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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation |
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Policy Information Center |
MISSION: To promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
Evaluation Program
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) administers a broad range of entitlement and discretionary programs, including income maintenance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF]); child support; children and family services (Head Start, Child Welfare, Family Preservation and Support, and youth programs); four block grants; and special programs for targeted populations, such as the developmentally disabled, immigrants, and Native Americans.
The objectives of ACF's evaluations are to furnish information on designing and operating effective programs; to test new service delivery approaches capitalizing on the success of completed demonstrations; to apply evaluation data to policy development, legislative planning, budget decisions, program management, and strategic planning and performance measures development; and to disseminate findings of completed studies and promote application of results by State and local governments.
ACF actively engages with other Federal agencies, State and local policy and program officials, national organizations, foundations, professional groups and practitioners, and consumers to stay current on emerging issues affecting its programs and to identify questions for evaluation studies. Systems changes and how they affect vulnerable populations, particularly children, are of primary concern. The movement toward devolving responsibility for health and human services to State and local organizations—in particular, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996—offer both tremendous opportunities and unprecedented challenges in redefining and implementing services for families.
Evaluation study designs are negotiated carefully with the States and other interest groups. Studies often are funded as joint ventures with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and other Federal agencies and foundations. Such collaborations permit large-scale efforts that are better informed and more representative of varying perspectives. Proposals are reviewed by multidisciplinary experts. Work groups of various kinds are used to monitor the progress of projects and to advise on design refinements and the presentation of findings.
This report is the fourth in a series of quarterly reports involving analysis of administrative data for the Evaluation of the Work First Program. The data examined in the reports are derived from the administrative data systems maintained by the North Carolina Division of Social Services, the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, and other state agencies. The overall goal was to examine patterns of welfare participation, employment, earnings, and other key outcomes among families who enter and leave the Work First program, and persons who receive Diversion Assistance. The study found significant variations among the counties in the number of diversions in relation to overall TANF caseloads; families in the Work First cohorts continue to leave welfare earlier than the original AFDC cohort; within 18 months after leaving welfare, fewer Work First families returned to case assistance than did families in the AFDC exit cohort. There were no differences between the AFDC exit cohort and the three Work First exit cohorts in terms of rates of employment at different times after leaving welfare. Employment rates continued to be stable at between 60 and 65 percent.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright
202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6829.5
PERFORMER: Maximus, Inc.
McLean VA
The North Carolina Work First Program's third quarterly report analyzed administrative data, examined patterns of welfare participation, employment, earnings, and other key outcomes among families who enter and leave the Work First program, and persons who receive Diversion Assistance. The findings show that families in the AFDC entry cohort were more likely to be on assistance 36 months after going on welfare, compared to families in the Work First entry cohort. Data suggest that the Work First program has had far less impact on child-only cases than on other cases. For all entry cohorts, the length of stay on welfare was longer for persons without a work history, persons without a work history and a high school diploma, families that were younger, African Americans, and living in large cities. Fewer families in the Work First, compared to the AFDC exit cohorts returned to cash assistance in the study period. No major differences were found between the exit cohorts in employment rates, which seemed to be influenced more by seasonal factors. All cohorts showed evidence of earning progression after leaving welfare, controlling for seasonal variations.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6829.4
PERFORMER: Maximus, Inc., McLean VA
This study was commissioned by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) to study the diversity in language and culture of the Head Start population and to identify the range of services provided to this population. Three primary data sources were used to conduct the investigation: data from Head Start Program Information Report (PIR), an annual self-report survey of all Head Start programs; surveys; and site visits to 30 programs, including 58 classrooms. Highlights of the findings include: (1) The children and families served by Head start are diverse in culture and language, listing over 140 languages spoken by Head Start children; (2) nationwide, Head Start staff generally reflected the ethnicity of the children and families they served; (3) classroom observations found that multicultural materials and activities are plentiful; (4) parents reported being pleased with program attempts to respond to the linguistic and cultural uniqueness of their children; (5) parents make substantial cultural contributions to their children's classroom and (6) Head Start provides many services to parents, including life skills classes and educational opportunities. One barrier found by some Head Start programs was the difficulty in finding and coordinating with health service providers who spoke the families' home languages.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Gail Joseph, 202-205-8713
PIC ID: 5845
PERFORMER: STRA, Inc., Washington, DC
The Children and Family Research Center of the School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign conducted this project to create and test instruments to measure the quality of kinship foster homes. The instruments were designed for use by foster care providers to evaluate the quality of homes under their supervision. This study was conducted with the aid and support of the Survey Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago; the Research Triangle Institute; the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law and the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). The study has three phases: (1) item identification and instrument development; (2) field testing of the instruments with African-American, white, and Latino/a respondents; and (3) finalization of a set of recommended instruments for preliminary use in the field. The project team identified, operationalized, and tested core items to assess quality of care across various sites, situations, and cultures. To the extent possible in the course of the study, these items are designed to be sensitive to differences among children (e.g., age groups, handicaps, placement histories) and families (e.g., socioeconomic status, ethnicity). The investigators developed a kinship foster care provider interview, child interview, worker self- administered instrument, and a case record review. These instruments measure quality of care in the kinship home, contextual factors impacting kinship family functioning, and selected indicators of child functioning. This work will provide a foundation for future research on the quality of kinship family care.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Geneva Wave-Rice, 202-205-8654
PIC ID: 6852
PERFORMER: University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
This evaluation assessed, over a three-year period, the effectiveness of the Head Start Family Child Care Homes (HSFCCH) demonstration projects, funded by the Agency for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) during Fiscal Year 1992. The report will serve in determining the quality of Head Start services provided in FCC homes, and whether these services meet quality standards, including Head Start Program Performance Standards. It also compares services delivered in FCC homes to those delivered in Head Start centers. The eighteen Head Start grantees participating in the demonstration have at least forty children in the year prior to kindergarten entrance enrolled in the HSFCC program, and a comparable number of children enrolled in the center-based program. Children were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Data were collected on the cognitive, socio-emotional and physical development of the two cohorts of children participating in the study. A series of interviews were conducted with parents, family child care providers, grantee staff and administrators. Systematic observation of program service delivery was also employed to assess effectiveness.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Louisa Tarullo, 202-205-8324
PIC ID: 4975
PERFORMER: RMC Research Corporation, Portsmouth, NH
The North Dakota Training, Education, Employment and Management (TEEM) program is the state's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program to families, providing the following cash assistance and supportive services: a computerized assessment that results in a social contract and referrals to needed services; incentives to promote work and work effort; sanctions for non-compliance with the program requirements; increased asset limits allowing families to save while on aid; and a benefit cap that precludes TEEM recipients who get pregnant while on aid from receiving additional cash benefits for that child. The evaluation of TEEM monitored program implementation and examined client caseload trends and client characteristics between 1997 and 1999 to measure outcomes. The monitoring effort identified program improvements needed in providing information to recipients on Earned Income tax Credit, more training for TEEM staff on case manager role, and changes in the client assessment process. The client outcome trend data showed that TEEM families retained substantial public assistance from other sources after finding employment; Native Americans increased as the proportion of TEEM adults cases between 1998-1999 and had higher TEEM recidivism rates; the child-only cases increased proportionately and were living with parents receiving disability payments; and the proportion of case closures due to employment declined over time, possibly due to problems with the closure codes.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6830
