The Parents and Children Together (PACT) evaluation, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is examining a set of Responsible Fatherhood (RF) and Healthy Marriage (HM) grantees funded by ACF’s Office of Family Assistance (OFA). One part of the evaluation—the qualitative study—focuses on the views and experiences of fathers who voluntarily enroll and participate in RF programs. This report describes themes and findings from the first round of in-depth interviews conducted as part of the…
This fact sheet highlights effective strategies HMRF programs can implement to 1) retain staff and 2) be able to maintain services during times of staff transition. Examples and tips for implementing these strategies are included.
This Transition Tool is a follow up to the fact sheet, Achieving Program Stability through a Focus on Staffing, and provide practical strategies and tools for grantees to use such as a checklists, conversation guides, etc in effort to effectively manage and maintain staff commitment to the program as the grant program is ending.
Building Financial Capability: A Planning Guide for Integrated Services, is an interactive guide for community-based organizations interested in integrating financial capability services into existing programs (e.g. housing, job training, or Head Start). The interactive tools in the guide walk organizations step-by-step through the process of developing an integration plan, beginning with developing a deeper understanding of clients’ financial circumstances and which financial capability services can help them improve their situations. The guide also includes tools to help organizations…
This fact sheet provides ideas and resources for beginning a conversation with participants about two specific financial empowerment topics: starting an emergency savings account and building credit. It examines some common concerns about financial topics like "We don’t have enough money to start a savings account" and "Will pulling my credit report hurt my credit score?" and offers ways to help participants take the first step. The fact sheet also directs HMRF practitioners to where they can find financial institution and credit counseling partners. (Author abstract)
As part of a project supported by the HHS IDEA LAB, OFA tested design thinking’s utility as a creative problem solving approach for social service organizations with three of its grantees. After introducing the grantees to design thinking, the organizations learned the methodology by using it to solve a challenge of their choice. The publication, “Creating Solutions Together: Design Thinking, The Office of Family Assistance and 3 Grantees,” captures the process used and the grantees’ experience and reflections on the project. Not familiar with design thinking? At its heart, design thinking is…
The Urban Institute is evaluating the implementation of six Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner Reentry Pilot Projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The projects provide soon-to-be and recently released fathers and their families with an array of responsible parenting, healthy relationship, and economic stability services to help stabilize the fathers and their families. Services offered include parenting and relationship classes, financial literacy workshops, domestic violence services, support groups, family activity days, and case management…
This guidebook describes the steps and best practices for successfully selecting and implementing a parenting intervention. The purpose is to provide program, state, and child care network leaders an easy-to-use tool for implementing a parenting intervention. The guidebook may be used as a companion to the Compendium of Parenting Interventions recently developed by the Health and Human Services Interagency Parenting Group and the Head Start National Center on Family and Community Engagement for use across various community-based settings. The guidebook is organized according to four stages of…
This report describes program design and implementation of four Responsible Fatherhood programs that are part of the Parents and Children Together evaluation. The report presents data on enrollment, initial participation, retention, and the amount of services fathers received from December 2012, the beginning of PACT enrollment, through August 2014. The report then discusses two approaches to service delivery adopted by the grantees and describes how these approaches may inform patterns related to program inputs and outputs and future Responsible Fatherhood programming. (Author abstract)
Early childhood home visiting programs typically target pregnant women and mothers of young children, but increasing attention is being given to the practice of engaging fathers as well. This study aimed to understand how home visiting programs engage fathers, what fathers’ experiences are in those programs, and the perceived benefits of fathers’ participation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with home visiting program administrators, staff members, and participating fathers and mothers in five programs implementing strategies to engage fathers in home visiting services. The findings…
