Demonstrating the urgent need for broad national action and collaboration between private and public leaders in our communities, The White House Council for Community Solutions released an analysis showing that in 2011 alone, taxpayers shouldered more than $93 billion to compensate for lost taxes and direct costs to support the young people disconnected from jobs and school. At least one in six young adults is disconnected from education and work, according to this report. Projections show that over the lifetime of these young people, taxpayers will assume a $1.6 trillion burden to meet the…
One in six newborns were born poor over the past 40 years, and nearly half remained poor half their childhoods. These persistently poor children are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school and are four times more likely to give birth outside of marriage during their teenage years. Children whose parents did not complete high school are less likely to complete high school themselves. This paper examines the magnitude of child poverty, family characteristics related to childhood poverty persistence, and childhood poverty's lasting…
Nearly half of children born to poor parents remained poor half their childhoods. Black children are especially disadvantaged: two-thirds of poor black newborns are persistently poor. Children who are poor early in life (age 0-2) are 30 percent less likely to complete high school than those first poor later in childhood, even after controlling for poverty duration and other factors. Reaching vulnerable children at birth is vital, as a childs early environment can affect brain development. This factsheet summarizes the report Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence". (Author abstract)
This study evaluated the family-inclusive case management component of the Chicago-based Safer Return program, which engages family members in service provision to former prisoners. Using qualitative and quantitative data, the research focused on the associations between family support and family members' and formerly incarcerated persons' short-term outcomes. The research found that family members have strong and positive relationships with their formerly incarcerated relatives. However, engaging families in the reentry process directly can be challenging because incarcerated persons are…
Brief
This research brief describes implementation findings from the evaluation of Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers and Their Partners (MFS-IP). It documents approaches to teaching relationship skills among incarcerated and reentering fathers and their families. The multi-year implementation and impact evaluation of the MFS-IP grants is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Author abstract)
This report summarizes and synthesizes study findings on the effectiveness of responsible fatherhood programs, including those aimed at promoting responsible fatherhood and economic self-sufficiency among low-income and noncustodial fathers. In particular, there is growing interest in ascertaining "what works for whom"--that is, in examining program impacts among meaningful subgroups of fathers in order to foster better program design and provide a basis for targeting program services. (Author abstract modified)
Brief
Recruiting and retaining participants are common challenges for programs serving low-income fathers. In this brief, we summarize several promising practices from the Strengthening Families Evidence Review (SFER) on recruitment and retention. The SFER, a systematic review of family-strengthening programs serving low-income fathers or couples, was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research under contract to the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families. This brief focuses on the 90 studies of 70 responsible fatherhood programs included in…
Thirteen years have passed since the last comprehensive review of the fatherhood field, Map and Track: State Initiatives to Encourage Responsible Fatherhood (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999). In the interim, two recessions, funding cuts, and tight fiscal conditions have made it extremely unlikely that states would fund fatherhood initiatives without federal subsidies. Given diminished opportunities to leverage public funds for responsible fatherhood, organized philanthropy has also reduced funding for responsible fatherhood. Despite these funding constraints, however, the array of fatherhood…
By reading this particular volume in The Intermediary Development Series, intermediary organizations and the faith-based and community-based organizations they work with will learn key concepts about increasing their capacity to evaluate the extent to which they are achieving their intended results and to conduct outcome measurement by creating and implementing an outcome measurement plan for their program. After reading this guidebook, they will better understand the key elements required to develop an outcome measurement plan and accurately measure their program's outcomes including how…
Sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Building Strong Families (BSF) evaluation used a random assignment research design to test eight voluntary programs that offer relationship skills education and other support services to unwed couples who are expecting or have just had a baby. After three years, the study showed that BSF had no effect on the quality of couples' relationships and did not make them more likely to stay together or get married. (Author abstract)
