This report summarizes the proceedings of a conference held at the Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia, October 5-7, 2009, that brought together 35 leaders and practitioners from the youth development and relationship education fields to discuss the needs of disadvantaged youth and the capacity of the field to deliver relationship education to this population. […]
This brief cites research that indicates children who grow up in healthy married, two-parent families do better on a host of outcomes than those who do not, and that many social problems affecting children, families, and communities could be prevented if more children grew up in healthy, married families. The federal Healthy Marriage Initiative is […]
This fact sheet describes the federal Community Healthy Marriage Initiative, an initiative designed to help couples who choose marriage develop the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain healthy marriages. Eight essential characteristics of a healthy marriage are listed, an overview of marriage education is provided, and the benefits of marriage education are discussed.
The Welfare Peer TA Network sponsored a multi-State TA event on July 15-16, 2003, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This event was co-coordinated with Public Strategies, the public relations firm that manages the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. The Administration for Children and Families’ Region VI, VII and IX Offices provided additional support, ensuring this event met State […]
The impact of welfare policies on discouraging or encouraging marriage has long been a topic of discussion. Welfare programs, by providing single parents with the economic means to support their children, are thought to discourage marriage by their nature. The negative economic effects of single motherhood are well-known. In 2000, the poverty rate for children […]
This research project was conducted as part of the evaluation for the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. In 1999 Governor Frank Keating announced the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, with the objective of reducing the divorce rate in Oklahoma by 1/3 by the year 2010. One aim of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative is to change the culture of support […]
The Alabama Department of Human Resources is exploring ways to promote Healthy Marriage Initiatives in the State of Alabama. Endeavoring to fulfill this mission, Alabama sought and received assistance from the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network to send a representative from the Family Assistance Partnership in Alabama. With the support of Ramona Warren, Team […]
This resource guide is designed to assist social service programs in developing evidence-based programs. It begins by explaining concepts underpinning evidence-based practice and highlighting the use of practices that have demonstrated efficacy in improving participant outcomes. Evidence-based programming is defined as specific programmatic activities and processes which appear to be related to positive outcomes for […]
There are many healthy marriage coalitions operating across the county. However, coalitions can be very different in regards to how they meet, the goals they set, and the membership they serve. This How-to Guide explores some issues for consideration and identifies specific steps necessary to build a healthy marriage/relationship coalition. It is written for those […]
Intended to assist organizations who have received federal funding for Responsible Fatherhood programming, this guide provides information on the evaluation of Responsible Fatherhood initiatives. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of program evaluation and presents the reasons for evaluating a project; what information organizations can expect to gain; and how to use evaluation information to inform […]