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• Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). • Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF).

The WorkFirst Partnership drives collaboration and innovation across agencies, with direction coming from agency leadership, the Washington state Legislature, as well as a task force comprised of Washington Legislative and Executive agency leadership – known as the Legislative-Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force.

ESD provides labor exchange (Wagner-Peyser) services for WorkFirst participants. Community and technical colleges provide a variety of vocational education and subsidized work experience options. Commerce provides subsidized jobs and unpaid work experience opportunities for participants with barriers to employment. DCYF operates a subsidized child care program for low-income working families including those participating in WorkFirst and Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET). DCYF also manages the state-funded pre-kindergarten program, a home visiting system and other family strengthening services for low-income, at-risk, pregnant, or parenting families, including those receiving TANF. DSHS’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) serves WorkFirst participants who qualify for their services. Post-TANF families may also be eligible for services through Washington’s BFET program up to its eligibility threshold of 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

In the TANF program, the education and training options for parents are directed by state policies captured in state statute and rule and subsequent process rules which may be federally or state driven that don’t apply to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) core programs. This includes the 12-month limit on federally countable stand-alone vocational education and the 30% cap for vocational education participation. On the other hand, strengths of the TANF funding stream include the ability to provide tuition assistance and child care for parents engaged in approved education and training activities.

Historically, previous to WIOA, the one-stop workforce development system in Washington State did not prioritize providing services to individuals with the range of barriers to employment identified in WIOA, who can be found in disproportionate numbers on the TANF caseload. With the expanded number of partners represented in this Combined State Plan, and the efficiencies that go with improved coordination, Washington State seeks to improve its capacity to serve these disadvantaged populations. This will be accomplished through intentional work at both the local and state levels and through the articulation of partnerships, services and strategies within Memoranda of Understandings, and local plans.

(d) Take such reasonable steps as the State deems necessary to restrict the use and disclosure of information about individuals and families receiving assistance under the program attributable to funds provided by the Federal Government (section 402(a)(1)(A)(iv) of the Social Security Act).

Washington has established confidentiality rules and procedures within the guidelines provided under state (RCW 74.04.060, 74.04.062) and federal law. The following changes have been made in response to state and federal welfare reform legislation.

Washington has revised confidentiality provisions that expand access to customer records by law enforcement officials. Specifically, in accordance with the Social Security Act, the DSHS will disclose the