Describes ongoing efforts in Arizona to use the findings from a leavers' study to identify and remove barriers to self-sufficiency. Provides examples of changes in case-closing policies and in Medicaid and food stamp eligibility resulting from study findings. (Author/SLD)

While the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 included many provision of concern to child advocates, the Act also gave states increased flexibility to design welfare programs in ways that support children, or that ameliorate some of the harshest provisions of the Act. This issue brief describes innovative…

North Carolina attempted to reform its welfare system to remove disincentives to work and encourage intact families and savings. Issues raised were funding incentives dramatically increase short-term program spending; amount and kinds of jobs available for welfare recipients are uncertain; and limits on long-term support beg the question of what…

As a supplement to an analysis of the devolution of policymaking for immigrants from the federal government to the states, this report provides a one-page summary of each state's immigrant eligibility rules for cash, food, and health assistance programs. It also notes state naturalization initiatives begun or expanded in the wake of welfare…

Describes the impact of Wisconsin Works (W-2), a work-first welfare reform effort that has created significant welfare enrollment reduction. While critics claimed it would devastate inner cities, poor families are faring better. W-2 built on diversion and incentives, opening up welfare administration to competition. Despite many successes, W-2 has…

The Georgia Information Outreach to Reduce Welfare Dependency Project began in January 1996. The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), commissioned the Southern Institute on Children and Families to conduct the project. Phase 1 of the project focused on the development of three information outreach…

President Clinton has repeatedly called for a bipartisan welfare reform bill that is tough on work and responsibility, but not tough on children. This means providing adequate child care to enable recipients to leave welfare for work; rewarding states for placing people in jobs; guaranteeing health coverage for families leaving welfare for…

This paper analyzes the approaches that states can take to address the needs of families facing the loss of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits due to time limits. Ways in which these approaches can be funded with state or federal welfare funds are discussed. The paper examines how states can use federal TANF or state…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act of 1996 revised laws governing privacy and confidentiality of information that government agencies collect from immigrants during the benefits application process. Noting that these changes evoked confusion and anxiety in the…

Highlights program strategies to support families as they adjust to changes in welfare policy. Core strategies noted include using early childhood programs as a resource, adapting early childhood programs to better meet family needs, promoting access to high-quality child care, linking early childhood programs and welfare agencies, and creating…

This report from a 1996 Child Care Action Campaign national audioconference concerns approaches taken by Wisconsin and Minnesota in designing and implementing federally funded child care subsidy systems. Wisconsin Works phases out Aid to Families with Dependent Children cash assistance and redirects funds into job training, child care, and health…

Unemployment insurance is a cooperative federal and state program that provides temporary, partial wage replacement to formerly employed people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. This issue brief discusses the program and its importance as an approach to ameliorate the effects of welfare reform on struggling families. The brief…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 establishes mandatory work requirements. This review article describes the child care provisions of the welfare reform act, addressing some of the issues related to these provisions and highlighting selected state initiatives in this area. (Author)

This report analyzes data gathered through surveys of state administrators of child care and early childhood programs. The report is in three sections: (1) the state of child care and early education in the mid-1990s; (2) the relative level of commitment of each state in 1994; and (3) the likely impact of 1996 U.S. welfare reform legislation. The…

Discusses the history of welfare reform and the different approaches used in several states. Describes multiple models that have emerged in community colleges, including short-term training programs, open entry/exit programs or alternative entry dates, classes offered at unconventional times, company-specific programs, case-management strategies,…