US Department of Health and Human ServicesHealthy Marriage
Healthy marriages and healthy relationships can serve an important role in promoting responsible fatherhood programs. Marriage education, relationship skills classes, and domestic violence prevention are all activities that promote healthy relationships within the context of a promoting responsible fatherhood program.
A healthy marriage is a mutually satisfying relationship that is beneficial to the husband, wife and children (if present) and is a relationship that is committed to ongoing growth, the use of effective communication skills and the use of successful conflict management skills. There are at least two characteristics that all healthy marriages have in common. First, they are mutually enriching, and second, both spouses have a deep respect for each other.
The important role of single and non-custodial parents in promoting the well-being of their children can not be overstated. And yet, research indicates that, on average, children raised in healthy, married two-parent families fare better on a variety of outcomes than children raised in other families. To support the success of couples who choose marriage for themselves, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) launched the Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI) in 2002. In 2004, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) recognized the need for a resource center, information clearinghouse and technical assistance provider for Healthy Marriage grantees and the broader marriage education field and funded the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC).
In late 2008, the NHMRC launched TwoOfUs.org a website dedicated to couples and individuals with information on healthy relationships. TwoOfUs.org is filled with helpful advice from relationship experts, tips, and FAQs for couples and individuals from dating, to engaged, to parents. Here are a few resources that can be found on the site:
Married: 50 "Quick Connects" for Couples
Parents: Five Ways to Find Time for Your Spouse
Exclusive: Consider Expectations Before Marriage
Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Strengthening for Incarcerated and Re-entering Fathers and Their Partners
As a part of the National Evaluation of the Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Re-entering Fathers and their Partners (MSF-IP), several project activities have strong outreach components. The project is funded by the Office of Family Assistance with additional funding from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). ASPE manages the project for OFA under an Interagency Agreement. The project is not congressionally mandated.
Publications highlighting the grantees work include:
- Bringing Partners into the Picture: Family Strengthening Programming for Incarcerated Fathers (topical brief August 2009)
- Strengthening the Couple and Family Relationships of Fathers Behind Bars: The Promise and Perils of Corrections-Based Programming (topical brief August 2009)
Other Relevant Resources
- ACF Healthy Marriage Initiative - The Healthy Marriage Initiative is a program sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families in support of developing and sustaining healthy marriage programs nationwide.
- National Healthy Marriage Resource Center - The Resource Center is sponsored by the Office of Family Assistance as an information clearinghouse and technical assistance provider for Healthy Marriage grantees and the broader marriage education field.
- Supporting Healthy Marriages (SHM) - SHM is sponsored by the ACF Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) with the purpose of informing program operators and policymakers of the most effective ways to help couples to strengthen and maintain their marriages.