PERFORMER: North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Bismarck ND
Los Angeles County transformed its previous, education-focused welfare-to-work program into a Work First program without having to reorganize its welfare agency. The implementation of Jobs-First GAIN succeeded due to commitment from top administrators within DPSS and the administrative authority to carry out the changes. Additionally, many DPSS staff and supervisors not only participated, but supported this process. The program had several impacts for single parents. Jobs-First GAIN led to substantial two- year increases in employment and in earnings. The program produced fairly modest reductions in welfare and Food Stamp receipt and large reductions in welfare and Food Stamp payments. There was a small increase in total income in year 2. With regards to medical care, the program did produce a shift from public to private insurers. The use of child care increased as well as the incidence of child care problems that had effects on employment. The program achieved larger employment and earnings gains than the country's previous, basic-education focused programs. The program's two-year impacts on earnings and welfare expenditures were somewhat larger for members of two-parent families than for single parents. Jobs-First GAIN increased two-year earnings for both men and women in two-parent families, although the average earnings gain for men was nearly twice that for women.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Lawrence Wolf, 202-401-5084
PIC ID: 6840
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York, NY
The evaluation of the North Carolina Work First program includes a report on results of the second round of follow-up surveys in late 1999 on the status of families who left the programs in August 1998 as a result of reaching the 24-month time limit. The first round of surveys were conducted between December 1998 and March 1999. Between the first and second survey rounds, the employment changes experienced by leaving families showed that: employment was slightly higher; the rates of job turnover were not significant; almost half of respondents said they received a raise between interviews (however, the earning progress ion may be unique to the sample and all welfare leavers). As for employer health insurance, participation increased for respondents, but largely because they became eligible to participate in plans because of increased time on the job and increased work hours. The two reasons given by respondents who were unemployed at the second round were: (1) could not find a job or get one after applying and; (2) disability or illness. There was an increase in the number of respondents who said they had experienced adverse events since leaving, with ability to buy food as the one mentioned most often. No significant differences were found for access to health care, child care, and housing, nor differences in children's school performance. Employed respondents with higher incomes thought they were better off without welfare, but the pattern was inconsistent at the lower income levels.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6829.2
PERFORMER: NC Deptartment of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC
This report describes the reactions of researchers, policy makers, and state welfare administrators to the possibility of a comprehensive database of states' rules for providing cash assistance to low-income families with children--specifically, AFDC/JOBS rules for 1996 and prior years, and TANF rules for 1997 and future years. The goal was to obtain feedback on specific aspects of a comprehensive welfare rules database, and to provide insight into the broader question of whether a single database is an appropriate and achievable goal. The database used to generate comments and discussions for this project is the Urban Institute's Welfare Rules Database (WRD), under development for the past three years. The database currently focuses on welfare rules and does not include information on budgets, caseloads, outcomes, or administration. WRD project staff obtained comprehensive feedback and the report provides a list of nine recommendations for a useful database. After considering the recommendations, Urban Institute staff and HHS staff determined that the best area for immediate improvement was the documentation. Urban Institute staff prepared a users guide and wrote documentation of the categories of information as well as the specific variables.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 6837
PERFORMER: Urban Institute, Washington, DC
In 1994, Florida started the Family Transition Program (FTP) as a pilot test site in Escambia County, the first welfare reform initiative to test time limits for eligibility and continued benefits. Families were limited to only 24 months of assistance during a 60-month period (36 months out of 72 for the least job ready) and were provided services and incentives to find work. The evaluation was a random assignment comparison group study of welfare recipients placed in the FTP and others receiving traditional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits. The findings showed that FTP recipients, compared to those in the AFDC group, and had lower length of time on welfare, had few positive or negative impacts on children, with the exception of adolescents and their school performance. FTP families gained in income more than they lost in welfare payments. Slightly less than half of the FTP families who reached their time limits were able to work steadily in the subsequent 18 months, many relying on family, friends, Food Stamps, and housing assistance. The conclusion was that time limits can be imposed without widespread impact on families, but that the robustness of the local economy may be a strong contributing factor.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 6820
PERFORMER: Florida Department of Children and Families, Tallahassee, FL
In 1997, the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) funded Responsible Fatherhood Demonstration Projects in eight states to improve the employment and earnings of under- and unemployed noncustodial parents, and to motivate them to become more financially and emotionally involved with their children. This report is an early implementation analysis of the programs and focuses on (1) how they are administered; (2) the types of services they deliver; (3) the coalitions they fcreated with community-based organizations and state and local service agencies; (4) how they recruit program participants; and (5) how they monitor client progress. The report also outlines 10 lessons learned from the early experiences of the programs with implementation and operation. This preliminary assessment of the projects demonstrates that there are many different paths to pursue in the quest to achieve the program's goals.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Child Support Enforcement
FEDERAL CONTACT: David Arnaudo, 202-401-5364
PIC ID: 7055
PERFORMER: Lewin Group Fairfax, VA and The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
This report is published in three volumes: a summary report and two separate reports on the program's impacts on adults (Vol. 1) and children (Vol. 2). It is the final report from an evaluation by MDRC of the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). The experimental program in Minnesota was designed without time limits and long before the passage of the landmark federal welfare reform law. Minnesota officials hoped that a new system that combined financial incentives to work with participation or work requirements for long-term recipients would increase work, reduce long-term welfare dependence, and reduce poverty for working families. For the group involved in this study, the program increased work, increased earnings, reduced the use of welfare as a sole income source, reduced poverty, reduced domestic abuse, and reduced children's behavior problems and improved their school performance.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Lawrence Wolf, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6824
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York NY
The North Carolina Work First Program's third quarterly report analyzing administrative data examined patterns of welfare participation, employment, earnings, and other key outcomes among families who enter and leave the Work First program, and persons who receive Diversion Assistance. The findings show that families in the AFDC entry cohort were more likely to be still on assistance 36 months after going on welfare compared to families in the Work First entry cohort. Data suggest that the Work First program has had far less impact on child only cases than on other cases. For all entry cohorts, the length of stay on welfare was longer for persons without a work history, persons without a work history and a high school diploma, families that were younger, African American, and living in large cities. Fewer families in the Work First, compared to the AFDC, exit cohorts returned to cash assistance in the follow up study period. No major differences were found between the exit cohorts in employment rates, which seemed to be more influenced by seasonal factors. All cohorts showed evidence of earning progression after leaving welfare, controlling for seasonal variations.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6829.3
PERFORMER: NC Deptartment of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC
The North Carolina Work First Diversion Assistance program serves families eligible for Work First cash assistance but instead receive diversion assistance in the form of cash payments equal to as much as three months of Work First benefits. The program goal is to provide assistance to families when they need short-term help to become or remain self-sufficient, as an alternative to going on welfare. The evaluation consists of telephone interviews with 242 families receiving assistance between May 1999 and August 1999. The study found client household characteristics, plus prior welfare use and employment, varied by county which was interpreted as variations in the county's approach to targeting diversion assistance. One quarter of respondents said they were not working. Overall, there is evidence of food deprivation among 22 percent of respondents but no evidence of major problems of hunger, homelessness, poor housing conditions, or placement of children. The results suggest that county administration of the programs should take caution in using diversion for applicants that do not have a recent work experience.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6829.1
PERFORMER: NC Deptartment of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC
