The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project is the first major opportunity to use a behavioral economics lens to look at programs that serve poor and vulnerable people in the United States. Working with the Texas Office of the Attorney General´s Child Support Division, the BIAS team explored ways to increase the number of […]
This online Resource Guide was developed with the assistance of National Healthy Marriage Resource Center staff. The guide provides information about the content and select features of curricula commonly used by Office of Family Assistance Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood grantees. The Guide can be used to search for curriculum features of interest, such as […]
A framework put forward by the Friends of Evidence that explores the question: How do we use a framework of continuous learning to obtain and apply the kinds of evidence that will be most useful in achieving significantly greater outcomes? Read more about CSSP, Friends of Evidence and the 2014 Symposium on the Future […]
Using Evidence-Based Programs By focusing efforts on "what works," communities and programs are better able to improve participants'health and well-being. To boost the potential of an evidence-based program, it often needs to be implemented with fidelity. Factors such as how well a program's design fits with a community's needs affect how well an evidence-based program […]
Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) was a yearlong voluntary marriage education program to help strengthen couples' relationships. SHM had small sustained positive effects on marital quality more than a year after the program ended but did not achieve its objectives of leading more couples to stay together or improving children’s well-being. MDRC SHM Overview Link
The Exploratory Study of Decision Making in Low-Income Couples (CDM) was designed to gather information that may ultimately help shape content, service delivery, and outcome measurement in programs serving economically disadvantaged families, particularly parents eligible for public assistance and social services. The study uses survey data, direct observation of couple interaction, and physiological measurement to […]
This catalog presents a range of information from studies of programs that served low-income fathers, as a part of an evidence review of family strengthening programs. Each study description provides details on the research, including study design and characteristics of those included in the sample, and of the programs, such as structure, staffing and operations. […]
This brief describes the adaptations and refinements undertaken by nine selected grantees to make their services more culturally responsive. The adaptations included addressing issues of language, diversity, racism, and immigration, and incorporating cultural constructs like familismo, confianza, personalismo, and respeto. These adaptations were made to improve the recruitment, retention, overall participation, and effectiveness of the […]
This Manual draws from previously developed resources created by the NHMRC as well as incorporating tools and strategies suggested by those working in the MRE field. The NHMRC was designed as a clearinghouse to advance the field of MRE. Funded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Office […]
In 2002, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) instituted the Community Healthy Marriage Initiative (CHMI) evaluation to document operational lessons and assess the effectiveness of community-based approaches to support healthy relationships and marriages and child well-being. A component of the CHMI study involves implementation research on demonstrations approved by the Office of Child Support […]