• TANF - Legislation and Rules
  • 2005 TANF Reauthorization Provisions
  • TANF - The Family Violence Option
  • TANF - General
• Implementation of the Family Violence Option
  • The Family Violence Option: State by State Summary
  • NRCDV Policy and Practice Papers
  • National Studies and Reports
  • State Studies and Reports
• Welfare-to-Work and Domestic Violence
• Curricula and Training Materials
• Research – Welfare and Domestic Violence

2005 TANF Reauthorization Provisions

• TANF, Healthy Marriage, and Responsible Fatherhood Provisions DOC (7 p.) PDF (7 p.)
  This document includes an excerpt of the Subtitle A – TANF provisions included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 signed into law on 2/8/06. More detailed analysis and resources will be posted soon. [More Info]

TANF - The Family Violence Option

• Not Enough: What TANF Offers Family Violence Victims PDF (39 p.) by Timothy Casey, Jill Davies, Annika Gifford, and Anne Menard, Legal Momentum & The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (March 2010)
  Report on findings from a survey of 600 domestic violence, legal aid, and anti-poverty agency staff where 14% said that the TANF family violence responses work well in their states, and 43% said fewer than half of victims were able to access benefits. [More Info]

• Family Violence Option and Hardship Exception 42 U.S.C. Sec. 602(a)(7) and 42 U.S.C. Sec. 608(a)(7)(C)(iii) HTML
  [More Info]

• Excerpts from the TANF Final Rule: Preamble and Regulations Related to Domestic Violence PDF (18 p.) RTF (18 p.) by Compiled by Jenny Schultz Pappariella, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
  This document is the NRCDV’s compilation of domestic violence provisions included as part of the 4/12/99 TANF Final Rules, developed to assist advocates to become familiar with the TANF Final Rule. [More Info]

• HHS Summary of TANF Final Rules HTML (released on 4/12/99 and effective 10/1/99)
  This document is a 7-page summary of Final Rules issued by HHS. The summary includes a discussion of those sections of the Final Rule related to state implementation of the Family Violence Option (FVO) (see pp. 2-3). [More Info]

TANF - General

• HHS Guidance to States on Application of TANF Final Rules HTML by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (June 18, 1999)
  A 2-page memo to states addressing some of the questions raised by states related to the TANF Final Rules released on 4/12/99. [More Info]

• TANF Fact Sheet HTML by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (September 2000)
  A 2-page overview of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families developed by the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [More Info]

• HHS Summary of TANF Final Rules HTML (released on 4/12/99 and effective 10/1/99)
  This document is a 7-page summary of Final Rules issued by HHS. The summary includes a discussion of those sections of the Final Rule related to state implementation of the Family Violence Option (FVO) (see pp. 2-3). [More Info]

• Family Violence Option HTML
  The full text of the Family Violence Option, and amendment to the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. [More Info]

The Family Violence Option: State by State Summary

• The Family Violence Option: State by State Summary PDF (28 p.) by Legal Momentum (2004)
  This report includes a brief description of the federal FVO, accompanied by a state-by-state chart that indicates whether the state has chosen to adopt the FVO, and, if so, how they have chosen to implement it. [More Info]

NRCDV Policy and Practice Papers

• The New Welfare Law: Implications for Battered Women, Introduction to the Law PDF (10 p.) HTML by Jill Davies, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (October 1996)
  Provides basic introduction to the U.S. federal welfare law, PRWORA of 1996 - provides information about this "welfare law" and its potential effects on battered women and their children. [More Info]

• The New Welfare Law: State Implementation and Use of the Family Violence Option PDF (39 p.) HTML by Jill Davies, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (January 1997)
  This paper explores the impact of implementing the U.S. federal welfare law, PRWORA of 1996. It looks at how the use of the FVO and the federal block grant program, TANF, might effect battered women and their children. [More Info]

• Building Opportunities for Battered Women's Safety and Self-Sufficiency PDF (20 p.) HTML by Jill Davies, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (1998)
  This practice paper provides background information about domestic violence and describes options battered women need available to them in order to be safe and more economically independent. [More Info]

• Family Violence Protocol Development for TANF and Child Support Agencies PDF (19 p.) HTML by Jill Davies, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (1998)
  This paper provides detailed guidance on developing family violence protocols within welfare settings. It is written to assist domestic violence advocates and state administrators implementing PRWORA [More Info]

National Studies and Reports

• TANF: State Approaches to Screening for Domestic Violence Could Benefit from HHS Guidance PDF (46 p.) by United States Government Accountability Office (August 2005)
  [GAO-05-701 ] This recent Government Accounting Office (GAO) report on federal and state implementation of the Family Violence Option recommends that HHS identify and promote promising practices. [More Info]

• Screening and Assessment in TANF/Welfare-to-Work: Local Answers to Difficult Questions HTML (6 p.) by Terri Thompson, Asheley Van Ness, Carolyn T. O'Brien, Urban Institute (March 2001)
  Examines screening and assessment issues related to barriers to employment among TANF recipients, including dv, substance abuse, mental health, and disabilities. Full Report (107 p.) [PDF] [More Info]