The Child Support Enforcement Programs ensures that non-custodial parents provide appropriate financial support for their children through four major services: locating absent parents, establishing paternity, establishing child support and medical support obligations, and enforcing support orders. One of the goals of the program is to reduce government expenditures on means-tested public assistance programs by increasing the amount of child support paid to custodial households by non-custodial parents. This study synthesizes the theoretical and empirical literature on cost avoidance to build a comprehensive and coherent framework to evaluate the intricacies of child support cost avoidance. The main findings drawn from the literature are: several studies present estimates of cost avoidance, but differences in methodology, populations analyzed and assumptions by the authors make comparability and generalizations difficult to estimate; although realized cost avoidance is relatively modest under the current child support enforcement system, the potential for cost avoidance is unknown; evaluations of several demonstrations found that periodic review and updating of support orders for AFDC cases was effective in avoiding state and federal government costs, that is the overall cost of the process was less than the increase in dollars collected; the literature indicates that child support enforcement has, at most, a limited indirect effect on cost avoidance by changing the marital and childbearing behavior of custodial and noncustodial parents. The current research focuses on custodial parents and suggests that child support enforcement has a small deterrent effect on divorce and little or no deterrent on out-of-wedlock childbearing. The few published studies on the effect of child support on the labor force participation of custodial mothers find mixed results.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Child Support Enforcement
FEDERAL CONTACT: Gaile Maller, 202-401-5368
PIC ID: 6842
PERFORMER: The Lewin Group, Fairfax, VA
Under the Self-Sufficiency First portion of this Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) demonstration, applicants for AFDC who were not exempt from Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) had to complete 60 hours of JOBS activities prior to approval. Under the Pay for Performance portion of the demonstration, recipients were required to participate in up to 40 hours of JOBS activities per week, and for each hour the recipient did not participate, the AFDC grant and food stamp allotment was reduced by the Federal minimum wage. This is a report conducted on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development by the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. The task was to conduct a field reconnaissance of Wisconsin's Self-Sufficiency First and Pay for Performance Programs (SSF/PFP). One section of the report identifies the data difficulties and limitations that IRP encountered during its evaluation. Another section examines selected outcomes for AFDC participants who moved to PFP in 1996. The last section provides a summary and conclusion and offers a recommendation concerning future large-scale efforts to operate controlled experiments and monitor their impacts with operational data systems.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 6838
PERFORMER: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Madison, WI
In-Progress Evaluations
- A Research Synthesis of the Effects of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program
- A Study of Infant Care Under Welfare Reform
- Achieving Change for Texans
- Assessing Effective Welfare-to-Work Strategies for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors in the Options/Opciones Project
- Assessing Enhanced Transitional Employment (ETE) Programs
- Assessing Medicaid and Food Stamps Access and Participation
- California Welfare Reform Impact Evaluation
- Capitalizing the Bridge from Welfare to Independence (CBWWI)
- Child Impact Studies
- Child Outcomes Synthesis Project
- Child Well-Being Effects of Welfare Reform
- Comings and Goings: The Changing Dynamics of Welfare
- Descriptive Study of Families Served by Head Start
- Early Head Start Research and Evaluation National Study
- Economic Analysis of the Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program
- Economic Independence and Inclusion Model: A Person-Centered Approach
- Evaluating the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Welfare Benefits Reporting Using Matched Administrative Records from California
- Evaluation of Arizona Employing and Moving People Off Welfare and Encouraging Responsibility Program (EMPOWER)
- Evaluation of Community Based Job Retention Programs
- Evaluation of the Employment First Program
- Evaluation of the Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration
- Evaluation of the North Carolina Work First Program
- Experience of Tribal TANF Programs: Problems, Solutions and Lessons Learned
- Family Investment Program (FIP)
- Fragile Families and Welfare Reform
- Front-Line Management and Practice Study
- Home Visiting Services Demonstration
- How Decisions to Change the Case Plan Goal Are Initiated
- Impact Study of the New Hampshire Employment Program
- Indiana Welfare Reform Evaluation Project
- Job Opportunities for Low -Income Individuals (JOLI) Program
- Jobs-Plus: Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families
- Maryland Family Investment Program Evaluation
- Minnesota WorkFIRST Program (Track 2)
- National Evaluation of Family Support Programs
- National Longitudinal Study of Children and Families in the Child Welfare System
- National Study of Child Care for Low Income Families
- Neighbors, Services Providers, and Welfare Reform in Los Angeles County
- New Hampshire Employment and Training Program Process and Outcome Study
- New Jersey Substance Abuse Research Demonstration
- New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project
- Ohio Works First Evaluation
- Partner and Father Involvement in the Lives of Low-Income First Time Mothers and Their Children
- Partners for Fragile Families
- Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program -- Replication/Dissemination
- Rural Welfare to Work Strategies Project
- Sexual Abuse Experiences of Runaway Youth
- South Carolina Project independence
- State Welfare Reform Evaluation Project (Connecticut's Jobs First)
- State Welfare Reform Evaluation Track 2
- Study of Screening and Assessment in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Welfare to Work (TANF/WtW) Programs
- Testing Non-experimental Methodologies Using the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS) Data
- The Fiscal Effects of Welfare Reform
- The Illinois Families Study
- Time Limits, Welfare Transitions, and the Age Distribution of Children Receiving Welfare
- Virginia Independence Program
- Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP)
- Welfare-to-Work: Monitoring the Impact of Welfare Reform on American Indian Families with Children
- What Works Best for Whom: Effects of Welfare Reform Policies on Subgroups of Current and Former Welfare Recipients
- Youth Employment and Training Initiative (YETI)
A Research Synthesis of the Effects of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program
This project will synthesize the most current research information available on the effect of TANF on income, earnings, receipt of government benefits, and family formation and structure, for individuals and families who were potentially affected by welfare reform, including both current and former TANF recipients, as well as others at risk of becoming dependent on cash assistance. It will also synthesize information available concerning the amount and duration of welfare and other benefits such as Medicaid, child care, child support and food stamps. Finally, in addition to synthesizing research in subject areas that have been extensively studied, it will also document areas that have not been studied to identify possible ideas for future research.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:12/31/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 7540
PERFORMER: Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
A Study of Infant Care Under Welfare Reform
Twenty-two States have used the new flexibility granted under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to require work of parents whose youngest child is less than one year old. The purposes of this study are to learn more about the policy and program challenges facing States that are encouraging welfare parents with infants to work or attend school, and to build the foundation for future research on programs, policies and strategies that can successfully transition parents from welfare to work while promoting the health and development of infants. To achieve these objectives, the study will examine three central issues: (1) the policies, programs and strategies that States are currently using to transition parents with infants off of welfare and arrange child care for infants; (2) the ways in which parents who are transitioning from welfare to work meet the competing demands of work and family responsibilities and how they meet their infant care needs; and (3) the availability of infant care and its impact on parents' ability to meet welfare program requirements. The study includes the three following phases: (1) information-gathering, (2) in-depth study, and (3) research design.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:07/31/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Richard Jakopic, 202-205-5930
PIC ID: 7113
PERFORMER: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Washington, DC
Achieving Change for Texans
This project continues an evaluation of the State of Texas' original welfare reform demonstration. The demonstration consists of four major components: (1) a number of policies implemented Statewide addressing such recipient responsibilities as immunization for children, school attendance and adherence to a personal responsibility agreement; (2) a number of policies implemented in counties operating JOBS, the primary feature of which is differential benefit time limits based on consideration of work experience and the need for education; (3) a number of policy options implemented in four counties, providing for individual development accounts and fill-the-gap budgeting; and (4) a one-county pilot offering a check for $1,000 in lieu of regular Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), with no re-application for benefits for one year.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:03/31/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: John Maniha, 202-401-5372
PIC ID: 6765
PERFORMER: State of Texas, Department of Human Services, Austin, TX
Assessing Effective Welfare-to-Work Strategies for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors in the Options/Opciones Project
This 5-year (1997-2002) research project will study the effective strategies in addressing the needs of abused women as they try to enter the labor market. This project will document the needs of battered girls and women on welfare, and will identify successful strategies employed to eliminate violence and exit welfare.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Mary Ann MacKenzie, 202-401-5272
PIC ID: 6833
PERFORMER: Center for Impact Research, Chicago, IL
Assessing Enhanced Transitional Employment (ETE) Programs
