Catalog of Research: Programs for Low-Income Fathers

摘要

The Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grant program authorized by the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, authorizes the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide $75 million in grant funds for demonstrations that promote responsible fatherhood through three types of activities: healthy marriage, responsible parenting, and economic stability. A similar amount is designated for grants for healthy marriage and relationship skills education. To provide information for practitioners and program providers who may apply for funding such as the HMRF grant program or demonstration funding from the ACF Office of Child Support Enforcementor those who are otherwise developing programs, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) within ACF contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to conduct a systematic review of impact, implementation and descriptive studies that have examined responsible fatherhood and related family strengthening programs. The review is an examination of research studies, not a description of programs. Thus not all current or recent responsible fatherhood programs are represented because not all have been the subject of a research study. The Strengthening Families Evidence Review (SFER) will document: The existing research on effectiveness or impacts of various family-strengthening programs, and the degree to which the studies reviewed are able demonstrate that a specific program (and not some other factor) led to the outcomes. Key program elements, such as the program components and content, how programs were designed, staffed, and implemented, and the challenges and successes experienced in recruiting and serving low-income fathers (to the extent such information is included in the studies). This document provides summaries of studies that describe and analyze programs that target and serve lowincome fathers. Studies of additional family-strengthening programs are expected to be identified and documented in future catalog releases.