• Strategies for Addressing the Needs of Domestic Violence Victims within the TANF Program: The Experience of Seven Counties HTML (10 p.) by Martha Burt, Janine M. Zweig, and Kathryn Schlichter, Urban Institute (2000)
  This report summarizes what states were doing about the FVO, and examines daily operations of TANF and child support programs on the issue of dv. Full Report (115 p.) [PDF] [More Info]

• Keeping Battered Women Safe Through the Welfare to Work Journey: How are We Doing? A Report on the Implementation of Policies for Battered Women in State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) PDF (40 p.) by Jody Raphael and Sheila Haennicke, Taylor Institute (now Center for Impact Research) (1999)
  The report explores state level FVO implementation issues and begins to identify promising practices. [More Info]

State Studies and Reports

• Welfare on WorkFirst: Serving Victims on Public Assistance in Washington State PDF (60 p.) by Tyra Lindquist, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (June 2001)
  The findings and recommendations are based on eleven months of experience working in the field with partners in 19 pilot projects. Appendices (187 p.) [PDF] [More Info]

• Self-Sufficiency and Safety: The Case for Onsite Domestic Violence Services at Employment Services Agencies PDF (28 p.) PDF (7 p.) by L. McKean (October 2004)
  This document reports findings from a collaborative project of DV agencies and employment services agencies in Houston, Chicago, and Seattle. The report highlights experiences and barriers to work of DV, service needs, and outcomes. [More Info]

• Addressing Domestic Violence as a Barrier to Work: Building Collaborations between Domestic Violence Service Providers and Employment Services Agencies PDF (31 p.) PDF (7 p.) by L. McKean, Center for Impact Research (October 2004)
  This report summarizes lessons learned from a collaborative project of DV agencies and employment services agencies in Houston, Chicago, and Seattle. The report describes and recommends practices including collaboration, training, and screening/referral. [More Info]

• Research & Evaluation on Violence Against Women: Battering, Work, & Welfare, Final Grant Report PDF (157 p.) by Lisa Brush and Lorraine Higgins, National Institute of Justice NCJ 205021 (2004)
  This research project sought to understand - from the perspectives of welfare recipients - the obstacles women face and the strengths and resources poor women bring to their struggles for safety and solvency. [More Info]

• Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women's Labor Force Participation, Final Report PDF (136 p.) by Stephanie Riger and Susan Staggs, National Institute of Justice NCJ 207143 (2004)
  This study assesses the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on labor force participation of welfare recipients and examines whether change in economic status affects violence levels. [More Info]

• Recommendations for Training TANF and Child Support Enforcement Staff about Domestic Violence PDF (27 p.) HTML by Jill Davies, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (December 2000)
  This paper provides an overview of legal and policy context for domestic violence training, presents suggestions for effective teaching, and defines the concept of a "basic response to domestic violence." [More Info]

• Welfare and Domestic Violence Against Women: Lessons from Research PDF (14 p.) HTML by Eleanor Lyon, VAWnet: The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (August 2002)
  This paper provides a summary of the research on the connections between poverty, public assistance, employment, and violence against women. Implications for working with battered women who receive TANF are discussed in detail. [More Info]

• A Review of Research on Welfare and Domestic Violence PDF (47 p.) by Richard Tolman, University of Michigan, and Jody Raphael, Center for Impact Research (2000)
  This paper reviews the growing body of research literature on domestic violence and welfare in several key areas and examines the relevance of the research for practice and policy, particularly for the implementation of the Family Violence Option. [More Info]

• Monitoring Domestic Violence Policy and Practice in State Welfare Programs: The Role of Community-Based Groups and Providers, A How-to-Guide PDF (35 p.) by Pamela Jons, Center for Impact Research (1999)
  This paper offers basic guidance to community-based groups and service providers to use in conducting research and gathering information on welfare polices and practices related to domestic violence. [More Info]

• Research & Evaluation on Violence Against Women: Battering, Work, & Welfare, Final Grant Report PDF (157 p.) by Lisa Brush and Lorraine Higgins, National Institute of Justice NCJ 205021 (2004)
  This research project sought to understand - from the perspectives of welfare recipients - the obstacles women face and the strengths and resources poor women bring to their struggles for safety and solvency. [More Info]

• Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women's Labor Force Participation, Final Report PDF (136 p.) by Stephanie Riger and Susan Staggs, National Institute of Justice NCJ 207143 (2004)
  This study assesses the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on labor force participation of welfare recipients and examines whether change in economic status affects violence levels. [More Info]

• Violence Against Women: The Role of Welfare Reform PDF (13 p.) PDF (109 p.) by Daniel Chandler, Joan Meisel, and Sandra Naylor Goodwin, National Institutes of Justice NCJ 205791 (2004)
  Using survey research in two California counties, this study documents high rates of domestic violence among welfare recipients, and its impact. Full Report (109 p.) PDF [More Info]