THE TANF POLICY

The TANF Policy

The TANF Policy

Q1- Provide a summary of The TANF Policy

Ans. Ans. In the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, social welfare in the United States tended to be operated mostly by private and religious organizations. The original concepts of social welfare were based upon protestant ethics along with liberal values. It was believed that only people of “weak character” could become poverty stricken. At this time, the American ideal was to be a “self made man”, meaning that a person was able to succeed by living independently and not looking for help from anyone. During this time, people relied on the concept of neighborhood assistance, meaning that people would rely on people they knew as well as on their families, neighbors, and others in the community. Most of the private and religious organizations' attitudes were held against state run welfare programs. They claimed individual help with goods to be much more effective than financial help from the government. (Joel Blau, 2007 Pp. 293)

In 1935, the Social Security Act was implemented for the first time and it was done under Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. When Social Security Act was first introduced, it was an emergency program for people who suffered from the effects of the Great Depression. However, soon after the implementation, it became the basis of the federal welfare system. The three major provisions covered under the Social Security Act included a national contributory old age insurance which is federally required, state-run unemployment insurance and federally subsidized public assistance. Joel Blau, 2007 PP. 293)

Public assistance programs already existed in certain states in the early 1930s. Assistance for the elderly poor and for dependent children was the most important of these programs. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) became the most important program, and it was organized and financed by the states and communities and supported by federal grants. Coverage and benefits varied considerably across the states, generally providing the least to the poorest people in the poorest states and leaving many impoverished families without any coverage at all. The primary goal of AFDC was to provide economic support for children whose parent (usually the father) had died, had left, or had become disabled. The legislators thought that paying AFDC to mothers with children was a better alternative than paying to care for the children in orphanages, where many poor mothers had been forced to put their children when they could not afford to take care of them (Joel Blau, 2007 Pp. 294).

As of 1990, states that operated AFDC were required to offer AFDC to children in two-parent families who were needy because one or both of their parents were unemployed. This program was called AFDC-UP (unemployed parent). Eligibility for AFDC-UP was limited to the families in which the principal wage earner was unemployed but had a history of working. AFDC-UP was intended to eliminate one of the major critics of the AFDC program. Previously, recipients were eligible for AFDC in many cases ...