TANF and Kinship/Grandfamilies

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TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) child-only grants are often the only source of ongoing financial support for children raised by grandparents and other relatives with no parents in the home. View the webinar recording to explore newly compiled data for each state on TANF child-only grants, compiled by our partners at Child Trends. Learn how your state compares to others, along with strategies and policies that other states, tribes, and territories have used to improve kinship/grandfamilies’ access to this important support.  Hear from a kin caregiver who has been a TANF recipient and shares her experiences with accessing this benefit.

TANF child-only grants are often a lifeline for helping meet the needs of children that caregivers did not expect or plan to raise. The premise of child-only grants is that because they are for the child, eligibility should be based on the income and assets of the child-only. While most children living with relatives are eligible for this support, only 13 percent of these children receive TANF. This low utilization is often due to state and local policies – such as requirements to assign child support collection to the government, thereby jeopardizing the parents’ housing and financial situation and making reunification that much more difficult.

States, tribes, and territories have a great deal of flexibility in how they implement TANF. They have the ability to better support children in kinship/grandfamilies and ensure that the children do not have to enter the foster care system. Log off with strategies on how to improve supports to kinship/grandfamilies and the children in their care.

Presenters:

• Brittany Mihalec-Adkins, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Child Trends
• Ana Beltran, JD, Director, Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, Generations United
• Tammy Creswell, Idaho Kin Caregiver

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