Potential Barriers to Work for Substance-Abusing Women on Welfare: Findings from the CASAWORKS for Families Pilot Demonstration

Aim: To assess the prevalence and relationship to later employment of potential barriers to work for substance-abusing women on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) enrolled in a multiservice welfare-to-work program. Design: A field study with repeated measures and intentto-treat sampling. Intervention: The CASAWORKS for Families (CWF) was delivered in 11 sites in nine states across the nation and featured integration of substance-abuse treatment and employment and work readiness services. Measurement: The Addiction Severity Index, supplemented with subject-appropriate questions. Sample: A total of 366 CWF women who completed interviews at program enrollment, and at 6 and 12 months later. Findings: Substance-abusing women on TANF in the CWF program exhibited multiple potential barriers to work at enrollment, averaging 6 out of 14 potential barriers assessed. They reported significantly more obstacles than a general welfare sample of women fromthe same locales. Fewsingle barriers were significantly related to employment at 12 months. However, the total number of potential barriers to work experienced, particularly at 6 months, was related to employment at 12 months.