GAO discussed its investigation of the status of integration of services for low-income families and states' views on actions needed to enhance such integration. GAO surveyed states' views on four types of service integration applicable to a variety of public assistance programs, including: (1) collocation of delivery units; (2) coapplication; (3) coeligibility determinations; and (4) single case managers. GAO noted that: (1) states reported substantial integration among the Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Medicaid, Food Stamp, and Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children programs, and lesser integration of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance and Section 8 Housing Assistance programs; (2) program differences and coordination problems at the federal level present obstacles to greater service integration; and (3) states believe that such actions as combining and simplifying program administration procedures, improving coordination among federal and legislative committees, and increasing funding for service integration can greatly enhance service integration. GAO suggested that actions which focus on target groups, analyze program differences, and identify options for standardizing or eliminating such differences can greatly enhance state service integration efforts.

This edited volume will look at new approaches for enhancing the work-family interface individually and in the firm. It will look at ways to improve quality of life for women and men in the work forces globally. The contributors offer international resea

Research in recent decades has proven that the seemingly disparate worlds of family life and the workplace are in fact closely intertwined. Moreover, scholars have begun to recognize the extent to which community life influences the work-family interface, for instance, the lack of fit between school hours and work hours, and assistance provided by community-based child care services. Work, Family, and Community is the first to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of the theoretical and empirical research that has examined the complex interconnections among these domains. This book integrates literature from several disciplines, including sociology, industrial-organizational and occupational health psychology, human development and family studies, management, gender studies, and social work. It documents significant patterns and trends in the economy and looks at the health of communities and neighborhoods, exploring the level of social integration, availability of community services, and the extent to which such services meet the needs of working families. Author Patricia Voydanoff takes an important step in conceptualizing the components and processes that comprise the work-family-community relationship, and provides direction for future theoretical and empirical work on the topic. This volume speaks to scholars, researchers, and students who address the theoretical, empirical, and policy-relevant issues associated with the work-family-community interface.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America's future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children's ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society. A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty reviews the research on linkages between child poverty and child well-being, and analyzes the poverty-reducing effects of major assistance programs directed at children and families. This report also provides policy and program recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to states for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). TANF funding and program authority were extended through FY2010 by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA, P.L. 109-171). TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion to the 50 states and District of Columbia, and $0.1 billion to U.S. territories. Additionally, 17 states qualify for supplemental grants that total $319 million. TANF also requires states to contribute from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children -- this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner "reasonably calculated" to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. Though TANF is a block grant, there are some strings attached to states' use of funds, particularly for families receiving "assistance" (essentially cash welfare). States must meet TANF work participation standards or be penalised by a reduction in their block grant. The law sets standards stipulating that at least 50% of all families and 90% of two-parent families must be participating, but these statutory standards are reduced for declines in the cash welfare caseload. (Some families are excluded from the participation rate calculation.) Activities creditable toward meeting these standards are focused on work or are intended to rapidly attach welfare recipients to the workforce; education and training is limited. Federal TANF funds may not be used for a family with an adult that has received assistance for 60 months. This is the five-year time limit on welfare receipt. However, up to 20% of the caseload may be extended beyond the five years for reason of "hardship", with hardship defined by the states. Additionally, states may use funds that they must spend to meet the TANF MOE to aid families beyond five years. TANF work participation rules and time limits do not apply to families receiving benefits and services not considered "assistance". Child care, transportation aid, state earned income tax credits for working families, activities to reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, activities to promote marriage and two-parent families, and activities to help families that have experienced or are "at risk" of child abuse and neglect are examples of such "nonassistance".