The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of selected healthy marriage (HM) and responsible fatherhood (RF) grant programs, authorized by by the Claims Resolution Act of 2010. The programs are intended to improve the well-being of parents and families in domains such as economic self-sufficiency, parenting, and healthy relationships.
Since 2006, Congress has provided funding for grants to provide healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services to help interested couples and fathers enhance or improve adult and parent-child relationships and meet other objectives. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), oversees these grants and provides supports to assist grantees to meet their goals and objectives. To learn about the implementation and effects of these programs, ACF awarded a contract in 2011 to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. to conduct the Parents and Children Together (PACT) evaluation. The evaluation includes separate impact and process studies for responsible fatherhood and healthy marriage programs. Individuals who are eligible for the programs and agree to be in the study are randomly assigned to either a program group or a control group. Program group members are offered program services; control group members are not offered those services but are able to receive other services available in the community. The impact studies will examine whether the programs improve outcomes for fathers, mothers, families, and children in the program group compared to outcomes of those in the control group. Members of both program and control groups are surveyed twice: before they are randomly assigned and 12 months later. At the 12-month follow-up, both groups will be asked to complete a telephone survey. The survey will cover a range of questions related to adult relationships and interactions, parent-child interactions and economic stability. Corresponding process studies will examine multiple aspects of the implementation and operation of the programs. Information for the process studies will be obtained through: interviews with program and partner organization managers and staff; observations of program operations; from focus groups with program participants and non-participants; and from data from each grantee's management information system.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
RF grantees funded by the most recent re-authorization of the program must offer services in each of three categories: (1) healthy marriage; (2) responsible parenting; and (3) economic stability. HM grantees must provide one or more of eight allowable activities, which include marriage and relationship skills programs, mentoring, divorce reduction programs, and education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationships skills, and budgeting.
RF grantees funded by the most recent re-authorization of the program must offer services in each of three categories: (1) healthy marriage; (2) responsible parenting; and (3) economic stability. HM grantees must provide one or more of eight allowable activities, which include marriage and relationship skills programs, mentoring, divorce reduction programs, and education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationships skills, and budgeting.
Jewish Family and Children's Services
Sarasota, Florida, United States
Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Urban Ventures
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Connections to Success
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
In-person contact with child(ren) in past month
Time frame: 12 months
Earnings in past year
Time frame: 12 months
Co-parenting teamwork
Agreement with whether father and mother work well together as parents
Time frame: 12 months
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Fathers' Support Center
St Louis, Missouri, United States
University Behavioral Associates
The Bronx, New York, United States
El Paso Center for Children
El Paso, Texas, United States