Citation
Bloom, D., Hendra, R., Martinson, K., & Scrivener, S. (2005). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: Early results from four sites. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [South Carolina]
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to estimate the impact of pre- and post-employment job supports and intensive case management on former welfare recipients’ employment and benefits receipt outcomes after one year. The South Carolina site was one of 16 sites nationwide that participated in the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project.
- The authors randomly assigned 1,839 people who had recently left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to either a treatment group (Moving Up) that received ERA services or a control group that could participate in other employment-related programs in the community. The authors analyzed data from Unemployment Insurance (UI), TANF, and Food Stamps administrative records.
- The study did not find any statistically significant effects of Moving Up on employment, earnings, or benefits receipt one year after random assignment.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we would be confident that any estimated effects are attributable to Moving Up and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
The Employment Retention and Advancement Project, South Carolina
Features of the Intervention
The ERA project was introduced in 1999 as a nationwide exploration of factors that help welfare recipients not only find employment but retain their positions and advance in their careers. South Carolina was one of 16 sites across the United States to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement a program intended to improve welfare recipients’ employment outcomes.
South Carolina’s ERA program, the Moving Up program, provided participants in six rural counties with individualized case management services. It provided pre- or post-employment services, depending on the employment status of program participants. Program activities included counseling on career goals and job readiness, job search assistance, short-term education or training, child care and transportation assistance, and/or mental health and other support services. Moving Up was optional; therefore, to promote engagement, it offered modest incentives, including cash rewards or gift certificates for reaching specific benchmarks (such as finding or holding a job, getting a promotion, completing education or training activities, and so forth).
Features of the Study
From September 2001 to January 2003, about 2,776 single parents who had exited TANF in the past three years were randomly assigned to either a treatment group, which received ERA services, or a control group, which could participate in other programs typically offered in the community. Eligible participants included both employed and unemployed individuals. This study focused on the 1,839 people who had been randomly assigned by June 2002.
The authors estimated employment and earnings impacts by comparing UI wage records of treatment and control group members during the first year after random assignment. The authors also calculated program impacts for benefits receipt measures using TANF and Food Stamps administrative records one year after random assignment.
Findings
- The study did not find any statistically significant effects of Moving Up on employment, earnings, and benefits receipt one year after random assignment.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we would be confident that any estimated effects are attributable to Moving Up and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects.