The Building Strong Families evaluation is a multisite, random-assignment evaluation of a relationship skills education program for unmarried parents. From Mathematica Policy Research, this report evaluates the impact of a partnership between the Building Strong Families program and the Child Support Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General. Researchers evaluate the partnership in terms of child support outcomes, including paternity establishment, child support orders, and child support payments.
This guide is intended for practitioners who are familiar with operating an MRE program for Hispanic families and are interested in exploring collaboration with government to expand the reach of their MRE program. It offers concrete strategies on 1) how to identify which areas of government are right for you to partner with and 2) how to develop relationshipswith policymakers. An overview of the key components of this process is highlighted and examples of collaborations with the social servicesystem are provided to illustrate potential areas forhealthy marriage and relationship integration.…
This brief draws on the personal experience of the Project Director for Family Services of Greater Houston in Texas, to offer tips for lobbying a State's legislature for the implementation of marriage preparation and relationship strengthening services. Recommendations include: know your legislators, know the lobbyists, do your homework before you pick up the phone, be specific about the funding you will go after, make an appointment, help write the bill, and review similar bills created in different States and incorporate language from those bills.
Although both men and women are involved in marriage, relationship matters are often considered the woman's domain. For practitioners offering marriage and relationship education (MRE), this general belief can often make engaging men in your program a challenge. Information is relatively sparse with regard to how men can be engaged in marriage education. There is research on men and commitment, and there are relatively frequent pop culture references to men and marriage regarding infidelity or gender roles, but very few resources are available for married men to support their relationship.…
Government touches the lives of families in many ways. Because of the complexity of governmental organizations, community- and faith-based organizations may be reluctant to partner with government, especially to deliver marriage/relationship education services (MRE). This guide is intended for practitioners who are familiar with operating an MRE program and are interested in exploring collaboration with government to expand the reach of their MRE program. In addition, this guide offers concrete strategies on 1) how to identify which areas of government are right for you to partner with and 2…
In May 2009, the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) co-sponsored the conference "Toward a Common Understanding: Domestic Violence Typologies and Implications for Healthy Marriage and Domestic Violence Programs" at the Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia. The conference brought together a diverse set of 35 experts to critically examine the underlying research on different types of intimate partner violence (IPV) and consider their implications for practice. This guide summarizes the conference…
This toolkit uses a backdrop of significant historical events as a foundation for understanding perspectives, improving communication, and strengthening relationships when working with American Indian/Alaskan Native families, couples, and individuals. This toolkit will help service providers acquire cultural competence and covers important topics in the research literature with input from experts in the field. This toolkit provides practical suggestions for engaging and serving this population, particularly for incorporating healthy marriage and relationship education skills into service…
This guide addresses the importance of promoting healthy family and marital relationships as an effective strategy to improve interpersonal relationships and productivity in the workplace. This guide focuses on specific steps employers can take to support employees, enhance their interpersonal skills, and reduce family stress by improving coping skills. It also highlights promising practices by leading American companies that recognize the importance of investing in healthy relationships for both hourly workers and full-time staff. (Author abstract)
This new toolkit from the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families uses a backdrop of significant historical events as a foundation for understanding perspectives, improving communication, and strengthening relationships with those in the African American community. This toolkit is grounded in current research and draws on the experience of practitioners to provide practical suggestions for engaging and serving this population, particularly for incorporating healthy marriage and relationship education skills into service delivery systems as part of a comprehensive family-…
This report synthesizes the facilitated discussions from the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families Peer-to-Peer Networking Forum, held in Washington, DC, on July 18 - 19, 2012. This report includes background information on healthy marriage and relationship education and summarizes Forum discussions around implementation, challenges to integration, and opportunities for collaboration and partnership. It also highlights tools and products available through the Resource Center to support integration efforts. (Author abstract)
