Six employment and training organizations implemented the Fathers at Work Initiative. All sites offered three strategies: employment services, fatherhood workshops, and child support services. Each site had flexibility to determine how services were provided and diverged in how they provided skills training, the intensity of available fatherhood services, and the way they worked with child support agencies.
PFS was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program.
The TWC’s transitional jobs program began with a two-week orientation, and from 2004 to 2007, the TWC paid participants a stipend of $25 for each day of orientation that they attended. The TWC staff then used information from interest assessments and other orientation tools to place participants in a transitional, subsidized job where the TWC paid them minimum wage. The TWC also trained on-site partners to mentor participants in the workplace. Participants worked at those jobs for 25 hours per week for up to six months.
Businesses had to propose the training type and expected benefit of the program to receive a grant. Depending on the business, the trainings could range from 12 weeks to one year. The trainings included on-the-job training to improve employees’ productive work skills and education skills, such as reading, math, and English as a second language.
STEP participants received home visits from community liaisons to identify and mitigate any barriers that might prevent participants from traveling to the program offices. In the program offices, participants were assigned a case coordinator, who conducted assessments to determine barriers to employment. Case coordinators worked with no more than 20 participants at a time. The case coordinator and specialized vocational rehabilitation staff developed a plan to address the barriers, and participants began activities tailored to overcoming their barriers.
CAP was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program.
The program had three main goals: (1) to increase the employment and earnings of unemployed or underemployed noncustodial parents, (2) to increase child support payment, and (3) to support and improve parenting behavior.
Sector-focused career centers also aimed to alter the way that employers recruit, pay, and promote workers. Local employers in each industry helped design the centers to ensure that they addressed the specific skills workers need in that sector. The Center for Economic Opportunity operated three sector-focused career centers: Workforce1 Transportation Career Center, Workforce1 Manufacturing Career Center, and Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center, each through partnerships with multiple community employers.
As part of the program, clinically oriented staff, such as psychologists or social workers, conducted a two- to three-hour-long substance use assessment to determine the appropriate type of substance use disorder treatment and whether the client was ready to participate in employment-related services. The evaluator assigned a case manager to the client and referred clients to appropriate substance use disorder treatment and other services that addressed clients’ barriers to employment.
