Marriage matters : family structure and child well being
The implications of family structure for children have been a central focus of public policy and research for decades. This brief highlights trends in family structure for children in the United States over the last few decades and reviews the research evidence on the effects of family structure on children. Research tells us that children […]
Piloting a community approach to healthy marriage initiatives : early implementation of the Healthy Marriages Healthy Relationships demonstration– Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Community Healthy Marriage Initiative (CHMI) is a key component of the demonstration strategy of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to determine how public policies can best support healthy marriages. Two concepts underlie the CHMI strategy. One is that community coalitions can be an effective vehicle for developing a range of healthy marriage […]
Guide to data sources on the determinants of marriage and cohabitation. Final report
U.S. government policy has sought alternatively to improve the circumstances of single parent families and to reduce their numbers. There now is growing interest in interventions seeking to promote healthy marriages, and, where marriage is infeasible, strengthen relationships between unmarried parents. These interventions will stand a better chance for success if they are based on […]
Healthy Marriage Initiative: activities and accomplishments, 2002-2005
In 2002, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services launched the Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI) to support the President Bush’s goal of increasing healthy marriages by focusing attention and action on strengthening marriages and preparing interested individuals and couples for healthy marriage. In supporting healthy marriage, ACF […]
Guidelines for Supporting Healthy Marriage demonstration programs
The Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a project called Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM). Led by MDRC, a team of nationally known policy research organizations, and leading experts on marriage, marriage education programs, and services for low-income families, the SHM project is the first large-scale […]
America’s families and living arrangements : 2005
This document includes detailed information at the national level about the characteristics of children, husbands and wives, unmarried couples, households and family groups. Many of the tables have data by race and Hispanic origin. The data are from the 2005 Current Population Survey’s (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). The ASEC supplement to the […]
It’s not healthy if it’s not safe: Responding to Domestic Violence Issues within Healthy Marriage Programs
This paper explores the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from domestic violence protocol development at sites currently receiving federal funds for healthy marriage activities and with domestic violence advocates attempting to partner with these programs and others. By way of establishing a context for this analysis, we provide a brief discussion on domestic violence prevalence […]
Implementing Healthy Marriage Programs for Unmarried Couples With children : Early Lessons From the Building Strong Families Project. Final report
The Building Strong Families (BSF) project originated from these bodies of research, and is one of the centerpieces of a broader policy strategy to support healthy marriage. BSF is a multi-year, multi-site project sponsored by USDHHS/Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Its goal is to learn whether well-designed interventions can help interested, romantically involved, unwed […]
Rapid response technical assistance project. Final report
The ACF West-Central Hub Family Stabilization Workshop, held September 26 and 27, 2001, in Denver, had three primary themes: Responsible Fatherhood, Faith-based and Community Initiatives, and Marriage and Family Stabilization. This report summarizes the key findings of the workshop. (Author abstract)