The department shall

(1) administer the Alaska temporary assistance program by providing cash assistance, diversion payments, and self-sufficiency services to needy children and their families under this chapter and, if appropriate, by establishing regional public assistance programs to provide effectively for varying conditions in regions of the state designated by the department;

(2) establish, by regulation, program standards for incentives to work, incentives for financial planning, cash assistance, diversion payments, self-sufficiency services, and other opportunities to develop self-sufficiency;

(3) prepare, submit to the federal government, and amend, if necessary, a state plan designed to ensure that federal money is available to the state for the operation of the program set out in this chapter to provide cash assistance, diversion payments, and self-sufficiency services to needy children and their families consistent with the state objectives identified in (2) of this section;

(4) adopt methods of program administration to ensure consistency with the federal requirements under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program;

(5) make reports regarding the program to the federal government as required under federal law, in the form and containing the information required, and comply with the provisions that the federal government determines are necessary to ensure correct and verifiable information on the program;

(6) provide to the legislature an annual executive summary of the information required to be reported to the federal government under (5) of this section;

(7) conduct studies and research in order to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of the state program; and

(8) adopt regulations and take action to implement, interpret, and administer the provisions of this chapter.