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Survey Results of States Using the Southern Institute Information Outreach Brochures and Videos

Southern Institute on Children and Families; June 1999

Background

In February 1997, the Southern Institute on Children and Families received a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work with 17 southern states and the District of Columbia to improve access to benefits for low income families. As part of the project, the Southern Institute provided technical assistance to 13 states and DC to enable them to replicate the information outreach brochures developed by the Southern Institute through the use of 27 focus groups in Georgia and North Carolina. Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee were already using the outreach brochures. The project also developed videos to be used in conjunction with the outreach brochures.

The three information outreach brochures and accompanying videos are:

"Leaving Welfare for Work Isn’t As Scary As It Seems." This brochure and video are for use with families on cash assistance to help them understand that they do not have to be on welfare in order to receive benefits that can help them meet the needs of their children while working in low wage/no benefit jobs. They are ideal for review with welfare families at redetermination interviews and in job readiness classes. The brochure and video outline benefits available to families during the transitional period, as well as benefits available beyond the transitional period. They provide information on Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care assistance and Food Stamps.
"Have You Heard About Benefits for Working Families?" This brochure and video are designed for general community outreach. They will help families who apply for cash assistance to understand that they can receive Medicaid and other benefits without having to be on welfare. They are also appropriate for distribution through schools, health providers, churches and other community organizations and to employers for dissemination in the workplace. The brochure and video provide information on Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care assistance, Food Stamps and Child Support Enforcement.
"Facts for Employers" brochure and the "Information for Employers" video. This brochure and video provide employers with information on how to link low-income employees to benefits that basically supplement low wages at no cost to employers. The brochure and video are especially appropriate for employers who pay minimum wage or slightly above or employers who offer no or very limited benefits. The brochure is an effective communication tool for use when making personal visits to employers and it is a valuable hand out at presentations to business groups. The brochure and video provide information on Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit and child care assistance.

By November 1998, a total of 14 states were using at least two of the three outreach brochures and these states had also received a small supply of the accompanying videos. Oklahoma and Texas have replicated two of the brochures since the survey, bringing the total states to 16. The District of Columbia is currently working with the Southern Institute to replicate all three brochures. Table 1 in the Appendix shows the states using the Southern Institute outreach brochures as of May 1999.

State Survey Results and Discussion

In November 1998, a survey was conducted of the 14 states using the brochures in order to obtain information regarding utilization of the outreach brochures and accompanying videos. Of the 14 states that were surveyed, 12 provided responses to the "Leaving Welfare for Work Isn’t As Scary As It Seems" brochure and video, the "Have You Heard About Benefits for Working Families" brochure and video, and the "Facts for Employers" brochure and the "Information for Employers" video. Eleven states provided responses to the training video developed to educate local social services staff on the use of the outreach brochures and the videos.

Information Outreach Brochures

Responses to the state survey indicated that the outreach brochures were considered "very useful" overall. The Appendix tables provide information on ratings and comments on the outreach brochures. Some of the major findings are:

Eleven out of 12 states rated the "Leaving Welfare for Work" brochure as very useful.
All states have made the "Leaving Welfare for Work" brochure available statewide. Nine states made it available at application, eight states made it available at recertification and five states use it in job readiness classes.
Ten out of 11 states rated the "Have You Heard About Benefits?" brochure as very useful. (One state did not replicate this brochure.)
All 11 states that replicated the "Have You Heard About Benefits?" brochure have made it available statewide at a wide variety of locations.
Six out of nine states rated the "Facts for Employers" brochure as very useful. (Three states did not replicate this brochure.)
All states that replicated the "Facts for Employers" brochure have made it available statewide.

Information Outreach Videos

Responses to the state survey show that most states were not using the videos. Only 25 copies of each video were sent to each state without cost. Additional copies were available at $5.00 per video. Tables 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24 and 25 provide ratings and comments on the outreach videos.

Three states that made additional copies and distributed the videos provided ratings on the videos. Two of the three states rated the "Leaving Welfare for Work" video and the "Have You Heard About Benefits?" video as very useful, with the third indicating it was somewhat useful. The "Information for Employers" video was rated very useful by one state, somewhat useful by the second state and the third state rated it as not useful.

The Southern Institute conducted additional follow up interviews with states to obtain information on why they were not using the videos. A few states provided the following comments:

Several states commented that the videos were never distributed statewide, therefore the local communities have never had the opportunity to show the videos.
One state cannot show the videos because they are under a court order to show only designated videos.
One state reported that they had not distributed the videos to local counties because the timing was not good. In the last year, the state has converted its computer system and counties have been involved with the conversion. They are hopeful that by February or March 1999, the videos will be distributed to counties.
One state reported that the videos are dated and do not include information on the new Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Table 24 shows that the training video was being used in only two states (Maryland and South Carolina). Both states rated the training video as very useful. Many states indicated that they were not aware that there was a training video and that the video was not distributed statewide.

