally countable or not. In the other sites, recipients can only participate in nonfederal activities in combination with federally countable activities. For example, TANF recipients in Wisconsin who are assigned to the community service jobs tier (see Chapter II) must participate in their work placement for at least 20 of the federally required 30 hours per week, leaving 10 hours for other activities. Recipients in Riverside County face similar demands--20 of the county's 32 required hours must be devoted to federally countable activities.
In addition to defining program activities broadly, sites seeking broad participation may reduce participation hours for those with personal and family challenges. Three of the study sites allow case managers to temporarily reduce the required number of participation hours for individuals with personal and family challenges that interfere with their ability to work. For recipients in Utah, El Paso County, and Wisconsin's W-2T tier, case managers can reduce the number of hours to whatever they feel is reasonable. The goal is to develop a plan that moves a recipient toward employment without imposing unrealistic expectations.
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Several of the study sites also use paid and unpaid work experience to provide structured work opportunities for TANF recipients who do not find paid employment on their own. Work experience placements are temporary jobs in which recipients work 20 to 30 hours a week in exchange for a TANF grant. Four of the seven study sites--Franklin County, Montgomery County, Oswego County, and Wisconsin--use work experience as the primary means for helping recipients who have been unsuccessful in finding paid employment on their own to meet their work requirements.(2)
Work experience placements are intended to teach workplace skills and norms to those with little work experience. A person placed in a clerical position, for example, may learn new computer skills, how to operate a multi-line telephone system, or new filing methods. In any position, recipients can learn appropriate workplace behaviors such as notifying the supervisor when they are unable to attend work, getting along with co-workers, and wearing acceptable attire in the workplace. Recipients are typically placed in entry-level jobs in hospitals and nonprofit or government agencies--Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, Red Cross, and Catholic Charities, for example. The jobs last from three to nine months and are typically in clerical, cashier, food service, and janitorial and or other cleaning services positions.
Work experience placements often are combined with other activities to expand a recipient's capacity to work. Supplemental activities address personal and family challenges or teach basic life skills such as problem-solving, budgeting, parenting, and anger management.
| WEP Plus: Providing Work Opportunities to TANF Recipients in
Montgomery County
WEP Plus is a three-phase intensive job search and work experience program for TANF recipients in Montgomery County. Lutheran Social Services, co-located in The Job Center, operates WEP Plus. Recipients may be enrolled in WEP Plus for up to 24 months. Phase I. Phase I is a 30-day intensive orientation and job search phase during which recipients are required to complete at least 35 job applications per week. Recipients attend daily classes from 9:00 a.m. to noon and conduct an independent job search from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. They participate in structured job readiness classes, GED classes, life skills education, work site skills training, and case management. Phase II. If recipients have not found a job after a month, they move to Phase II where they are assigned to a work experience site. Work placements are available at over 20 different agencies within the community and include positions such as clerical, medical, factory work, and cashiering. Job developers attempt to find placements that may lead to permanent jobs. Work experience placements are rotated every 90 days. Job coaching and shadowing are available to recipients while in their work placements. Phase III. Phase III is for TANF recipients who get a job. For the first 12 months of employment, staff provide job retention services, such as case management, and work supports to ease the transition from welfare to work. Recipients may receive work subsidies of between $60 and $240 (depending on their salary) for every month during which they maintain the job and work at least 35 hours per week. |
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In programs where some TANF recipients are not required to participate in work activities, initial assessments often are used to identify those who meet established exemption criteria. In contrast, programs that aim to engage all recipients in work or work-related activities use initial assessments to examine recipients' capacity to work and identify any special needs. When case managers have the option to place recipients in a broad range of program activities, assessments play a critical role in identifying the most appropriate activities. For recipients who do not succeed in traditional job search programs, in-depth assessments may help case managers determine whether more specialized services might be beneficial. All the study sites have formal assessment processes in place and use these processes for several purposes: (1) to identify immediate service needs, (2) to determine the recipients' employability and employment goals, and (3) to identify specialized service needs. Sites then use these results to develop individualized service plans.
By screening recipients "up front," sites can more readily identify recipients' immediate needs and thus expedite assignments to services and work activities. In each of the study sites, intake workers briefly screen recipients to determine their need for immediate assistance with regard to such issues as housing, clothing, food, utilities, transportation, or child care. Intake workers may ask a TANF applicant, "What brought you in the door?" or "What types of services do you need to begin working?" Intake workers may either refer the recipient to community resources or inform the case manager about the assessment results.
