Evaluating Grant Programs that Support Healthy Marriage

CE Course Description

In the early 2000’s, federal policymakers in the United States began focusing on strengthening marriage and parental relationships as a way to foster overall child and family well-being.  This intermediate level continuing education course was developed using information from The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to summarize how grantee programs can focus their efforts to support and strengthen couples’ relationships, particularly with lower income participants.  Findings from a process study of two Healthy Marriage (HM) grantees are presented, including service delivery approaches and enrollment, program participation information, and key implication results.

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families

CE Course Objectives

1. Discuss how strategies to create healthy marriages, stable environments, and low-conflict relationships can lead to favorable outcomes for families.
2. Summarize key findings from a process study of two Healthy Marriage (HM) programs designed to support and strengthen couples’ relationships and overall well-being.
3. Identify characteristics of participants including enrollment, initial participation, retention, and the amount and type of services received.
4. Differentiate between participation and satisfaction with relationship-focused interventions compared to job/career advancement services.
5. Describe staffing, supervision, and implementation factors that impacted program function and success.
6. Review lessons learned from service application and implications for future programming.

CE Course Outline

Overview (5 mins)

1. Brief introduction to course objectives and structure. ( 5 mins)

I. Introduction and Background (30 mins)

1. The Policy and Research Context for HM Programs (7 mins)
2. PACT: Furthering Understanding of HM Programming (5 mins)
3. PACT’s Evaluation Framework (5 mins)
4. Data Sources and Collection Methods for the Process Study (5 mins)
5. HM Grantees in PACT (4 mins)
6. Road Map to the Rest of the Report (4 mins)

II. Program Services and Activities (25 mins)

1. Relationship Skills Workshops (7 mins)
2. Job and Career Advancement Services (7 mins)
3. Case Management (6 mins)
4. Supplemental Workshops and Assistance (5 mins)

III. Strategies to Recruit Couples and Encourage Participation (20 mins)

1. Outreach and Intake Strategies (8 mins)
2. Enrollment (6 mins)
3. Strategies to Encourage Participation (6 mins)

IV. Participant Characteristics, Attendance, and Dosage (25 mins)

1. Participant Characteristics (8 mins)
2. Participation Trends (8 mins)
3. Dosage (9 mins)

V. Participants’ Program Experiences (20 mins)

1. Enrollment and Participation (10 mins)
2. Lessons Participants Learned (10 mins)

VI. Staffing, Supervision, and Implementation Support (25 mins)

1. Staff Background and Experience (8 mins)
2. Training and Supervision (8 mins)
3. Strategies to Monitor Operations and Service Delivery (9 mins)

VII. Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Programming (30 mins)

1. Key Implementation Findings (15 mins)
2. Considerations for Future HM Programming and Research (15 mins)