How to Implement Promising Practices: Peer Guidance from the Responsible Fatherhood Program.

This report highlights the promising practices of the federally funded Responsible Fatherhood Demonstration Projects. It begins by explaining that the purpose of the Responsible Fatherhood Program is to work with some of the most at-risk populations, from teenage male dropouts to incarcerated men, who have had little contact with their sons and daughters to help them understand their family roles and responsibilities and acquire the skill sets needed for overcoming barriers that impede them from becoming effective and nurturing parents. It outlines services and supports that are authorized under the program including health marriage activities, responsible parenting activities, and economic stability activities. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Promising Practice Initiative is described, before information is provided on how grantees have successfully implemented various program activities. In addition to identifying grantees who have implemented program elements essential for successful performance, the overview provides practitioners with details on the ways in which their peers have effectively integrated these program capacities into day-to-day operations. Promising practices in the areas of staffing, recruitment and retention, culturally appropriate delivery methods, partnerships, and data-driven decision making are addressed.