This project will identify and describe employment-focused programs that help individuals who face significant employment challenges by providing transitional employment or work experience that builds the skills and capacity of participants through a supportive environment that may include close supervision, peer supports, and progressive performance expectations, and linkage or provision of needed services as well as other methods. The project will provide detailed descriptions of the programs identified, an assessment of program capacity and the feasibility of expanding existing programs to serve more participants, and, if not now served, TANF recipients with significant employment barriers; suggestions on how these programs might be replicated in other State/local settings; and an assessment of the feasibility of conducting a large-scale evaluation of such employment strategies, including an impact evaluation based on an experimental design.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/28/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 7539
PERFORMER: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Washington, DC
Assessing Medicaid and Food Stamps Access and Participation
This project, in cooperation with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will help 12-14 States create and analyze performance data on how their Medicaid, SCHIP, and Food stamps enrollment and reapplications are functioning for families. It will identify root causes of problems in these processes, and develop specific implementation plans to solve identified problems and increase participation. In addition, 10 promising practice site visits will be conducted to help develop improvement implementation plans.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:12/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Michael Dubinsky, 202-401-3442
PIC ID: 7546
PERFORMER: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Washington, DC
California Welfare Reform Impact Evaluation
This demonstration will attempt to estimate the impact of California's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Generally, impacts will be assessed by comparing outcomes in the post-TANF period with the pre-TANF period. The impact of various county programs may also be examined by comparing outcomes among the counties. In developing models to estimate impacts, California will use a 10 percent Statewide sample of welfare recipients. These samples date back to 1987, providing a rich database to use to test the models. The sample data consist of Department of Social Services information on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medi-Cal and foster care. These data have been supplemented by data on unemployment and disability insurance, and Department of Health Services data on births. The major research questions concern the impact of State's TANF program on self-sufficiency, family composition, and child well-being. To the extent possible, the impacts of TANF on different subgroups will be considered. Subgroups will include racial and ethnic subgroups, as well as urban and rural subdivisions. Attempts will also be made to determine the impacts of differing implementation of TANF among the counties.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:03/31/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 5548
PERFORMER: California Department of Social Services, Sacramento, CA
Capitalizing the Bridge from Welfare to Independence (CBWWI)
This project is designed to expand the employment and training services provided by Goodwill Industries by constructing new centers in four counties in southwest Florida and six parishes in southeast Louisiana. Once constructed, the centers are expected to be self-supporting (i.e., no need for continuing public support) by utilizing the business activity and payroll generated by the donated goods business.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6755
PERFORMER: Goodwill Industries of Manasota, Inc., Sarasota, FL and Goodwill Industries of Acadiana, Inc., Scott, LA
Child Impact Studies
This project augments the existing welfare reform demonstration evaluations in five States (Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota) to assess the effects of different welfare reform approaches on child well-being outcomes, including school achievement, behavioral problems, and health status. The effect of intervening mechanisms, such as the quality and regularity of the home environment, child care arrangements, and parental employment and income, will also be examined.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 6847
PERFORMER: Multi-Professional Services Contracts, Washington, DC
Child Outcomes Synthesis Project
This project will synthesize the results from the Project on State-Level Child Outcomes, a series of demonstrations in five states that measure the impacts of welfare reform on the well-being of children. Because three of the state demonstrations are expected to publish final results in 2000, with the remaining two final reports coming in late 2001 or early 2002, this project will be completed in two phases. The first phase, to be completed in 2001, will synthesize the results of the first three states, and the second phase will produce a synthesis of all five states' results.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 7527
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York, NY
Comings and Goings: The Changing Dynamics of Welfare
This project will assess the welfare participation of low-income single mother families (i.e., those with incomes below 150 percent of the poverty line) and how the composition of this population has changed over time. It will examine changes in welfare participation and changes in the rate at which different types of families come onto welfare, and analyze changes in the way families leave the welfare rolls. The major questions to be examined are: what are the factors associated with a woman's choice to enter welfare and are they changing? Are women moving off welfare more quickly than before and are they leaving for the same reasons?
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 7530
PERFORMER: Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Descriptive Study of Families Served by Head Start
This three-year descriptive study will provide information on a nationally representative sample of families served by Head Start in forty programs across the country. Through a survey and more intensive case study methods, the study will chart families' demographics, strengths, needs, expectations and experiences within Head Start programs, as well as programmatic efforts to join in partnership with families. (See PIC ID 6331.1)
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Louisa Tarullo, 202-205-8324
PIC ID: 6331
PERFORMER: Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA
Early Head Start Research and Evaluation National Study
The Early Head Start National Study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Early Head Start (EHS) program in fifteen diverse communities: Brattleboro, Vermont; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Sumter, South Carolina; Russellville, Arkansas; Marshalltown, Iowa; Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; Logan, Utah; Jackson, Michigan; Auburn, Washington; Grandview, Washington; and Venice, California. The study will examine child, family, staff and community outcomes in a sample of 3,400 children and their families, who will be randomly selected into program and comparison groups when the mothers are pregnant or children are under 12 months of age. Assessments of children, families and child care environments will be made when children are 14, 24, and 36 months of age. Service use interviews will be conducted every six months, and programs will be visited each year. The study will produce the following reports: (1) Descriptive Study of EHS Programs; (2) Study of Program Variations; (3) Pathways to Early Head Start Quality; (4) Interim Study of Outcomes; (5) Longitudinal Study of EHS Outcomes; and (6) Selected Policy Papers.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/01/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Louisa Tarullo, 202-205-8324
PIC ID: 3570
PERFORMER: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Plainsboro, NJ
Economic Analysis of the Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program
This study examines cost savings to government, resulting from an investment in a program of prenatal and early childhood home visitations that have been studied in a series of three randomized controlled experiments. The experiments were conducted in three different settings (Elmira, Memphis, and Denver) with different sample compositions.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:03/31/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Nancye Campbell, 202-401-5760
PIC ID: 7547
PERFORMER: Kempe Prevention Research Center for Family & Child Health, Denver, CO
Economic Independence and Inclusion Model: A Person-Centered Approach
This project is intended to develop and test the feasibility of an effective local/community-based, long-term and holistic service delivery model for individuals with severe or multiple disabilities. The model will be person-centered and -controlled with easy access to a coordinated network of flexible services and supports designed to enhance the opportunity for these individuals to enter and/or remain in the job market under more satisfactory conditions. Review and analysis of research literature and pertinent federal and State policies and programs; conducting 22 case studies of past and present approaches and best practices; designing, field testing (in three sites) and finalizing the desired model; using an expert advisory panel to review all products. The feasibility of the draft/proposed model is currently being tested in three States.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:11/15/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Hossein Faris, 202-205-4922
PIC ID: 7544
PERFORMER: McIver, Diana & Associates, Inc., Austin, TX
Evaluating the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Welfare Benefits Reporting Using Matched Administrative Records from California
This project will complete a comparative analysis of patterns and trends in welfare participation and reporting in SIPP. It will also determine the accuracy of SIPP program data by comparing it against State administrative records.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 7536
PERFORMER: University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA
Evaluation of Arizona Employing and Moving People Off Welfare and Encouraging Responsibility Program (EMPOWER)
Under this Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) demonstration, recipient families are encouraged to become self-sufficient by: (1) time-limiting cash assistance for adult recipients, (2) imposing a family cap, (3) extending transitional Medicaid and child care to 24 months, (4) eliminating the 100 hour rule for two parent families, (5) requiring unwed minor parents to live with a responsible adult, and (6) requiring 13 to 16 year old parents to participate in Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS).
