Breaking the Cycle: A Special Report by Arkansas Kids Count

In response to federal welfare reform legislation, Arkansas created the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program in April 1997. The goal of this Kids Count report is to increase awareness regarding issues underlying the early implementation of TEA, focusing on caseload reductions, demographi...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Huddleston, Rich, Duran, Angela
Format: Report
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:In response to federal welfare reform legislation, Arkansas created the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program in April 1997. The goal of this Kids Count report is to increase awareness regarding issues underlying the early implementation of TEA, focusing on caseload reductions, demographic composition of the caseload, level of support provided by state agencies to TEA families, and the impact of TEA on the well-being of children and families. The report describes the experiences of three women with TEA and provides statistical data to highlight the program's early effectiveness. The report notes that the TEA caseload declined by nearly 43 percent since its inception. The approval rate for new applications declined precipitously, and the number of new applications received decreased slightly. Regarding demographics, single-parent TEA cases had the biggest decline in comparison to child-only or two-parent cases, and whites have left the TEA caseload at a much faster rate than other racial groups. Regarding supportive services, child care was the most used support service. Most adult TEA caseheads participated in a work-related activity, with the most common activities being job search JTPA (Job Training Partnership Act) referrals, and unsubsidized employment. Only 50 percent of adults whose TEA cases were closed were employed immediately in the next quarter, with over 80 percent of the employed parents earning wages below the federal poverty line. Although only 40 percent of the closed cases due to noncompliance have had completed home visits to monitor children's well-being, 80 percent of these home visits identified no problem with child well-being. (KB)