Transcript Document
Strategies
Working With Two-Parent
Families
August 2007
Agenda
We will review
Basic participation rate information
Two-parent family definitions
Families that are included in the separate twoparent family rate
Two-parent family participation rate
Denominator
Numerator
The Participation Rates
“Work-eligible” recipients of cash assistance are
required to participate in activities that are
designed to
Achieve employment goals
Move the family from welfare to work
The State is evaluated to determine the success
of engaging work eligible adults in families
receiving Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA)
through the “Participation Rates”
The Participation Rates
The Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)
Established two participation rates
An all-family rate that includes two-parent families as a
single unit
A separate rate for two-parent families
Deficit Reduction Act (DRA)
The DRA maintained the requirements for both the
all-family rate and the two-parent family rate
The rates have different requirements
The Participation Rates
Federal law allows states to use Maintenance of
Effort (MOE) funds to serve various populations
Under PRWORA, the families served under MOE
funds were removed from the participation rates
Florida’s two-parent population is served with
MOE funds
Florida was previously not subject to the 90
percent two-parent family rate
As of October 2006, Florida has been subject to
the two-parent family participation rate
requirement of 90 percent
The Participation Rates
The DRA increased
accountability for serving
two-parent families
The DRA required all
separate state programs
funded by MOE to meet
participation requirements
for both rates
Engaging Two-Parent Families
What is the definition of a two-parent family?
Two parents of a mutual child are living in the
same household
For the two-parent participation rate
Both parents reside in the home
The parents in the home share a mutual child
Both parents are work eligible individuals
Neither parent is disabled/limited from work for greater
than 30 days
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Two-parent families that do not count in
the two-parent participation rate include
Two-parent families with an ineligible alien
Two-parent families with a “disabled”
parent
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Two-parent families with a disabled parent
who cannot work/participate full-time are
determined through two indicators
The Department of Children and Families
(DCF) marks the case on its system
A deferral is entered on the Alternative
Plan screen of the One-Stop Service
Tracking (OSST) system
Must be a medical or alcohol, drug, mental
health deferral lasting greater than 30 days
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Previously, OSST
medical deferrals
had 90 day
indicators
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Indicators prior to
October 2007
Updated indicators as
of October 2007
Medical Deferral (90
days or more), code
31
Medical Deferral (30
days or more), code
42
Alcohol, Drug, Mental
(90 days or more),
code 34
Alcohol, Drug, Mental
(30 days or more),
code 44
Engaging Two-Parent Families
To reduce confusion, the following
deferral types are being deactivated
Deferred-high risk pregnancy
Deferred-SSI applicant
There will be other locations on the
Alternative Plan’s Deferral screen to
record this information
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Calculating the two-parent rate
Denominator
Number of two-parent families receiving assistance
that meet the required definition of a two-parent family
Minus those that are subject to sanction
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Calculating the two-parent rate
Numerator
Number of two-parent families receiving assistance that
meet the two-family definition
And have met the required hours of participation for the
month
Core required hours are completed and recorded in the
system
Total required hours are completed and recorded in the
system
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Calculating the two-parent rate
Numerator
How many hours are required to meet participation
for a two-parent family rate?
If the family is not receiving federally subsidized
childcare, the family must complete
30 hours in a core activity (or activities)
35 hours total (may combine core and core
plus activities)
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Calculating the two-parent rate
Numerator
How many hours are required to meet
participation for a two-parent family rate?
If the family is receiving federally subsidized
childcare, the family must complete
50 hours in a core activity (or activities)
55 hours total (may combine core and core
plus activities)
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Remember
This includes two-parent families
with two work eligible adults
This does not include families
with a parent that is disabled or
unable to participate greater than
30 days
Document signed by a
licensed physician is secured
and retained in the case file
Disability status is recorded in
the system appropriately
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Engagement
How do we know if we are moving in the
right direction?
How can we gauge our program’s success
with serving two-parent families?
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Securing information
OSST (searches and reports)
We can use Search and Reports features in
OSST
Data warehouse
We can use data warehouse to pull reports
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Internal indicators can be developed
How are two-parent families leaving cash
assistance each month?
Sanctions
Employment
Time limits expire
Other
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Internal indicators can be developed
Each of these elements can provide us with
indicators about two-parent family success
Sanctions
Are a lot of families leaving due to sanctions?
Why?
Are their activities directly related to their goals?
Do they receive their weekly activities (who, what, when,
where) in writing?
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Internal indicators can be developed
Employment
Are our participants leaving with employment
directly from Work Experience, Community
Service or Job Search programs?
Are our activities helping participants to gain
skills that lead directly to employment?
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Internal indicators can be developed
Time limits
How quickly are two-parent families being
engaged by the program?
Are the activities leading to work or are they
staying on cash assistance for long periods of
time?
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Internal indicators can be developed
Are two-parent families engaged in countable
activities?
Review the population monthly
Are participants assigned to activities?
Do the activities meet the core and total requirements?
Did the participant agree to the activities?
Are the activities related to the family’s goals and the
participants’ individual goals?
Engaging Two-Parent Families
We can look at indicators on the Internet
Monthly Management Report (MMR)
The MMR provides preliminary information each
month
Quarterly Key Measures (QKM)
Looks at quarterly data
Data is compiled at least 40 days after the
quarter has ended
May catch some data missed by the MMR
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Strategies
Establish the basics
Ensure staff understand the basic requirements to meet the
participation rates
The two-parent family is made of two parents with a mutual
child
The two-parent family included in the participation rate is
made of two work eligible parents of a mutual child
The two-parent family must meet core and total
requirements to be included in the numerator
Each individual should be engaged to establish goals,
discover their skills, review their work history and create a
plan
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Specialized case-management
Two-parent families are a very small population
Select a staff member to be trained and learn
about serving the needs of two-parent families,
as well as meeting participation rate
requirements
Not all career specialists will be required to
know the complicated requirements, which are
often confused with “all family” requirements
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Participation rate requirements can be very confusing, develop
“threshold” requirements
Examples
All participants are engaged a minimum of 35 hours per week unless
documentation is secured by a licensed physician or other good
cause is accepted
All participants are required to complete a core number of hours in a
core activity (or activities)
All participants develop and sign an Individual Responsibility Plan
Both parents are required to attend appointments (separate or
together based on schedule/needs) to turn in documentation and
update their steps to self-sufficiency
Two-parent families are “seen” as a unit unless domestic violence is
an issue
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Participants are given support services to complete
work and alternative activities
Participants/families are given support services
based on need
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Create best practices to engage two-parent
families
Contact families on a regular basis to encourage participation
Offer counseling services for two-parent families
Focus on the participant’s wants, the family’s wants/needs and
develop a plan using services and activities that move the family
towards their wants
Ensure both parents leave each appointment with clear
requirements detailed in a signed plan (or plan update)
Ensure both parents have regular follow-up appointments to turn
in documents and review their steps towards self-sufficiency
Engaging Two-Parent Families
Create best practices to engage two-parent
families
Develop activities that engage participants in goal related work
and skill attainment
Reach out to the community to utilize employers and training that
already exist
Use TANF dollars, according to RWB approval, to create
specialized training, on-the-job training, subsidized employment
and other activities
Bring providers in-house for apprenticeship programs, basic
education training, special skills training, counseling, etc.
If you have any questions, comments, or
concerns, please contact the Welfare
Transition Team through the Agency for
Workforce Innovation’s Call Center at
1-866-352-2345
An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on
this document may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.