TANF Pilot Convenings

TANF Pilots Listening Session Facilitation Guide

Introduction and Consent

Thank you for taking part in today’s discussion about the design and implementation of the pilots for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program enacted as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA). My name is [INSERT] and I am with [OPRE/OFA] in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A representative(s) from AIR, the contractor assisting ACF with this effort, is on the call as well, to assist with notetaking. The goal of these listening sessions is to hear from a wide range of constituent groups, including TANF administrators, researchers, representatives from advocacy groups, workforce development providers, and individuals with lived experience, about how best to design and implement the FRA pilot.

We anticipate that this discussion will take up to 90 minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary, and you can decide not to participate at any point. The information you provide will be kept private and names of individual respondents will not be included in any summary reports. We appreciate your insights and are grateful for your willingness to share your experiences and perspectives.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is #0970-0531 and the expiration date is 09/30/2025.

Do you have any questions before we get started?

Is it alright if we record this conversation? The recording will not be shared with anyone outside the federal and contractor staff working on this effort and will be stored on a secure drive at AIR. Once we finalize our notes, we will destroy the recording. [INTERVIEWER: TURN THE RECORDER ON]

Okay, I have now turned on the recorder. Now that I have the recorder on, I need to ask you again, is it okay if I record this conversation? [INTERVIEWER: GET VERBAL CONSENT TO RECORD AFTER BEGINNING TO RECORD]

Discussion Questions

1. In your opinion, what are the most important criteria a pilot should meet for selection? What informed your answer? What requirements, if any, should a state meet to be eligible for a pilot?

2. [FOR STATE TANF AGENCIES] What factors would influence your decision whether to pursue participation in the pilot program?

3. What sort of diversity among pilot states (e.g., programmatic, geographic, economic, demographic) would be most helpful in providing useful and scalable results for TANF administrators and policymakers?

4. What technical assistance or supports would be helpful for designing and implementing pilots? What obstacles do you foresee and how can ACF provide assistance to overcome or manage those barriers?

5. What factors (e.g., demographic, economic, policy, programmatic) should be considered when establishing performance benchmarks? [FOR RESEARCHERS] In your experience, what are the most important considerations when developing statistical adjustment models for performance benchmarks?

6. What indicators of family stability and well-being are most important to track? Please explain your reasoning. What data source(s) would be of most utility in tracking your recommended indicators?

7. At what point(s) in the continuum of participation in a TANF program should work and family well-being indicators be measured (e.g., while a family is still receiving assistance, upon exit, two quarters after exit)?

8. In what ways can an equity lens be applied when implementing a pilot? Are there tools or resources needed to apply this lens in pilot design, implementation, and evaluation? What factors or data points would you consider important to ensuring equity in the implementation of work and family well-being measures as part of the pilot?

9. What information should be collected about the pilots to help evaluate and explain their level of success? How might pilot states, non-pilot states, policymakers, and others make use of this information? Please provide your reasoning.

10. Are there any other questions or issues related to the pilots for which you wish to provide input?

Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate all that you have shared.