Strengthening Families, Healthy Marriage & Responsible Fatherhood
View all reports on this topicTopic Overview
This portfolio includes research and evaluation on topics such as family formation and stability, co-parenting, marriage and father involvement. Studies include a strong focus on the implications of programs, including the effects of welfare policies, for both child and adult well-being.
Projects on this Topic
ACF Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage Research Initiative, 2006-2011
The purpose of this initiative is to evaluate services to promote responsible fatherhood through encouraging and supporting healthy marriages between low-income parents...
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS), 2010-2014
The purpose of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project is to explore the application of behavioral economics principles to the programs and target populations of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)...
Building Strong Families, 2002-2012
The Building Strong Families (BSF) project is a demonstration evaluation assessing the effectiveness of family strengthening and couples relationship education interventions targeting low-income unwed parents at or near the birth of their child...
Evaluation of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Approaches (PPA), 2008-2016
This evaluation, implemented by Mathematica, will identify a range of programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy and associated risk behaviors, and examine specific programs' effectiveness...
Evaluation of Community Healthy Marriage Initiatives (CHMI), 2003-2011
The Evaluation of Community Healthy Marriage Initiatives (CHMI) includes: (1) implementation evaluations of a set of demonstrations authorized through section 1115 by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and (2) an impact evaluation utilizing...
Ex-Prisoner Reentry Strategies Study, 2011-2015
The Ex-Prisoner Reentry Strategies Study, to be conducted by The Urban Institute, will document the implementation of programs funded under the FY 2011 Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner Reentry Pilot Project grant announcement...
Healthy Relationships and Marriage Research Grants, 2005-2011
OPRE funded five research grant applications that address various aspects of healthy marriage...
Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative: Grantee Implementation Evaluation, 2007-2012
This project will result in a comprehensive process and output evaluation of selected ACF Healthy Marriage grantees that serve Hispanic families, addressing a key programmatic question of the Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative (HHMI): how are healthy...
Parents and Children Together (PACT) Evaluation, 2011-2016
The Parents and Children Together (PACT) contract, awarded to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., includes an impact and implementation evaluation of selected responsible fatherhood and healthy marriage education grant programs...
Proven and Promising Responsible Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Initiatives - Evidence Review, 2010-2012
The purpose of this task order, awarded to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., is to compile and document the quality of the evidence from studies of programs serving low-income fathers and couples; produce a searchable database of the studies...
Supporting Healthy Marriages, 2003-2013
The Supporting Healthy Marriage project, being led by MDRC, is evaluating healthy marriage education and related services for lower-income married couples with children. The evaluation utilizes a random assignment evaluation design in order to assess..
A Comprehensive Framework for Marriage Education, 2002-2003
This project developed a framework to provide marriage educators with a set of concepts to help them better understand their craft and discover unseen possibilities. It is designed to help marriage educators think more thoroughly, systematically...
An Exploration of Options for the Collection of Marriage and Divorce Statistics at the National, State and Local Levels, 2003–2008
An Exploration of Options for the Collection of Marriage and Divorce Statistics at the National, State and Local Levels project explored options for the collection of marriage and divorce statistics at the national, state and local levels...
Cohabitation, Marriage and Child Well-being: A Cross-National Analysis, 2006-2008
Through a comparative analysis of data and research across several nations, this project documented trends in cohabitation, its consequences, responses of different nations (e.g., national laws and public policies), and measures of child well-being...
Evaluating the Implementation of Programs to Strengthen Families with Children Born Out-of-Wedlock, 2002-2004
This project involved the identification and case study of selected programs working with new, unwed parents to provide those interested with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter into and sustain healthy relationships and marriages...
Exploration of Low-Income Couples' Decision-Making Processes, 2007-2009
This project explored how low-income couples make decisions. Specifically, the project explored, through observational methods, the mechanisms and factors which influence the couple as a unit (as well as the individual partners in low-income couples)...
Fragile Families and Welfare Reform, 2000-2003
The Fragile Families and Welfare Reform project looked at the conditions and capabilities of vulnerable mothers and fathers in the years following enactment of PRWORA and examined the complex relationships between this new legislation and...
Gendered Parenting and Its Implications for Child Well-being and Couple Relationships, 2006-2008
The focus of this research was to assess the state of social and natural sciences on gender differences in parenting and their consequences for child well-being and marital, as well as non-marital, relationships...
Healthy Marriage Precursors: Relationship Development among Low-Income Youth and Young Adults, 2005-2007
This exploratory study synthesized research relevant to decision-making and behavior about family formation, marriage, employment and earnings and family time use with a focus on low-income populations and included a conceptual framework for further...
Marriage, Employment, and Family Functioning: Conceptual Framework for Interventions, 2005-2006
This exploratory study synthesized research relevant to decision-making and behavior about family formation, marriage, employment and earnings and family time use with a focus on low-income populations and included a conceptual framework for further...
Marriages and Family Formation Data Analysis Project, 2001-2003
This project examined a range of literature about the marriage and family formation decisions of low-income couples, including unmarried parents and those receiving public assistance, in order to document the relevant research questions that have been...
Measuring Couple Relationships, 2003-2007
The Measuring Couple Relationships agreement transferred funds from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to support activities of the NICHD Family and Child...
National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle 6 Project (NSFG), 2002-2003
The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) is a survey of U.S. men and women of reproductive age conducted periodically by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)...
NLSY97: Potential for Research on Marriage and Family, 2006
The NLSY97 – Potential Opportunities for Marriage and Family Research project was designed to bring together experts with extensive experience with the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data and experts on marriage and the family to identify...
Service Delivery and Evaluation Design Options for Strengthening and Promoting Healthy Marriages, 2002-2004
Prior research suggests that there is promising evidence that couples participating in marriage and relationship education programs can learn specific skills to improve their relationships and reduce patterns of negative interaction in order to...
Strengthening Families with Children Born Out-of-Wedlock, 2001-2003
The Strengthening Families with Children Born Out-of-Wedlock project was jointly funded by ACF’s Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and Office of Child Support Enforcement. Researchers conducting this study utilized research, information...
Study of State and County Responses to the Family Formation and Pregnancy Prevention Policy Goals of PRWORA 1996, 2001-2002
In the context of a larger study examining welfare reform, this project provided an analysis of the implementation of family formation and pregnancy prevention policies in 26 counties within 18 States...
Supporting Healthy Marriage in Step-Families, 2005-2006
The Supporting Healthy Marriage in Step-Families project: (1) summarized and synthesized the existing literature concerning the characteristics of stepfamilies, (2) catalogued and documented existing marriage support and education programs focused...