This report draws on in-depth interviews of young fathers and families at two Partners for Fragile Families sites to assess the effects of services received by the fragile family itself and to explore the dynamics of fragile families, particularly around family formation issues, and how poor couples make strategic life course decisions. Voices of Young Fathers: The Partners for Fragile Families Demonstration Projects Services were targeted at young, never-married, non-custodial parents. From April 2000 through the end of 2003, nine states conducted PFF demonstrations designed to help fragile families by helping fathers work with mothers in sharing the legal, financial, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood. Through site visit interviews, focus groups, analysis of program documents, and preliminary review of participant data, this report documents how the Partners for Fragile Families (PFF) programs began, changed, and evolved. Implementation of the Partners for Fragile Families Demonstration Projects The Partners for Fragile Families projects included in this evaluation are located in:
Outcomes Analysis examines participants' employment, earnings, and child support patterns over a two-year period.This component uses management information system and case-file data maintained by each of the projects. Enhanced Process Analysis of each project examines the characteristics of participants and the services they receive.Researchers visit each site to observe program operations and hold discussions with staff and administrators.
Implementation Analysis in each site documents project operations, services offered and used, and collaboration among the partnering agencies and organizations.The evaluation consists of four components: The national evaluation, which is being conducted by the Urban Institute, has three broad purposes: to increase knowledge about systems change to build knowledge about program operations and delivery of services to fragile families and to describe client behavior. The PFF projects tested new ways for state-run child support enforcement programs and community-based organizations to work together to help young fathers obtain employment, make child support payments, and learn parenting skills aas well as to help parents build stronger partnerships. The PFF demonstrations were designed to help fragile families (young unwed parents and their children) by helping fathers learn to share the legal, financial, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood with their child's mother. Each project was a partnership of non-profit organizations and state and local agencies to develop comprehensive services for young, low-income, non-custodial fathers and their families and children. To assess progress towards meeting this goal, OCSE and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) conducted a five-year, national evaluation of the demonstration projects that operated in nine States.
The goal of the Partners for Fragile Families (PFF) demonstrations, funded jointly by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and the Ford Foundation, was to make lasting changes in the way public agencies and community organizations work with young unmarried parents to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for children and parents.
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