More for Kid$! Collaborative Strategies Project
The More for Kid$! Project, a joint initiative between UW researchers at IRP and Wisconsin Department of Children and Families officials, was designed to provide W-2 (Wisconsin’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program) and Child Support Enforcement (CSE) staff with the information and tools they need to accurately communicate with clients about both programs and to better work together to serve Wisconsin families. A sustainable collaborative structure was created that fosters better understanding, more acceptance, and increased interaction between these two programs. Specific efforts include more extensive worker training and outreach to program participants and other stakeholders.
Outcomes
Wisconsin’s low-income single-parent families are better informed about welfare and child support policies and therefore receive more assistance—More for Kid$!—as they move toward economic self-sufficiency. County front-line staff from both W-2 and CSE will use the programs’ new collaborative paradigm to improve service to families, be continually informed of policy changes as they occur, and learn that their collaboration is vital to the success of the families with whom they interact.
Focus Areas
Project Leader
Maria Cancian
Associate Dean, Social Sciences, and Professor of Public Affairs and Social Work
- Department/Unit
- Institute for Research on Poverty
- School or College
- College of Letters & Science