Variations in Maternal and Child Wellbeing Among Financially Eligible Mothers by TANF Participation Status

Publication Date:

Publisher: Center for Research on Child Wellbeing

Author(s): N.E. Reichman; J.O. Teitler; I. Garfinkel; S. Garcia

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

Proponents of welfare reform legislation often point to the halving of the welfare rolls as a compelling sign of the act's success. It is premature to claim success, however, without first examining how both participation and non-participation in the welfare program are affecting poor families in this complex new environment. In this article, one of a series on The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the authors examine the effects of welfare participation on the hardships faced by mothers (with infant children) who are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). For this purpose, the authors use a sample of mothers who completed both the baseline and one year follow-up interviews and also were eligible for TANF during the intervening year. One of the most striking findings of this study is that about 45 percent of the eligible women chose not to participate in TANF. The reasons for this nonparticipation are doubtlessly varied and complex, but the authors speculate that they may include difficulties encountered during the application process or a desire not to accrue time towards TANF's five-year lifetime limit. It is unclear how this finding translates into their children's outcomes. The authors find no evidence of immediate adverse impacts on child health, and data on long-term outcomes resulting from TANF non-participation is incomplete as of yet. Nevertheless, the three- and five-year waves of the Fragile Families Study will provide information that may shed light on the long-term effects of time limits, sanctions and other restrictions in welfare services.