Evaluation of the SB 1041 reforms to California's CalWORKS Welfare-to-Work Program : updated findings regarding the initial policy implementation and outcomes / RAND authors, Lois M. Davis [and five others] ; AIR authors, Gabriele Fain ... [and eleven others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davis, Lois M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Aid to families with dependent children programs--California.

Aid to families with dependent children programs.

Welfare recipients--Services for--California.

Welfare recipients.

Child care services--California.

Child care services.

Welfare recipients--Services for.

California.

California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (Program).

Other Title:

Evaluation of the SB 1041 Reforms to California's CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work Program

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2020

Summary:

The California Budget Act of 2012, through trailer Senate Bill (SB) 1041, contained significant reforms to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. CalWORKs is California's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, a central component of the safety net that provides cash aid for low-income families with children. The SB 1041 reforms to CalWORKs aim to engage participants in more-intensive work activities as early as possible, while also providing more flexibility in work activity options and increased incentives for work as participants move toward self-sufficiency. The California legislature included a provision in the bill for an independent evaluation to determine if SB 1041 is achieving its objectives and if there are any unintended consequences. This second evaluation report extends the analyses in the initial evaluation report through updated findings from the process study based on the second wave of the All-County Survey and qualitative data from interviews with county welfare office staff, focus groups with caseworkers, and interviews with CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work (WTW) clients conducted in the six focal counties. Findings from the status, tracking, and impact studies are based on updated and extended analysis of state administrative data. Findings from the first wave of the California Socioeconomic Survey, which will eventually contribute to the impact study, are featured as well. This evaluation report should be relevant for stakeholders in the public and private sectors interested in the CalWORKs program and in the TANF program more generally.