TANF Workers’ Responses to Battered Women and the Impact of Brief Worker Training: What Survivors Report

Abstract

Battered women (n = 159) report on their experiences with their Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) caseworkers.Workers most often ask about physical harm, feelings of fear, and police involvement. They least often create a safety plan, give information about work exemptions, and ask whether the partner had a gun.Women’smajor reasons for not talking about abuse are that the worker did not ask and a fear of negative outcomes.Workers who attended a 1-day training are more likely than untrained workers to discuss the women’s fear and physical harm, to help develop a safety plan, and to be viewed as generally helpful.