Allison De Marco’s research while affiliated with University of California, Berkeley and other places

There is a limited body of knowledge on the role of staff in the implementation of welfare policy, especially how frontline staff members perceive an array of organizational factors and how these factors affect their ability to serve clients. This exploratory study builds upon this limited body of research by capturing staff perceptions of the personal and community resources that are needed to help TANF participants move from welfare to work in California's CalWORKs program. It is based on staff perceptions of welfare-to-work services (from orientation to post-employment services) during the first five years of implementing welfare reform in eleven California county social service agencies (1998–2002). Data were collected from a sample of 292 welfare-to-work staff (line staff, specialists, and supervisors) through the use of a Web-based survey. The findings suggest that several factors impact service delivery, including the work environment, resources, characteristics of program participants, staff control over service provision, and staff knowledge and skills. The implications for practice and future research are identified.

The research examining welfare programs and populations has increased substantially since the enactment and implementation of the Personal Opportunity and Work Responsibility Act (PRWORA), the most substantial change in welfare policy since 1935. This literature review examines studies conducted between 1997 and 2002. It captures the major findings in four principle areas of inquiry: (1) barriers to employment, (2) population characteristics, (3) welfare to work service programs and the impact on service delivery organizations, and (4) outcomes of welfare reform with regard to family well-being and family formation. The review concludes with a research agenda that can guide the next phase of research in a post-welfare reform environment that continues to await federal reauthorization.