Low-income families often struggle to balance the demands of work and parenting. A recent Chapin Hall report found that parents who applied for cash assistance from a Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program face barriers to employment that may compromise their ability to adequately care for their children. A significant number of families in the Chapin Hall study had been investigated by child welfare agencies or had had a child removed from the home.

Although many poor families have been involved with both child welfare and TANF programs, neither system is equipped to fully support families with employment, parenting, housing, education, health or other special needs. This web conference will explore efforts to integrate welfare-to-work programs, child welfare programs, and other family supports. Panelists will discuss how TANF and child welfare programs can collaborate on strategies to prevent the need for intervention by the child welfare system and better support low-income families.
Panelists include:

• David Berns, Executive Vice President of Child and Family Services, Casey Family Programs
• Mark Courtney, Faculty Associate, Chapin Hall Center for Children and McCormick Tribune Professor, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago
• Amy Dworsky, Senior Researcher, Chapin Hall Center for Children
• Ramona Foley, Assistant Director for Children, Adults and Families, Oregon Department of Human Services
• Moderator: Martha Shirk, Author, On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System

The web conference is free for attendees. Space for the web conference is limited, and not all registrations may be accepted. The complete conference recording will be available at www.chapinhall.org after the event.

To join the web conference, you need a computer with an Internet connection. The audio portion of the conference is available by telephone or over the Internet. To learn more about what you need to participate in the web conference, review the technical requirements.