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Reach Up Annual Report 2020 4

Introduction

Department for Children and Families (DCF) submits this report pursuant to 33 V.S.A § 1134, which requires that annually by January 31st, DCF report to the Governor and the General Assembly on progress achieving the goals in 33 V.S.A. § 1002, § 1102, and §1202 in the past year. The following sections in this report correspond to the numerical paragraphs under subsection 1134.

Highlights and Changes in 2019

Goal-Oriented Coaching Approach The Reach Up program continues to work with Mathematica Policy Research on developing and refining strategies to help participants succeed in entering the workforce. “Mathematica Policy Research is a pioneering nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving public well-being.” More information about Mathematica is available here: https://www.mathematica-mpr.com/about- mathematica. In the last year, the program has also been honored to receive expert technical assistance from Dr. LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D., of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Dr. Pavetti has been researching and implementing solutions for TANF programs for the last 20 years.

Reach Up case managers use a strength-based, coaching model of case management, in which a mutually trusting and respectful relationship is built. Recently, case managers transitioned to using a goal-setting tool called “Stepping Stones,” which includes questions about family and child well-being. This tool was chosen specifically to complement the movement in Reach Up towards a science-based approach to helping participants achieve their goals. Coaching builds upon intrinsic motivation to help participants pursue goals which are personally meaningful to them. Empowering participants in this way increases their level of trust in their case manager, enabling case managers to more easily determine the strengths and challenges of each family, and connect them to appropriate resources. Setting and achieving goals is also key to strengthening critical core adult capabilities needed for financial stability, family well-being, and healthy parenting.2 The development of responsive relationships between case managers and participants models the healthy relationships needed within families to mitigate the effects of stress.3 This work has been guided and facilitated by nationally renowned experts from Mathematica Policy Research and Dr. LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D., of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, and uses research to inform best practices. Benefit Increase The Department calculates a basic needs standard that is based on needs considered essential to all individuals. These needs include food, shelter, clothing, fuel, utilities, personal incidentals, and special needs. For more than a decade the basic needs standard remained at the 2004 level. In August 2019, the Department implemented an increased basic need standard deduction, allowing Reach Up participants to be able to cover more of their combined basic needs. The basic need standard changed to the 2008 level as follows4:

2 The Science of Adult Capabilities, https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/adult-capabilities/ 3 Goal 4 It: Science-Informed Approach to Achieving Economic Independence, Michelle Derr, Ph.D. and Jonathan McCay, Mathematica Policy Research 4 To calculate the grant, the basic needs standard is added to the shelter standard (up to $450), and then the sum is “ratably reduced” by 49.6%.