As human services professionals, we dedicate our careers to strengthening the well-being of children, families, and communities—often while carrying the emotional weight of crisis response, systems change, and growing community needs. As our sector advances strategies to promote economic mobility and whole-family well-being, we must also ask ourselves: How are we supporting ourselves and the people who make this work possible?

Through stories, reflection, and practical examples, we’ll explore how we can move beyond burnout to build cultures of purpose, psychological safety, connection, and healing. Together, we’ll examine the relationship between workforce well-being, organizational culture, and community outcomes—and why investing in ourselves and our colleagues is essential to creating lasting impact.

Throughout this session, we’ll challenge the notion that self-sacrifice is the cost of service and instead embrace a vision of human services where professionals are supported, valued, and able to thrive alongside the communities they serve. Our hope is that you’ll leave feeling renewed and energized, with practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and a shared commitment to building systems that care not only for the people we serve, but also for yourself and your colleagues who are the people who make this mission possible.

As fraud, payment accuracy, and program integrity continue to be key topics of discussion across human services programs, states are taking a variety of approaches to strengthening benefit delivery systems and integrity efforts. At the same time, these terms are often defined and applied differently across programs, agencies, and policy conversations.

Designed for state human services leaders and administrators, this plenary session will explore how states are defining and operationalizing program integrity efforts across human services programs, with a particular focus on food and nutrition programs. Speakers will share perspectives on payment accuracy, oversight, modernization, and service delivery, as well as how agencies are aligning policy, operations, and technology strategies to support effective administration.

Participants will leave with:

• A clearer understanding of how fraud, payment accuracy, and program integrity are being discussed across the field
• Practical frameworks and language to support conversations within their own agencies
• Examples of how states are approaching integrity efforts across human services programs

This session will include a brief overview of innovative partnerships in TANF, followed by a panel discussion sharing exciting new work to support children and families, and think critically about how to disrupt cycles of poverty and improve well-being.