101210: Barriers to Employment Among TANF Applicants and Their Consequences for Self-Sufficiency

About the Course:

This article examines the prevalence of potential barriers to employment using data from a longitudinal study of 1,075 Milwaukee County parents who applied for assistance from Wisconsin’s TANF program in 1999. It also examines whether those potential barriers were related to their subsequent employment and earnings. We find that many of these TANF applicants faced significant and often multiple barriers to employment. Moreover, these potential barriers were associated with both a reduction in their likelihood of being employed and lower earnings when they worked. The implications of these findings for welfare policy and practice are discussed. COURSE SYLLABUS I. Prior Research on Potential Barriers to Employment II. The Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study III. Measures IV. Findings V. Discussion VI. Limitations VII. Policy and Practice Implications

Journal/Publisher:

Families in Society

Publication Date:

2007/Vol. 88, No. 3

Authors

Amy Dworksy, PhD,; Mark E. Courtney, PhD

About the Authors:

Senior Researcher, Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago

Ballmer Chair in Well-Being, the University of Washington School of Social Work

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, psychologists, and other human services and behavioral health professionals who seek knowledge about working with clients on TANF and other welfare policies. It is appropriate for participants with beginning and intermediate levels of knowledge about the topic.

Course Objectives:

1. 1. Identify potential barriers to employment among TANF applicants as associated with both a reduction in their likelihood of being employed and lower earnings when they worked.

2. 2. Provide policy and practice implications for professionals helping individuals and families become self-sufficient.