Change Memo - Add 3 Sites

MEMORANDUM

TO: Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

FROM: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) DATE: 7/9/2018

SUBJECT: Request for Substantive Change to the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations OMB Package (OMB Control Number 0970-0506)

This memo summarizes a substantive change we would like to make to the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations OMB Package (OMB Control Number 0970-0506) to include additional programs in the evaluation. The 30-day Federal Register Notice for this change is included with this request.

Including additional programs in the evaluation

We have identified three additional programs suitable for inclusion in the evaluation and we have adjusted the burden and cost estimates to reflect the total burden and cost of evaluating these additional three programs. These additional programs increase the diversity of employment coaching implementation approaches and target populations for programs included in the evaluation. As a result, including them will expand the contribution of the evaluation to our understanding of the effectiveness of coaching for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and related populations.

The three additional programs identified for participation in the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations are: Work Success, Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS); LIFT; and Goal4 It!, Jefferson County, Colorado. Below we include additional information about each program. Each program would recruit 1,000 sample members for an additional 3,000 sample members for the impact component of the evaluation. We would also collect implementation data from these three sites using previously approved instruments (interviews with program staff, staff survey, in-depth interviews with clients, staff reports of program service receipt, and video recordings of coaching sessions). We updated the burden estimates associated with baseline data collection accordingly in the revised Supporting Statement A (Table A.3).

Work Success, Utah Department of Workforce Services

Work Success is an employment coaching program administered by Utah’s Department of Workforce Services—an agency that oversees TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and other workforce programs. The program is offered statewide in about 30 employment centers (American Job Centers) with one or two coaches per center. The program served about 1,350 clients in 2016, largely concentrated in the greater Salt Lake City area. The objective of the program is to improve employment outcomes by focusing on job placement. Each participant is assigned a coach, who works with them to set goals and review their progress toward goals. The Work Success coach meets with clients daily, one-on-one while they are in the program to discuss their individual goals, steps they will take to achieve those goals, and any challenges they are facing. Coaching also happens in group settings where the coach engages the group in soft skills trainings, identification of skills and strengths, and other group activities.

LIFT

LIFT is a national non-profit that provides coaching and navigation services to clients in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. For the purposes of our evaluation, the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles subsites would be aggregated and considered a single LIFT site. LIFT’s goal is to help clients find a path toward goal achievement and financial security by matching them with coaches. Clients set short-term and long-term goals and the coach helps clients build an action plan to achieve those goals. The LIFT coaching approach is nondirective and allows clients to choose the goals and milestones they want to work on. LIFT clients are expected to meet with a coach on a regular basis for up to two years. During the first month of the program, clients typically have two or three in-person sessions with a coach. After the first month, clients meet with coaches monthly to discuss progress toward goals and obstacles that are impeding progress. These sessions typically last 60 to 90 minutes.

Goal4 It!, Jefferson County, Colorado

Goal4 It! is an evidence-informed, customer-centered framework for setting and achieving goals developed by Mathematica Policy Research. It was designed to be a replicable and sustainable coaching approach that can be used in a TANF, workforce, or other social service environment. Using the Goal4 It! approach, trained coaches help clients set meaningful goals, break goals down into manageable steps, develop specific plans to achieve the steps, and regularly review goal progress and revise their goal and/or plan. Coaches and case managers meet with clients who are not working at least once per month and meet with clients who are working at least once every two months. They typically meet more often with clients who are in crisis or actively looking for a job. The first meeting is usually for one hour. Ongoing meetings are 30 or 45 minutes long. Each coach and case manager serves about 45 clients.

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