The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection can support the work of policymakers and advocates. Research using data from 2004 to 2016 shows that states that adopted any of seven restrictive TANF policies in those years saw increases in the incidence of child neglect and foster care placement. In this resource, NCCP provides an updated scorecard of the same policies in 2024, demonstrating which states effectively protect more children and families through access to much- needed cash assistance while re-framing each policy in terms of expanded access rather than restriction.
A 50-State Comparison of TANF Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection
- Post author Karen Chatfield, Daniel Ferguson, Lauren Hecht
- Project Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms;
- Publication Type Fact Sheet
- Post date March 24, 2025