In addition to determining immediate service needs, thorough assessments help to match recipients with suitable work activities. Case managers and/or contracted service providers conduct a standard assessment of a recipient's work history, level of education, job skills and interests, basic skills, work-related needs, and potential barriers to employment--usually during the first encounter. Case managers either use a standardized assessment tool or conduct a more informal interview in which they rely on their professional experience rather than a structured interview guide. They use this information to develop individualized employment goals, match recipients to work experience placements, and link them to specialized assessments or services such as mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, or domestic violence counseling.
A comprehensive assessment strategy also includes specialized assessments, which are typically conducted by licensed professionals who contract with the TANF agency. The assessments, designed to uncover hidden and complex barriers to employment--including mental health conditions, substance abuse, domestic violence, and learning disabilities--can provide the basis for clinical diagnoses and treatment plans.
The procedures involved in setting up specialized assessments and the staff who conduct the assessments vary by site. In Utah, TANF recipients are screened during orientation for drug and alcohol use and domestic violence. If the results are positive, they are referred to a licensed social worker outstationed at one of a number of local employment centers who conducts an in-depth psychological assessment. In El Paso County, recipients are screened for learning disabilities during the case-planning interview. In addition, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence specialists are stationed in-house to conduct specialized assessments. In Montgomery County, Goodwill Industries conducts an Abilities Assessment for those suspected of having serious barriers to work that includes basic skills and aptitude tests and a four-hour psychological evaluation. In all three of these sites, the specialists give case managers an in-depth evaluation report with treatment recommendations. In some sites, case managers refer recipients directly to specialized treatment providers for an assessment if hidden barriers to employment are suspected. In addition, recipients may self-refer to a co-located mental health, substance abuse, or domestic violence specialist for assessment.
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When programs aim to engage all recipients in a broad range of program activities, case managers play a more active role in helping recipients to develop an employment plan with the ultimate goal of moving from welfare to work. To one degree or another, case managers in the study sites use the following approaches to create employment plans that match the interests and abilities of their TANF recipients:
Full engagement strategies are built on two primary principles--(1) self-sufficiency is achieved through work and (2) each TANF recipient's capacity to work is different. The work-focused, client-centered approach to case management was best expressed by a program administrator in Utah and a case manager in Wisconsin. In the words of the former:
The latter expands on these ideas by describing the W-2 program as "a work program that is about meeting the needs and goals of clients."
The principle that underpins both statements is that if work is the final goal, then achieving it means creating an employment plan that responds to a recipient's needs and capitalizes on her strengths. Case managers throughout the study sites have been able to develop such plans by (1) thinking outside the "work-first box," (2) encouraging recipients to set their own goals, and (3) considering the recipient's family.
Thinking outside the work-first box means addressing barriers to work in ways that are innovative and client specific. For example, in developing a service plan for an agoraphobic TANF recipient who did not have access to private transportation, a case manager suggested that she ride the bus each day for one week for as long as she was comfortable, extending the time each day. The recipient eventually became more comfortable on the bus, expanding the range of employers to which she was able to travel. Another case manager encouraged a TANF recipient to volunteer at her child's school as part of her participation requirement, which taught her appropriate workplace behaviors such as showing up regularly and on time.
This approach to case planning depends on how much latitude case managers have in designing employment plans. In several sites, flexibility is the rule. One program administrator in Utah said, "The reason why the program has been a success is that we do have flexibility. It's hard to fit everyone into the same mold and require everyone to meet the same expectations." A Wisconsin program administrator echoed these thoughts, "You have to give case managers discretion and provide a full menu of options for clients."
The second component of a work-focused, client-centered approach to case management is to allow TANF recipients to set their own goals. According to program administrators and front-line staff, this technique makes recipients more willing to participate in an employment plan because they have a greater sense of ownership in the plan. Administrators in El Paso County emphasized the importance of letting recipients make choices about their employment plans. "We believe that clients should make that choice with us. . . . We may have people with the same barriers wanting to do different things." A case manager noted, "I take into account everything that would impact participation and the clients' ability to work. . . . I try to understand where the client is at. The more barriered, the more I look at alternative activities."