On reviewing the results of the survey, the Southern Institute evaluated its procedures on the training video. It was found that the video was not properly labeled as a "staff training" video. It was labeled "Information on Benefits for Working Families." It is likely that although the instructions to states clearly listed the training video, the omission of the word "training" contributed to a misunderstanding on the part of most states that it was intended for use in staff training.

Clearly, the videos presented a special challenge regarding timeliness and distribution. A valuable lesson for other organizations attempting to use videos for eligibility outreach is to recognize that they can become dated quickly due to changes in eligibility criteria. Thus, timely distribution is critical, as is appropriate training on how to use videos. Additionally, it is advisable to conduct follow-up activities to assure proper distribution. Also, clear labeling is very important since it cannot be assumed that instructions will accompany distribution.

Appendix

How have caseworkers reacted to the "Leaving Welfare for Work" brochure and video?

How have families reacted to the "Leaving Welfare for Work" brochure and video?

How have caseworkers reacted to the "Have You Heard About Benefits" brochure and video?

How have families reacted to the "Have You Heard About Benefits" brochure and video?

What feedback have you received from agency staff on the use of the brochure and video?

TABLE 1 States Using the Southern Institute Information Outreach Brochures as of May 1999
State	Using the "Leaving Welfare" Brochure	Using the "Have You Heard" Brochure	Using the "Facts for Employers" Brochure
Alabama	X	X	X
Arkansas	X	X	X
Delaware	X	X	X
Florida	X	X	X
Georgia	X	X	X
Kentucky	X	X	X
Maryland	X	X	X
Mississippi	X	X	X
Missouri	X	X	X
North Carolina	X	Did not replicate (1)	X
Oklahoma	X	X	X
South Carolina	X	X	Did not replicate (2)
Tennessee	X	X	Did not replicate
Texas	X	Did not replicate	X
Virginia	X	X	Did not replicate
West Virginia	X	X	X
Total	16	14	13
Notes: 1) North Carolina did not replicate for statewide use beyond initial supply provided during the development phase. 2) Although the South Carolina Department of Social Services did not replicate the "Facts for Employers" brochure for use statewide, the Southern Institute provided technical assistance to the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to replicate the brochure for use with its members. 3) The Southern Institute is currently working with the District of Columbia to replicate all three brochures.

TABLE 2 How Long Have You Been Using the "Leaving Welfare for Work" Brochure?
State	Using 1-6 Months	Using 7-12 Months	Using More Than a Year	Not Using the Brochure
Arkansas	X
Delaware		X
Georgia			X
Kentucky			X
Maryland			X
Mississippi			X
Missouri			X
North Carolina			X
South Carolina		X
Tennessee			X
Virginia			X
West Virginia	X
Total	2	2	8	0

TABLE 3 How Long Have You Been Using the "Leaving Welfare for Work" Video?
State	Using 1-6 Months	Using 7-12 Months	Using More Than a Year	Not Using the Brochure
Arkansas				X
Delaware	X
Georgia				X
Kentucky				X
Maryland			X
Mississippi				X
Missouri				X
North Carolina				X
South Carolina		X
Tennessee				X
Virginia				X
West Virginia				X
Total	1	1	1	9

TABLE 4 Are the "Leaving Welfare for Work" Brochure and Video Available Statewide?
State	Brochure		Video
State	Yes	No	Yes	No
Arkansas	X			X
Delaware	X		X
Georgia	X			X
Kentucky	X			X
Maryland	X		X
Mississippi	X			X
Missouri	X			X
North Carolina	X			X
South Carolina	X		X
Tennessee	X			X
Virginia	X			X
West Virginia	X			X
Total	12	0	3	9

TABLE 5 When is the "Leaving Welfare for Work" Brochure Given to Families?
State	At Application	At Recertification	Job Readiness Classes	Special Mailing	Other
Arkansas					County office lobby
Delaware					Service locations and other community service org.
Georgia	X	X	X
Kentucky					Waiting rooms
Maryland	X	X	X	X	Head Start, job fairs community affairs, health departments
Mississippi	X	X	X		Public appearances by MDHS staff
Missouri	X		X
North Carolina	X	X	X		Use when speaking to groups
South Carolina	X	X			Sent to families who inquire about benefits
Tennessee	X	X
Virginia	X	X			Special events
West Virginia	X	X
Total	9	8	5	1

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