Welfare Reform in California free essay sample

A description of the welfare reform program instituted in California and its effects on the families and children involved. This paper examines the issues concerning the welfare reform and researches what has already been done and how beneficial it has been. The writer claims that to succeed, government programs must firmly guide poor people towards responsible, self-reliant and productive lives. In 1996, the Federal government proposed a Welfare Reform package known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). This replaced a welfare package that had existed since 1935, known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC.) With the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and TANF, AFDCs income maintenance program was replaced with a model meant to move parents into the workforce. The Welfare to Work Act of 1997, AB 1542, established welfare reform in California. The new program was restructured so that welfare would be a temporary support for times of crisis, rather than a way life. We will write a custom essay sample on Welfare Reform in California or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Welfare to Work Act is supposed to encourage and reward those who show responsibility and accountability while on the program. In 2001, cash assistance is no longer an entitlement to low income parents raising children. Cash grants are now time-limited, and parents in need of financial help must meet a number of performance requirements. In the early to mid-1990s, prior to the passage of PRWORA, many states obtained waivers from the federal government that permitted them to put into action reforms to their welfare programs.