The third component of a work-focused client-centered approach is expanding the focus of the case from the client to the family unit by allowing case managers to address child-related problems that may interfere with a client's ability to participate in work or work-related activities. The "holistic" approach, as described by the El Paso County Department of Human Services is intended "to strengthen families, assure safety, promote self-sufficiency, eliminate poverty, and improve the quality of life in our community." A TANF program administrator in Montgomery County also noted that staff make an extra effort to determine what is important to families. Similarly, in Oswego County, recipients are encouraged during monthly Pathways meetings to set goals that include their children--for example, taking them to the doctor or dentist, obtaining a immunization records, and attending sporting events.
Like a client-centered employment plan, regular and frequent contact between TANF recipients and case managers is another part of individualized case planning that is used to motivate recipients to participate in program activities. When their workload allows it, case managers talk regularly with recipients, by telephone or in person, to discuss eligibility changes, review progress toward employment goals, help them access work supports, and address personal and family challenges that interfere with participation in work or work-related activities. They celebrate recipients' successes and take a tough love approach to nonparticipation.
In four of the seven study sites--El Paso County, Oswego County, Riverside County, and Wisconsin--case managers are required to contact TANF recipients on their caseloads monthly. This is more feasible in sites like Wisconsin and El Paso County because case managers there have relatively small caseload, ranging from a low of 40 to 80 recipients in Wisconsin to 70 to 90 work-ready recipients in El Paso County (Table III.3). Other sites--Franklin and Montgomery counties, for example--require contact at least every six months. Case managers there have less flexibility in case planning and typically carry a caseload of 250 to 350 families, including anywhere from 30 to 75 TANF families. However, some case managers meet more frequently with TANF recipients who have complex service needs or who are not participating in program activities.
| El Paso County,CO | Franklin County, OH | Montgomery County, OH | Oswego County, NY | Riverside County, CA | Utah | Wisconsin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure of Case Management | In-house (hard-to-employ)
Goodwill Industries (work-ready) |
Generic case manager (combined caseload) | Generic case manager (combined caseload) | Specialized case manager | Phase I (job search)
Phase II (employed) |
Generic case manager (combined caseload) | Generic case manager |
| Average TANF Caseload (per case manager) | 100-125 cases (in-house) 70-90 cases (Goodwill) |
300-350 cases (30-50 TANF ) | 250 cases
(60-75 TANF) |
80-100 cases | 100-110 cases (phase I)
60-90 cases |
60-90 cases
(20-30 TANF) |
40-80 cases |
| Required frequency of Client Contact | 90 days (in-house)
monthly (Goodwill) |
6 months | 6 months | Monthly contact with Pathways
As needed with case manager |
Monthly | 90 days (monthly in some offices) | Monthly |
Monitoring progress toward self-sufficiency, the third component of individualized case planning, is intended to help recipients stay on track toward employment. Addressing multiple personal and family challenges can be painstakingly slow. To keep recipients moving toward their goals, several sites have developed formal procedures to encourage and record progress. For example, caseworkers in Wisconsin take an incremental approach, seeking to move recipients from one tier to the next, increasing the amount of work and reducing the level of support provided at each level. In Oswego County, staff debriefings are held after each Pathways case management meeting so that caseworkers can identify recipients who are making progress and those who are not.
| Case Study: Moving Hard-to-Employ TANF Recipients Toward Work
in Wisconsin
Mary Wise(3) received W-2 for six months after fleeing an abusive relationship. A felony charge prevented her from getting a job. Initially, she was placed in the W-2T tier until she could get a handle on her life. During that time the activities included in her employability plan were (1) attend mental health counseling sessions, (2) participate in a domestic violence support group, (3) look for housing, and (4) write in a journal for at least five hours a week. After five months in the W-2T tier, Mary was reassigned to a CSJ placement at a local food pantry. In the CSJ tier, her employability plan changed. She continued to attend mental health counseling and a domestic abuse support group, but spent the majority of her time in a work placement at the food pantry, which she reportedly enjoyed and attended regularly. According to her CSJ worker, she did not complete all of her hours during some pay periods. However, most absences were excused for good cause. The case manager is optimistic about Ms. Wise's outlook, noting that, "She is very motivated and driven." |
Riverside County uses education and training "career ladders" to encourage progress for working TANF recipients. TANF recipients who are employed for at least 30 days, for at least 20 hours per week, and earn at least minimum wage move from Phase I (job search) to Phase II (job retention and advancement). Recipients complete CHOICES, a computer-based assessment tool used to identify employment and training that may lead to job retention and advancement. The assessment information is used to develop career advancement plans in Phase II that combine education--basic, ESL, or occupational and vocational training--with work. Case managers on site at community colleges and adult schools help with day-to-day challenges and monitor attendance and progress. Those who no longer qualify for TANF because of earnings are moved to Phase III, where case managers continue to follow up with them periodically. In addition, transportation assistance continues for 12 months and child care for 24 months after cash assistance case closure.
