Introduction
Research Questions
- How are families defined in the literature about collecting and using family input in human services programs?
- How do human services programs gather and use family input?
- How do human services programs build trust with families as they gather and use their input?
Seeking feedback from families about program operations and services can shape more effective and equitable social programs and benefit future families. Typically, program leaders aim to improve the effectiveness of programs by systematically collecting information from staff, program partners, research partners, and program data systems to inform improvements. However, human services programs do not consistently engage families for their feedback during continuous improvement processes.
This brief describes practices from across the human services field that can inspire novel approaches to engaging families during program improvement, especially in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child support programs.
In this brief, we highlight:
- Key findings from a scan of academic and non-academic literature, including guidebooks and frameworks, related to collecting and using family input in human services programs.
- Findings from discussions with program leaders from state, local, and Tribal human services agencies that collect and apply families’ input to their program operations.
We detail current practices for gathering input from families, how programs infuse that input into program policies and service delivery, and approaches to build trust with families throughout the process.
Purpose
Most people working in human services accept that gathering and using family input improves direct service programs. However, this approach is still emerging and has a limited evidence base. Some human services programs already engage families in program improvement regularly, but this practice is less common in TANF and child support programs.
This brief summarizes available literature and practice wisdom on gathering and using family input in program improvement across the human services field, with a particular focus on TANF and child support programs. It provides concrete examples and considerations for practitioners and administrators of child support, TANF, and other human services programs interested in engaging families in program improvement.
Key Findings and Highlights
- Human services programs, including TANF and child support, vary widely in how they engage families in their program improvement efforts. There is variation in the amount of power families have in program improvement decision-making, the length of time programs engage families in the process, and how many families they engage.
- Building and maintaining trust with families is an essential component in authentically and meaningfully engaging with families to improve human services programs.
- Most of what we know about how human services programs involve families in their program improvement efforts comes from the field, not from documented research.
Methods
We developed this brief based on a scan of academic and non-academic literature and interviews with human services programs currently gathering and using family input.
We identified relevant literature through targeted internet searches using relevant keywords; by reviewing federal, state, and local agency websites; and through recommendations from federal agency staff and experts in the field. We screened and prioritized literature that discussed gathering, using, or building trust with families for providing input in practice-based contexts.
We also interviewed four human services programs about their family input initiatives, including:
- Colorado Department of Human Services, Family Voice Council
- Quinault Indian National Tribal TANF Program
- Baltimore City Health Department, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Baltimore Health Corps
- Clark County, Ohio, Department of Job and Family Services, Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program, Life in Transition Group
Citation
Rau, Lisa, Bethany Boland, and Jeanette Holdbrook (2022). Gathering and Using Family Input to Improve Child Support and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Services: Approaches from the Human Services Field, OPRE Report # 2022-177, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- Program improvement or continuous quality improvement:
- a systematic change process designed to lead to measurable improvements in program outcomes, effectiveness, efficiency, performance, and accountability