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Post-Assistance Self-Sufficiency (PASS) Program

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Post-Assistance Self-Sufficiency (PASS) Program is a year-long voluntary program to promote job retention and advancement among working individuals who recently left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The program is part of the Employment Retention and Advancement project, funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and is also supported by the U.S. Department of Labor. The PASS program was developed by the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) as a complement to programming serving TANF recipients. The PASS program provides postemployment services and payments to help clients keep their jobs, stay off TANF, and find jobs with better pay, hours, benefits, and career advancement opportunities. PASS includes case management (needs assessment and referral), counseling and mentoring, reemployment activities (supervised job search, resume preparation, and provision of job leads), life skills workshops, referrals to education and training slots, arranging supportive payments (for child care, transportation, or uniforms), and referral to social service programs (domestic violence, substance abuse, or mental health care).

Goal / Mission

The goal of the PASS Program is to promote job retention and advancement among individuals leaving the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

Impact

The PASS program did not meet the goal of having its participants retain their initial jobs. However, PASS did result in PASS participants being more likely to find new jobs (occasionally with higher earnings) after having lost or moved on from previous jobs.

Results / Accomplishments

The PASS Program was evaluated by the MDRC using a randomized controlled trial in a report that covers 2,770 single-parent sample members over a two-year follow-up period. Over two years, 47% of the PASS group received program services, compared with 8% of the control group. Significantly more PASS members were ever employed in the measurement period (86% vs. 82%, p < 0.01) and the average quarterly employment was significantly higher among PASS members (62% vs. 58%, p < 0.01). The PASS program significantly increased total earnings when compared to the control group ($18,368 vs. $16,578, p < 0.01), and significantly more PASS members earned over $20,000 (40% vs. 35%, p < 0.01). PASS and control group members left their initial jobs, held at time of random assignment, at an equal rate. Thus, no evidence suggests PASS had on impact on initial job retention or advancement. PASS also did not have a statistically significant impact on TANF or food stamp receipt in Year 1.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Riverside County Department of Public Social Services
Primary Contact
Riverside County Department of Public Social Services
4060 County Circle Drive
Riverside, CA 92503
(951) 358-3000
dpssinquiry@riversidedpss.org
Topics
Economy / Employment
Economy / Government Assistance
Economy / Income
Organization(s)
Riverside County Department of Public Social Services
Source
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC)
Date of publication
May 2007
Date of implementation
2000
Location
Riverside, CA
For more details
http://www.mdrc.org/publication/results-post-assis...
Target Audience
Adults, Families

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.