The Alabama Department of Child Abuse Prevention (DCAP) -- The Children's Trust Fund (CTF) has a more than 25 year history as the only state agency explicitly focused on educating our communities about child abuse and neglect and providing prevention programs. DCAP is focused on supporting family-strengthening community programs andinvesting upfront in efforts to enhance the chance that children in our state grow up in a nurturing and supportive home. A 2007 study by the Universityof Alabama revealed that child abuse and neglect costs taxpayers $520,800,290 every year.In Project Year 2007-…
Brief
In the late 1990s, a handful of states began to fund healthy marriage and relationship (HMR) programs and initiatives intended as a promising new strategy for strengthening families and improving child well-being. The states were soon followed by the federal government, which launched a healthy marriage initiative in 2002. The following questions initially were raised about this new policy development:1. What are the reasons why government should get involved in what is surely a private matter or a matter for individuals, couples and faith-based institutions? Why should marriage and couple…
This brief offers recommendations from a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State administrator who included marriage-related initiatives in the State's TANF budget. Recommendations for implementing marriage initiatives include build collective ownership, be sure people know how to utilize or apply a good idea or services, grow champions, and document success. The following three-step approach for developing a marriage initiative is described: understand it, package it, and grow it.
This brief draws on the personal experience of the Project Director for Family Services of Greater Houston in Texas, to offer tips for lobbying a State's legislature for the implementation of marriage preparation and relationship strengthening services. Recommendations include: know your legislators, know the lobbyists, do your homework before you pick up the phone, be specific about the funding you will go after, make an appointment, help write the bill, and review similar bills created in different States and incorporate language from those bills.
In September 2006, the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA) awarded grants to 226 organizations designed to promote healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood. This report summarizes the service models, activities, and preliminary outcomes of a select group of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood grantees that were identified as part of OFA's "Promising Practices" initiative to document programs that show evidence of positive participant outcomes. The first section of the report provides profiles of the following Healthy Marriage grantees: the…
This brief offers recommendations for working with faith-based organizations to support State or local Healthy Marriage Initiatives. It explains that faith communities can offer a solid base of volunteers who are invested and passionate and who can be empowered and equipped to carry on the sustained work of healthy marriage programs. Recommendations are then discussed and include: remember to value places of faith because of the key role they play in strengthening marriages; find a representative within the organization to help you navigate its politics; engage key religious leaders as early…
There are many opportunities for those in marriage education to work with the business community. Marriage education practitioners may want to partner with businesses to solicit monetary donations for program operations, in-kind donations or to incentivize participation (if their grant allows). Others would like to provide healthy marriage and relationship education services to a company's employees. Once you determine the purpose of your association with the company, you need to be able to communicate effectively with its leadership. The following provides some tips for connecting with…
There are a number of areas that marriage and relationship education program providers must address when designing and implementing a program for Native American communities. There have been a number of lessons learned from Native American cultural experts and program practitioners who have developed culturally relevant marriage education programs. These services can be effective for Native Americans living on reservations and for those who are not.There is great diversity within the Native American community. The various tribes have distinct traditions, customs and languages. This Tip Sheet…
Although Asian Americans represent different populations in terms of culture, language and immigration trends, they share many similarities in values and belief systems such as a cultural emphasis on education, natural healing, family harmony and respect of human dignity. For purposes of this Tip Sheet, the terms Asian and Asian American are interchangeable; include Pacific Islanders; and can reflect either new immigrants, immigrants who have been residing in the U.S. for an extended period of time, or people with Asian heritage who could be 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation. Further, the great…
Recruiting and retaining men from any culture in a family services program or entity that has traditionally served women and children can, at best, be considered a token gesture. Admittedly, there are many emotions surrounding the topic of how to get men to do what they are "supposed to do!" Agencies designed to serve men are scarce, and professionals dedicated to understanding male issues are rare commodities. In addition, men do not tend to line up for services delivered by organizations, agencies, counselors, group therapists, marriage educators and/or ministers for family strengthening.…
