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| Presenters preparing to share their knowledge |
The 2019 National TANF State Director’s Meeting took place this year in Arlington, Virginia. TANF administrators, staff, and stakeholders from across the nation convene annually at the meeting to learn about promising practices and actionable implementation strategies. There are also opportunities to participate in peer exchange sessions, hear from leading researchers and national experts, interact with Office of Family Assistance (OFA) staff during regional breakout discussions, and engage with OFA leadership.
Santa Barbara County, considered a leader in CalWORKs 2.0 (CW 2.0) implementation nationwide, was invited to showcase its innovative approaches and noteworthy accomplishments. Read on to learn more.
Nancy Saengjaeng, our county’s representative and guest speaker at the meeting, spoke together with LaDonna Pavetti and Tonya Melton about "Vital Tools for Integrating Executive Function and Self-Regulation Principles into Work and Human Services Programs." (See some photos here.) These tools help strengthen and build TANF customers’ capacities so they can increase their chances of successfully achieving their goals. Lessons learned as to how to integrate a goal achievement framework into organizations were also discussed.
Of special note, it was so exciting to hear that the direction at the Federal level is in alignment with where California and SB County are heading. The leadership at OFA gave a message that we are ushering in a new era where the focus is not simply on employment. The goal is to improve employment outcomes while increasing the client’s capacity to reduce their dependency on public support. We need to just go beyond providing clients with services; more importantly, we need to address other issues that encumber their lives. Partners need to work together more intentionally. This is the way to transform the American safety net.
Kudos to our CW 2.0 CORE and Expanded Team members for their hard work over the past year to move us to the forefront of innovative work, and to our Management Team in supporting our efforts! Our hard work did not go unnoticed—we have made a state and national impact. Also, kudos for our staff across classifications in CW and WTW for continuing to look for ways to incorporate the CW 2.0 approach in their day-to-day work. There is still much work to be done. Let’s keep the momentum going!