dcl9247.htm

Giving Hope and Support to America's Children

National Training Workshop

DC-9247

October 28, 1992

State IV-A Directors

State JOBS Directors

State Child Support Directors

RE: National Training Workshop

Dear Colleagues:

On September 14-15, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) held a National Training Workshop to prepare AFDC, Child Support and JOBS trainers and managers to conduct a new training course "Unified New Vision of Self-Sufficiency." The workshop training was designed so that participants could take the curriculum back to their States and deliver joint training to AFDC, Child Support and JOBS workers and supervisors.

Thirty States were represented at the training and feedback from the participants at the training was positive.

This training curriculum is designed to help your staff meet the new demands and goals presented by the new vision of self-sufficiency established by the Family Support Act. The course also emphasizes a coordinated interagency approach to assist program staff in their efforts to help clients become independent. Thus, your combined support as managers is essential to the success of this training initiative.

The Family Support Act recognizes that the support of tow parents can best ensure a family's ability to achieve self-sufficiency. A welfare check alone, or child support alone, is rarely enough for a single parent families trying to raise their children. The Act, through the creation of the JOBS program, combined with strengthened Child Support Enforcement provisions, child care and the directive to coordinate with other service providers like JTPA and Adult Basic Education and Vocational Education, envisioned a new welfare system: a system which promotes a much greater potential for AFDC families to take charge of their own lives.

A major priority for ACF is helping States translate this change to the way agencies conduct their programs and staff perform their jobs. Through our JOBS technical assistance contract, we have sponsored five regional workshops for State administrators and managers promoting this new vision of self-sufficiency. The September National Training Workshop and the training curriculum for workers and supervisors were developed to help you as manager implement this new vision at the supervisory and worker levels.

Due to budget constraints and competing priorities, many States could not send representatives from each of the three programs to the September training. We encourage those agency representatives that attended the training to meet with their State counterparts to share the curriculum and to discuss plans for joint training in their State.

Some States were unable to send any representative. Those States should request a copy of the curriculum form their respective ACF regional office. Unfortunately, because of limited printing, we can currently provide only one copy per State.

ACF regional offices will be following up with your agencies to ascertain your plans regarding the implementation of this training and to assess andy technical assistance needs you may have in undertaking this effort or other initiatives to enhance the new vision of self-sufficiency.

We must all view ourselves and our agencies as catalyst for positive change. If we are to really help families make the changes they need in order to become self-sufficient, we must work very closely together to ensure that these changes are significant and lasting.

I encourage your support of this initiative and look forward to hearing from you concerning your efforts in this very important area.

Sincerely,

Jo Anne B. Barnhart

Assistant Secretary

For Children And Families

cc: ACF Regional Administrators

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