A separate, but equally rich history of progress in the area of employment, training, and workforce development evolved from the City's prior administration of the Job Training Partnership Act In the years since, and before, its inception, therefore, the Community Programs Department has collaborated with dozens of public and private agencies and organizations, representing all levels in the community.

Among those many collaborations was the Welfare to Work Competitive Grant of $5 million from the Department of Labor in 1998. Using local service providers and coalitions of interested partners in its conception and implementation, the grant has, under the direction of Community Programs staff, provided assessment, case management, skills training, child care, transportation, employment counseling and referral, and follow up for over 650 participants moving from public assistance toward full-time employment.

Workforce Development- WtW Competitive

On August 5, 1997, the President signed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Moving from welfare to work is now one of the primary goals of federal welfare policy.

The City of Little Rock was awarded a competitive grant under this Act, by the U.S. Department of Labor, which has enabled the City to use a work first approach to the provision of services provided.

The Workforce Development Office moves eligible clients into part-time or full-time employment training as quickly as possible and assists in coordination of post-employment support services that are required to transition from welfare to work. Job search itself is a central activity in the services provided. Job coaching and mentoring is used to provide a full-time case managed interactive operation for each client that uses post-employment training activities, such as: life skills, real time problem solving, child care, transportation, health care, abuse counseling or treatment (non-medical), basic skills, housing assistance, and other issues which generate a holistic approach to life long earnings for a client.

Client placement is encouraged through the use of on-the -job training contracts, which by their concept, require employers to hire clients upon completion of training. Based on client needs or program objectives, current worksites in demand with positive evaluations will continue to be used. New worksites are developed through program staff visits, marketing efforts, and coordination with other agencies.

Additionally, procedures to insure placement retention of clients in unsubsidized jobs resulting in increased earnings and reduced welfare payments are implemented through contractual agreements which have a placement performance.

The Fatherhood Initiative

The City of Little Rock's Welfare to Work Competitive Grant includes a component that offers assistance to fathers who are behind or struggling with their child support and want to avoid the consequences of non-payment. Called the Fatherhood Initiative, it provides vocational education, job readiness, job training, job placement and post-employment activities to non-custodial fathers of children receiving or eligible for TANF. Through this program, the City of Little Rock seeks to form a community-wide collaboration that will address the issues facing non-custodial fathers and promote an ethic of responsible fatherhood in our community.

The research is clear and has been widely announced: the presence of a father factors significantly in the lives of their children, contributing directly to better school performance, reduced substance abuse, less crime and delinquency, fewer emotional and other behavioral problems, less risk of abuse or neglect, and lower risk of teen suicide.*

It should be noted that, although called the Fatherhood Initiative, several non-custodial mothers are also enrolled in the program and more will be actively recruited. While the City remains positive about what the Fatherhood Initiative has accomplished so far, it would like to continue the inroads that have been made, and support both parents seeking a responsible relationship with their children. The City's grant ends, unfortunately, at the end of 2002, and while many mothers have gained valuable experience and employment through its programs, the obstacles keeping some fathers from being good fathers are still out there: lack of education and training, low-paying and low availability of jobs for unskilled persons, substance abuse, criminal records and temptations, lack of soft skills and self-confidence, and many others. The City feels it is in an optimal position to carry on with the original work of the Fatherhood Initiative.

If you would like more information about the City of Little Rock's Welfare to Work Competitive Grant Program or the Fatherhood Initiative, please call or write:

Doris Turner
Workforce Development Administrator
125 West 4th, Third Floor
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-918-3940
Fax: 372-0183
dturner@littlerock.state.ar.us