Final answer:
TANF stands for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a program providing grants to states for their own welfare programs to help families with children achieve economic self-sufficiency with a typical time limit of 5 years for benefits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The acronym TANF stands for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. TANF is a welfare program that provides grants to states to administer their own welfare programs.
It replaced the previous program called Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in 1996 following the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, often referred to as the "welfare reform act." The objective of TANF is to assist families with children in achieving economic self-sufficiency.
It typically includes a time limit for benefits, which in most states is a maximum of 5 years.
Through this program, qualifying individuals receive cash assistance, and parents are generally required to work or participate in work-related activities such as training a certain number of hours per week, with states providing support services like childcare to facilitate this.