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:01/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 6818
PERFORMER: Arizona State Department of Economic Security, Phoenix, AZ
Evaluation of Community-based Job Retention Programs
This project includes two components. In one, the project will provide an implementation analysis and outcome findings for current and former welfare recipients receiving employment retention and post- employment services through the GAPS program. The services will be provided to about 600 employed TANF recipients through five community-based organizations in the Pittsburgh area that received funding from the Pittsburgh Foundation. A common set of services will be provided but within the context of different existing service delivery systems among the five organizations. The project will describe the experiences of providers and participants, report on the economic success of participants overtime, and present lessons for program administrators. The second component will include a descriptive analysis of the Community Solutions program through which the state Department of Human Services contracted for pre- and post-employment services from service providers using performance-based contracting and payments. Providers receive incremental payments when TANF recipient participants attain certain benchmarks including maintaining seady employment for 12 months. This component of the study focuses primarily on the experiences of service providers operating programs under the requirements and payment schedules of the performance-based contract.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Nancye Campbell, 202-401-5760
PIC ID: 6760
PERFORMER: Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA
Evaluation of the Employment First Program
This process evaluation will primarily focus on implementation and operation of the Nebraska Employment First Program and will conclude a special study to assess successful case management. In addition, a separate client barriers study oversampling rural areas will be conducted.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Michael Dubinsky, 202-401-3442
PIC ID: 6826
PERFORMER: Nebraska State Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE
Evaluation of the Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration
This evaluation of the Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Demonstration projects will assess the effectiveness of providing comprehensive, continuous and coordinated services to Head Start families and children from the time of Head Start enrollment through the third grade. Working in concert with local evaluators, the contractor will develop a set of common data collection instruments to be used across all sites. The project will provide data regarding the effectiveness of the Transition Project models in maintaining the gains that children and families achieve while in Head Start. The evaluation and the demonstrations were mandated by the Head Start reauthorization legislation. Other studies completed during the ten years prior to 1992, notably the Head Start Transition Study and DevelopmentalContinuity, did not provide information on the experiences or services extended to children after leaving Head Start. Additionally, these studies collected only limited data on families, the institutions and the community. This study is intended to supplement these other studies.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Mary Bruce-Webb, 202-205-8628
PIC ID: 4393
PERFORMER: University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Evaluation of the North Carolina Work First Program
This begins a series of quarterly reports involving analyses of administrative data for the Evaluation of the Work First Program derived from the North Carolina Division of Social Services, the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, and other state agencies. The major goals of the ongoing analyses are as follows: to examine patterns of welfare participation, employment, earnings, and other key outcomes among families who enter and leave the Work First program, as well as among persons who receive Diversion Assistance; to compare these patterns with welfare receipt and employment among persons who first entered welfare under the AFDC program; to compare different sub-groups of welfare recipients in terms of their welfare participation, employment, and return to welfare (recidivism) in order to identify "hard-to-serve" groups; to perform "multivariate" analyses to identify the factors and characteristics associated with short-term and long-term welfare receipt and success in the job market; to compare welfare and employment outcomes among different counties to help identify issues relating to the effectiveness of different county Work First programs; and conduct analyses of "special topics" identified each quarter by the Division of Social Services. The analyses will provide DSS with useful information and feedback on key policy issues and program impacts relating to the Work First program.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6829
PERFORMER: Maximus, Inc., McLean VA
Experience of Tribal TANF Programs: Problems, Solutions and Lessons Learned
This project will develop national-level research information on tribal TANF programs that will be responsive to the needs of Native American tribal governments in deciding to initiate or improve their own TANF programs, as well as the needs of policymakers at federal, State and local levels. The project will include a survey of all TANF tribes funded as of August 30, 2000 and a sample of non-TANF tribes, supplemented by in-depth on-site case studies of a sample of nine tribes. Uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative data and analytical methods.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:11/15/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Hossein Faris, 202-205-4922
PIC ID: 7542
PERFORMER: Support Services, Inc., Silver Spring MD
Family Investment Program (FIP)
This study continues the evaluation of a welfare reform demonstration combining program changes designed to ease a family's transition from welfare to work with strict requirements that recipients participate, the Family Investment Agreement (FIA), under Iowa's employment program. The FIA details the steps a family will take to become self-sufficient and establishes a time frame for doing so. See also PIC ID 6762.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6761
PERFORMER: Iowa Department of Human Services, Des Moines, IA
Fragile Families and Welfare Reform
This project will describe the conditions and capabilities of vulnerable mothers and fathers in the years following enactment of PRWORA and examine the complex relationships between this new legislation and families' economic and non-economic wellbeing. The project will also document the composition of the actual and eligible welfare caseload, how unwed mothers are packaging various forms of support and government programs, and how well families are doing as a result of individual efforts and social policies. The Fragile Families survey includes a random sample of new unmarried mothers and fathers across 20 large cities that can be made representative of all large cities in the United States. The cities are stratified by policy regime and labor market strength so they represent the entire array of economic and policy conditions in the U.S. Second, the extremely high response rates among mothers and fathers in the study allow us to generalize with confidence to the entire population of eligible urban TANF recipients. Third, the individual-level records will be linked to city and state policy variables, allowing for the analysis of the relationships between policies and a number of outcomes including the types of assistance upon which people rely and individual well-being.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:08/31/2003
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Dr. K.A. Jagannathan, 202-205-4829
PIC ID: 7534
PERFORMER: Columbia University, New York, NY
Front-Line Management and Practice Study
This is a study of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) implementation at the local level, and is embedded in the larger SUNY-Albany State Capacity study, which is a 20 State implementation analysis. The principal objective of the Front-Line Management and Practice Study is to evaluate whether front-line workers are implementing the welfare goals and policies established by the States. Locally- based researchers conducted in-depth observations in three local offices from each of four States. A criterion for site selection dictates that the State give primary emphasis to work and job preparation, thus enabling the researchers to make comparisons among management practices that aim to affect the same sort of policy outcomes. Some sites will be chosen because they use traditional rule-based management and others because they rely on performance-based management.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Michael Dubinsky, 202-401-3442
PIC ID: 6841
PERFORMER: State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY
Home Visiting Services Demonstration
The demonstrations will test whether adding weekly home visitor services will result in helping first-time teen mothers better support themselves and their children while promoting positive parenting and reductions in repeat childbearing. The home visitors are paraprofessionals. The demonstration sites are Chicago, Illinois; Dayton, Ohio; and Portland, Oregon.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 5980
PERFORMER: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Philadelphia, PA
How Decisions to Change the Case Plan Goal Are Initiated
The Jane Addams College of Social Work, in collaboration with the National Resource Center for Permanency Planning at the Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University of New York, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and the New York City Child Welfare Administration proposes a three year study of children entering State custody as infants in Chicago and New York City. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors which facilitate or delay changes in the case plan goal. Data will be collected through in-depth interviews with caseworkers responsible for selected cases. Approximately 600 cases will be selected for interviews to be conducted around the child's anniversary date of entering State custody. Half of the children in each cohort will be living with relatives and others will be living in non-related family foster care at the time of the first case selection. Caseworkers will complete brief follow-up questionnaires at 6 months and 12 months following the initial interviews to determine if the case plan goal changed, who initiated the change, and what factors facilitate or delay the change. In this way, barriers and facilitating conditions which occur in a child's second, third and fourth year in care will be identified. Key informants will be interviewed in the final year of the project to develop an understanding of systems factors which appear to facilitate or hinder changing the case plan goal. Key informants and the questions they are asked will be determined through analysis of data collected at the case level. Products of this study will include three major reports and policy and practice recommendations for facilitating permanence for children entering State custody as infants.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Geneva Wave-Rice, 202-205-8654
PIC ID: 6848
PERFORMER: Jane Addams College of Social Work, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Impact Study of the New Hampshire Employment Program
This demonstration is designed to determine the impact of New Hampshire's entire Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. It will attempt to determine the effects of TANF on caseload and on employment and earnings, as well as the effects on areas such as foster care placements, child abuse and neglect, homelessness and child support collections.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 6828
PERFORMER: New Hampshire DHHS, Concord, NH
Indiana Welfare Reform Evaluation Project
This project continues the evaluation of implementation and impacts of the "Indiana Manpower Placement and Comprehensive Training Program" (IMPACT) welfare reform waiver demonstration, now operating under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:04/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 6869
PERFORMER: Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Indianapolis, IN
Job Opportunities for Low -Income Individuals (JOLI) Program
This project will provide training and technical assistance, logistical support, and evaluation assistance to grantees funded under the Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals Program (JOLI). The services provided will assist the grantees in the development of their project designs and in the finalization of their evaluation plans. These plans will provide the Office of Community Services (OCS) with useful insights into both project outcomes and processes. In addition, the services provided will assist OCS to effectively evaluate the impact of the program and to disseminate the project results to the Congress and other interested parties.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Community Services
FEDERAL CONTACT: Nolan Lewis, 202-401-5282
PIC ID: 6430
PERFORMER: Trans-Management Systems Corporation, Washington DC
Jobs-Plus: Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing
Families
This is a seven and one-half year demonstration program aimed at dramatically increasing employment, earnings and job retention among the working-age residents of family housing developments, a large percentage of whom are on public welfare or at risk of dependency. The program supports the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of locally-based approaches to providing saturation-level employment opportunities, including a combination of training and supportive services, financial and other incentives (occasioned by the welfare reform and new public housing policies), and vigorous efforts to rebuild and strengthen the community in support of work. The bottom line question for the Jobs-Plus Demonstration is: Does the program achieve its primary goal of dramatically increasing employment and earnings among public housing residents? And, does a large increase in employment and earnings lead to a better quality of life for residents? Questions concerning the sites' implementation strategies and experiences are also important and will be a major focus of the research. The evaluation design developed for the demonstration combines experimental and quasi-experimental methods in an unusually rigorous approach for studying the effectiveness of a place-based comprehensive social intervention. (It uses randomly-selected sets of treatment and comparison sites.) The study will use administrative records data as well as survey data covering a wide variety of outcomes. It will examine whether the program's impacts vary across sites and whether certain program strategies are likely to yield better results. The evaluation will include comprehensive cost and benefit-cost analyses.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:12/31/2003
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Hossein Faris, 202-205-4922
PIC ID: 6835
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York, NY
Maryland Family Investment Program Evaluation
This was a Statewide process study to examine and document front-line assessment and allocation practices under TANF in Maryland's 24 local jurisdictions. The objective of this analysis was to help clarify the relationship between agency factors and county-level characteristics by describing county-level variation in front-line procedures.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Lawrence Wolf, 202-401-5084
PIC ID: 6823
PERFORMER: University of Maryland, School of Social Work and Community Planning, Baltimore, MD
Minnesota WorkFIRST Program (Track 2)
Using a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test comparison group design consisting of both an impact and process study, this study will compare the WorkFirst and MFIP-S programs. WorkFirst uses a rapid labor force attachment strategy versus MFIP-S, which represents a progressive labor force attachment model.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Lawrence Wolf, 202-401-5084
PIC ID: 6825
PERFORMER: Minnesota Department of Human Services, St. Paul, MN
National Evaluation of Family Support Programs
In September 1994, the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) awarded a contract to conduct a national evaluation of Family Support Programs. The evaluation stems from legislation that provides funding to States for family support and preservation efforts. It represents an innovative attempt to combine knowledge derived from prior and ongoing research with new research studies designed to enhance our understanding about the effects of different programmatic approaches to family support. The study has three parts: (1) a comprehensive review of what is currently known about family support programs and their effects, (2) a phase that focuses on planning and implementing a series of research studies designed to fill the gaps in understanding programs and their effects, and (3) a synthesis of the two earlier parts. The evaluation is a five-year effort. The program and research reviews conducted in the first year will guide the formulation of a research strategy for the remaining years of the project. Up to ten new evaluation studies will be designed to fill gaps in the current knowledge base. These evaluations will be implemented in the second, third and fourth years of the study. The work of the final year will combine the information gained in the preceding years into an integrated and comprehensive report.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Mary Bruce-Webb, 202-205-8628
PIC ID: 5848
PERFORMER: Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA
National Longitudinal Study of Children and Families in the Child Welfare System
