Biomaterial Database

TANF policy: past, present, and future directions. 2006

Gregory Washington, and Michael Sullivan, and Edwina Thomas Washington

University of Tennessee's College of Social Work in Memphis, USA. gwashing@utk.edu

The purpose of this article is to offer a brief and concise history of relevant public welfare policies for a discussion of the effects of public welfare reform, and how it impacts families in ways not comprehensively understood. Social scientists' concerns about the potential for the families to be thrust into an "extreme poverty" status due to the forced workforce participation requirement and expiration of time limited benefits is discussed. A second concern regarding a "one size fits all" approach to work requirements for TANF recipients being unrealistic and insensitive is also discussed. The authors recommend a comprehensive multi-system analysis to determine the impact of welfare reform. There is also a recommendation that the workforce requirements should correlate to an assessment score based on the ability of welfare recipients to function in identified areas. Implications of maintaining a welfare reform policy status quo are identified.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011203	Poverty	A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level.	Federal Poverty Level,Federal Poverty Threshold,Indigency,Low-Income Population,Absolute Poverty,Extreme Poverty,Indigents,Low Income Population,Federal Poverty Levels,Indigent,Level, Federal Poverty,Low Income Populations,Low-Income Populations,Population, Low Income,Population, Low-Income,Poverty Level, Federal,Poverty Threshold, Federal,Poverty, Absolute,Poverty, Extreme
D011640	Public Policy	A course or method of action selected, usually by a government, from among alternatives to guide and determine present and future decisions.	Social Policy,Affirmative Action,Migration Policy,Population Policy,Social Protection,Action, Affirmative,Migration Policies,Policies, Migration,Policies, Population,Policies, Public,Policies, Social,Policy, Migration,Policy, Population,Policy, Public,Policy, Social,Population Policies,Protection, Social,Public Policies,Social Policies
D004651	Employment	The state of being engaged in an activity or service for wages or salary.	Employment Termination,Employment Status,Labor Force,Occupational Status,Status, Occupational,Underemployment,Labor Forces,Status, Employment,Termination, Employment
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012946	Social Welfare	Organized institutions which provide services to ameliorate conditions of need or social pathology in the community.	Community Services,Services, Community,Community Service,Service, Community,Welfare, Social
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D049673	History, 20th Century	Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era.	20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History