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Achieving broad participation means providing adequate access to employment and training services and--for sites with flexible case planning, adequate access to a broad range of services. The study sites have improved access to services by co-locating with employment and specialized service providers, coordinating service planning, and creating formal interagency collaboratives.
By co-locating the TANF agency within the one-stop center or employment service provider, the study sites have improved access by tapping into existing community employment and training resources. More than half the sites have co-located local welfare offices in the local Workforce Investment Agency (WIA) one-stop center or have established job resource rooms through contracted service providers (Table III.4). For example, in Montgomery County, the Department of Job and Family Services is co-located in the Job Center, which is recognized as one of the leading one-stop centers in the nation in that it is home to more than 50 agencies that provide employment and work supports, education and training opportunities, and other community-based services to welfare recipients and other job seekers.
| Co-location in One Stop Centers or Agencies with Resource Rooms | Co-location of Specialized Treatment Providers | Formal Interagency Collaboratives | |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso County | X | X | X |
| Franklin County | X | ||
| Montgomery County | X | X | X |
| Oswego County | |||
| Riverside County | X | ||
| Utah | X | X | X |
| Wisconsin | X | X | X |
Co-locating specialized service providers within the welfare agency improves access by giving case managers a valuable resource for dealing with hard-to-employ TANF recipients, especially with regard to addressing personal and family challenges. Specialized treatment providers are agencies that provide services for mental health conditions, learning disabilities, drug and alcohol addictions, domestic abuse, and other conditions. Six of the seven sites co-locate at least one specialized treatment provider in the welfare office, and five of the six co-locate multiple providers. Examples of co-located specialized providers include the following.
AIMS (Franklin County). Franklin County's Advance Intervention, Moving to Success (AIMS) program is an intensive case management program developed by a collaborative of four mental health agencies. AIMS workers--co-located in the five county welfare offices--assess clients, teach them basic life skills, monitor and track their participation in activities, and link them to appropriate services.
Licensed Social Workers (Utah). Utah has hired about 20 full-time master's level social workers, many clinically licensed, to work in local employment centers across the state. They conduct in-depth psychological assessments, link clients to specialized treatment providers, attend sanction conciliation reviews, and, in some cases, conduct short-term therapy.
Advocates for Domestic Violence (Riverside County). Advocates for Domestic Violence (ADV) provides shelter, support groups, crisis intervention, parenting workshops, individual counseling, anger management workshops, and case management for TANF recipients in Riverside County. Five specialists are co-located in county welfare offices.
Formal collaborative partnerships augment access to services by sharing of policy and program information across agencies, identifying "best practices" in service delivery, developing strategies to streamline access, and expanding the availability of existing services. For example, the Targeted Community-Based Collaborative (TCBC) brings together 65 agencies in Montgomery County for a monthly day-long meeting led by a professional facilitator. The El Paso County Community Partnership Group, which includes 40 to 50 agencies, meets quarterly for half a day to discuss ways to improve the coordination of services and collaboration between service providers. TANF agency staff attending the meetings inform front-line case managers about the resources available through the partner agencies. In some cases, partner agencies may conduct presentations for TANF program staff on the services available to TANF recipients and how to access them.
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(1) The list in Montgomery County, for example, contains 17 activities that count toward the work participation requirement. The list in El Paso County contains 27 activities, 17 of which are considered in the federal participation rate calculation and 10 of which are not. However, case managers can place recipients in activities not listed with a supervisor's approval.
(2) Wisconsin is the only study site that provides both paid and unpaid placements. In other study sites, such as El Paso County and Utah, work experience is available through contracted service providers in the one-stop center or in the community, but is rarely used.
(3) Fictitious name.
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