The purpose of this study is to describe the outcomes experienced by children and families who come to the attention of the child welfare system, and to gain an understanding of the factors, including system- level and service factors, as well as child and family characteristics, that contribute to those outcomes. The study will select a nationally representative sample of 6,000 children upon entry into the child welfare system. Information on this sample will be collected at baseline and at three annual follow-up interviews from the children and their caregivers, caseworkers, and other agency personnel and service providers. Public use data sets will be prepared following each wave of data collection.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2003
AGENCY SPONSOR: Administration on Children, Youth and Families
FEDERAL CONTACT: Mary Bruce-Webb, 202-205-8628
PIC ID: 6748
PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC
National Study of Child Care for Low Income Families
This project will study the low income child care market in 25 communities in 17 States with a sub-study to examine the family child care market in 5 neighborhoods drawn from these communities. In addition, the project will conduct a survey of 2,500 low-income families in the same 25 communities to determine how child care decisions are made and to study the relation of child care subsidies to their choices. The information provided from the study will help inform the issues surrounding subsidized child care and its implementation by the States, with particular attention to the provisions in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) over time, as well as how significant shifts in welfare policy and programs affect the child care market for welfare recipients and the working poor at the community level.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:01/30/2003
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Richard Jakopic, 202-205-5930
PIC ID: 6845
PERFORMER: Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA
Neighbors, Services Providers, and Welfare Reform in Los Angeles County
This project will examine neighborhood variation in the availability of public and private social services throughout Los Angeles County. It will investigate how agencies are adapting to the current and anticipated changes in demand for their services as a result of welfare reform.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:02/28/2005
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6763
PERFORMER: Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
New Hampshire Employment and Training Program Process and Outcome Study
This Process and Outcome Study goes hand-in-hand with the New Hampshire Impact Study. By using surveys of recipients, staff and employers, this process study will determine how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was planned, designed and implemented. There will also be several special studies concerning diversion from welfare, sanctions, child care and transitional case management.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 6827
PERFORMER: New Hampshire DHHS, Concord, NH
New Jersey Substance Abuse Research Demonstration
This evaluation will provide information about the effectiveness of a type of evaluation several states are experimenting with to move substance abusing welfare clients toward self-sufficiency. The intervention New Jersey is implementing includes screening welfare recipients for substance abuse problems, treatment referral mechanisms with enhanced case management, and substance abuse treatment coordinted with employment and training or vocational services. The intervention being evaluated is intended to improve the post welfare prospects of TANF recipients with substance abuse problems. The evaluation is being conducted in two New Jersey counties, Essex County and Atlantic County.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Dr. K.A. Jagannathan, 202-205-4829
PIC ID: 7528
PERFORMER: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York NY
Ohio Works First Evaluation
This demonstration will evaluate the Ohio Works First provisions and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policies which include: (1)completion of a self-sufficiency contract, (2) more generous income disregards, (3) a 36-out-of-any-60 month time limit, and (4) whole family sanctions. In Ohio, local jurisdictions have great flexibility in running their TANF programs, and this evaluation will attempt to determine the differential effects of the various local programs.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 6758
PERFORMER: Ohio Department of Human Services, Columbus, OH
Partner and Father Involvement in the Lives of Low-Income First Time Mothers and Their Children
This project will investigate the role that fathers and partners play in improving the material, emotional, and developmental well-being of low-income women and children. It consists of a set of secondary analyses using data from three longitudinal experiments of a program of prenatal and infancy home visitation serving first time mothers from various ethnic and racial groups.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Lawrence Wolf, 202-401-5084
PIC ID: 6799
PERFORMER: Children's Hospital, Denver, CO
Partners for Fragile Families
The Partners for Fragile Families Project strives to assist low-income unemployed, and underemployed, mainly minority fathers to work with the mothers of their children to become "team" parents and share the legal, financial and emotional responsibilities of parenthood. To achieve these goals, the grantee will develop, test and implement Fatherhood Development Workshops, grassroots organizations working with low income fathers, develop and implement a Peer Learning College for child support enforcement professionals. These efforts serve to encourage, support, and assist child support agencies that have recognized the barriers these fathers face to becoming responsible fathers. The Ford Foundation is also providing funding for this project.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Child Support Enforcement
FEDERAL CONTACT: Debra Pontisso, 202-401-4548
PIC ID: 6844
PERFORMER: National Center for Strategic Nonprofit Planning and Community, Washington, DC
Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program – Replication/Dissemination
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention are supporting this initiative. The project allows for data collection and evaluation of an initiative to replicate and disseminate the nurse home visiting model. The model has been tested through randomized trials and found to be effective in improving outcomes for mothers and their children on a number of important outcome measures, including: (1) educational attainment, (2) employment, (3) welfare dependency, (4) parenting attitudes, and (5) subsequent pregnancies. The DOJ funded a grant to support technical assistance and training to replicate the model in selected sites. This project supports the evaluation component of the initiative to test the effectiveness of the replication process within normal operating environments. The initiative will answer questions pertaining to: (1) whether programs are implemented with fidelity to the original program model; (2) whether the program is reaching the target population of at-risk, low-income pregnant women; (3) the aspects of the model that are most difficult to implement and maintain; (4) the factors explaining site variation in program fidelity; and (5) the outcomes for pregnant women and families enrolled in each site.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:12/31/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6757
PERFORMER: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO
Rural Welfare to Work Strategies Project
As part of its multifaceted national strategy for welfare reform research and evaluation, ACF is funding the Rural Welfare to Work Strategies Demonstration Evaluation Project to learn how best to help TANF and other low-income rural families move from welfare to work. The demonstration evaluation will lead to increased information on well-conceived rural welfare to work strategies and lessons about the operational challenges and methods to address them that can be used by state and local TANF agencies and others. It is expected that four states/sites will participate in the national demonstration evaluation. The project will address the following key questions: 1) what types and packages of services are provided under the RWtW project, and how do they compare with services already available under TANF or other funding? 2) What are the issues and challenges associated with implementing and operating the service packages and policy approaches studies? 3) What are the net impacts of selected approaches under the project on employment and on families' well-being? 4) What are the net costs of the programs, and do the programs' benefits outweighs the costs? 5) What strategies should policymakers and program managers consider in designing approaches to improve the efficacy of welfare to work strategies for families in rural areas?
