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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) funded this project to learn about the status of policies to support and promote marriage at the state level. We inventoried policies that were enacted and proposed both prior to PRWORA and after the law’s passage. The project did not examine specific programs operating in localities. Nor […]
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)
This federal site provides resources and links to information and programs relating to the Healthy Marriage Initiative.
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 […]
This information packet on national and State marriage initiatives begins by discussing the growing trend towards marriage promotion in light of substantial research that has emerged supporting the link between marriage and poverty reduction, as well as other measures of child well being. A literature review highlights findings on the benefits of marriage and the […]
Federal policies are encouraging states to strengthen marital relationships among low income populations as a strategy for improving child well being. Conducted to inform the design of marriage programs, this study examined the environment, setting, interventions, and client characteristics of existing services for couples. Twenty-eight visits were made to public health agencies, mental health programs, […]
In recognition of the role that strong marriages play in family functioning and child well being, the Bush administration is encouraging states to establish public awareness campaigns about the value of marriage, marriage skills training programs, the elimination of disincentives to marriage, and other services for couples. This study reviewed evaluation findings about the effectiveness […]