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/28/2005
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: James Dolson, 202-260-6165
PIC ID: 7247
PERFORMER: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Washington, DC
Sexual Abuse Experiences of Runaway Youth
This project responds to a legislative requirement to conduct a study that will address the extent to which sexual abuse exists in runaway youths, and provide information about the perpetrators of any such abuse. The project will review available literature and conduct secondary analyses to examine the sexual abuse experiences of runaway youth, particularly experiences that occur prior to the youths' leaving home.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:12/31/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Mary Bruce Webb, 202-205-8628
PIC ID: 7549
PERFORMER: Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC
State Welfare Reform Evaluation Project (Connecticut's Jobs First)
Using experimental methodology, this project continues an originally planned evaluation of the Jobs First demonstration, later incorporated into the State of Connecticut's TANF plan. The evaluation includes: (1) a short (21 month) eligibility time limit for non-exempt recipients; (2) 24 months of transitional Medicaid; (3) liberalized disregards; (4) "Family Cap", limited eligibility for children born while the family receives assistance; (5) strong job search emphasis, with employability assessment only if a search fails to yield a job; and (6) progressive sanctions for non-compliance.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:04/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Lawrence Wolf, 202-401-5084
PIC ID: 6819
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York, NY
State Welfare Reform Evaluation Track 2
This project, which complements a separately funded evaluation being completed on Iowa's Family Investment Program (FIP), consists of two studies: (1) a study of repeat limited benefit plan (LBP) assignments; and (2) a study of post-employment services. The study of repeat LBP assignments will describe the experiences and outcomes of welfare cases that have been assigned to the LBP more than once. The study of post-employment services will describe and compare standard and enhanced post- employment services and assess their contribution to a client's progress toward self-sufficiency. See also PIC ID 6761.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6762
PERFORMER: Iowa Department of Human Services, Des Moines, IA
Study of Screening and Assessment in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Welfare to Work (TANF/WtW) Programs
This project will highlight and discuss critical issues in the development and use of screening and assessment tools designed to identify TANF and/or WtW recipients who experience barriers to employment. The barriers of specific interest for this study include substance abuse, mental health or illness, low basic skills, physical/developmental disabilities (including learning disabilities) and domestic violence. The project will describe state and local efforts to incorporate screening and assessment tools and procedures in their efforts to assist these recipients make the transition from welfare to work. Finally, this project will provide opportunities for federal, state, a and local TANF/WtW staff and other interested parties share information on screening and assessment.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:08/31/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Dr. K.A. Jagannathan, 202-205-4829
PIC ID: 7538
PERFORMER: Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Testing Non-experimental Methodologies Using the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS) Data
The purpose of this demonstration is to test various non-experimental evaluation techniques. The emphasis of this demonstration will be to test whether an adequate control group (not randomly assigned) can be established using propensity score matching techniques as described in recent research literature. The data to be used will be from the NEWWS demonstrations that involved efforts to improve employment and earnings outcomes of welfare recipients at a number of sites. In the NEWWS demonstrations, evaluations were carried out using random assignment to establish treatment and control groups at each site. This demonstration will test modeling techniques by comparing outcomes from the randomly assigned control groups to the outcomes from control groups defined by non-experimental methodologies. This demonstration will deal with data from seven NEWWS sites.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:08/20/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 7541
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York, NY
The Fiscal Effects of Welfare Reform
Building on a four-state pilot project, this study will conduct case studies in 13 states to assess how social services spending and policies have changed after welfare reform was implemented. More specifically, the study will examine changes in spending in absolute dollars, in real dollars per poor person, and as a percentage of state budgets. This will provide insights into how state budgetary priorities have changed, to learn about trends and differences across states, and to target inquiries about underlying state policy changes that have led to spending changes.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Michael Dubinsky, 202-401-3442
PIC ID: 7545
PERFORMER: State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY
The Illinois Families Study
As families transition from welfare to work in the context of welfare reform policies, large variation in welfare use, income, employment and training, and health care coverage is inevitable. This project capitalizes on this variation to assess the relationship between each of these factors and multiple measures of child well-being within the TANF recipient population. The focus of the research is the first three (3) years of an ongoing panel study involving 1,500 families who were receiving TANF in late 1998. Annual survey interviews assess parental reports of each child's academic performance, behaviors, and health, as well as key risk and protective factors. The survey data will be combined with administrative data from the public welfare system, the unemployment insurance system, children's school records, medical chart reviews of a subset of children from the sample, and Medicaid claims data.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 7533
PERFORMER: Northwestern University, Evanston IL
Time Limits, Welfare Transitions, and the Age Distribution of Children Receiving Welfare
This demonstration will analyze the effects of time limits on welfare entry, welfare exist, and the age distribution of children receiving welfare. The analysis will use SIPP data from the 1985 through the 1996 panels covering September 1984 through February 1998. The analysis will be of welfare spells of female- headed households. The effects of time limits will be determined by considering the implementation dates of time limits that States implemented under waivers prior to the passage of PRWORA. Various demographic and economic state-level variables will be incorporated into the models to be used.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:08/31/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Leonard Sternbach, 415-437-7671
PIC ID: 7537
PERFORMER: University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA
Virginia Independence Program
This project evaluates the State's TANF implementation, which continues policies begun under its welfare reform demonstration, Virginia Independence Program (VIP). Among the policies to be studied under the state's VIP are: (1) diversionary assistance, (2) a family cap, (3) time-limited assistance, (4) person responsibility agreements, (5) expanded earned income disregards, (6) school attendance requirements, (7) paternity establishment rules, (8) requiring minor parents to live in adult settings, (9) child immunization requirements, and (10) incentives promoting individual savings accounts and Medicaid and child care benefits.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: John Maniha, 202-401-5372
PIC ID: 6831
PERFORMER: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP)
This project continues the evaluation of a welfare reform demonstration project. One of the key features is a time limit that requires some adult recipients to participate in community work experience after fifteen months (for two-parent families) or thirty months (for single-parent families) of receiving cash assistance.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Girley Wright, 202-401-5070
PIC ID: 6764
PERFORMER: State of Vermont, Department of Social Welfare, Waterbury, VT
Welfare-to-Work: Monitoring the Impact of Welfare Reform on American Indian Families with Children
The overall purpose of this project is to monitor and document the implementation, and assess the impact of, welfare reform on American Indian families and reservations in Arizona caused by the evolving State and tribal responses to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Extensive demographic, contextual, socioeconomic and case-level data are to be compiled from a variety of sources, and analyzed in order to document the baseline conditions and changing patterns, and to identify short-term outcomes. The researchers will: (1) use existing national data (e.g., Census, CPS, and SIPP) on American Indians to provide a context for the study of Arizona, (2) collect quarterly case- or household-level data on the welfare recipients on Indian reservations in Arizona to examine their characteristics and monitor changes in their situations under TANF, and (3) track and document TANF implementation by tribal entities using content analysis of relevant documents, in-depth telephone interviews and site visits. The evaluation of the long-term impact of the reform program is to be undertaken during the last four years of the project.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Hossein Faris, 202-205-4922
PIC ID: 6832
PERFORMER: Washington University, School of Social Work, St. Louis, MO
What Works Best for Whom: Effects of Welfare Reform Policies on Subgroups of Current and Former Welfare Recipients
This project investigates the effects of recent welfare policies on various subgroups of welfare recipients. It adds to earlier work on subgroups by adding more programs to the analysis, looking at more outcomes, looking at more subgroups, and including longer follow-up for some programs. The major goals of the project are to help program operators target precious resources toward groups most likely to benefit from the programs they are running, and to help policy makers understand which groups may need new approaches to help them move to work, stay at work, advance in their jobs, or help their children. The study will use data on nearly 100,000 individuals from 25 programs in 11 states, from MDRC experimental studies of welfare employment programs.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/29/2002
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: Alan Yaffe, 202-401-4537
PIC ID: 7532
PERFORMER: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, New York, NY
Youth Employment and Training Initiative (YETI)
The State will complete an evaluation of its Youth Employment and Training Initiative (YETI), which operated as a welfare reform demonstration from November 1993 until July 1997, when TANF was implemented in the State. YETI focused on inner-city youth in welfare families and provided counseling and classes designed to (1) help participants to stay in high-school and graduate, (2) increase life skills and self-esteem and reduce the incidence of pregnancies and substance abuse, (3) increase job- readiness and vocational skills, and (4) facilitate the transition from school to work. The overall objective of the project is to reduce the likelihood of welfare dependency among inner-city youth.
EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION:09/30/2001
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
FEDERAL CONTACT: John Maniha, 202-401-5372
PIC ID: 6821
PERFORMER: Illinois Department of Human Services, Springfield IL