The Cleveland Institute for Responsible Fatherhood and Family Revitalization (IRFFR) began services for fathers in 1982. The program is currently located at the Hough Center on Cleveland's east side, but serves men from all of Cuyahoga County. The program is funded by a variety of sources, including the State of Ohio, Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland Healthy Start program, the Cleveland Foundation, and a number of private sources.
The IRFFR staff we interviewed include:
In addition to the IRFFR staff, we interviewed staff from the Juvenile Justice System (referring agency), and the Cleveland Foundation (funder).
The primary goal of IRFFR is to reconnect fathers with their children. The underlying philosophy and secondary goal of the program is attitude change. IRFFR staff believe that reconnecting fathers to their children will lead to changes in attitude and behavior leading to paternity establishment, job placement, and improved relationships with their child and the child's mother. Additionally, fathers are encouraged to be self-reliant and not depend on staff for assistance. The IRFFR philosophy embraces the view that a father has the inner capacity to solve his own problems and the role of the program staff is to assist him through a process of self-discovery.
The IRFFR target population is primarily low-income, never married, non-custodial, African-American fathers who are 18-25 years of age. These fathers often have low skill and education levels. Currently, the IRFFR program service area is all of Cuyahoga County, OH (which includes the city of Cleveland). However, in an effort to better manage caseloads, staff are planning to narrow the catchment area to within a two-mile radius of the program site.
The core service provided to fathers who qualify under one of the IRFFR funding sources is in-home counseling. IRFFR staff, called Outreach Specialists, provide ongoing support to the father and are available 24 hours a day, seven days week. Outreach Specialists are required to wear pagers and respond to a father's call within 15 minutes of being paged. A significant amount of the Outreach Specialist's time is spent coaching the father to accept self-responsibility in becoming a meaningful part of his children's lives. On average, the Outreach Specialist spends about 30 hours per month (1-4 hours per visit) in the home of the father for a period of six months to a year, depending on the case. During the initial home visit, the father or "protégé" develops an annual plan, outlining goals he would like to achieve in the coming year. As discussed previously, Outreach Specialists provide no specific guidance or direction to fathers. Instead, they utilize an alternative counseling technique called "creative questioning" which enables the father to develop personal goals and identify his own resources (personal, family, community, etc.) to achieve them. Fathers are encouraged to be self-reliant and not depend on staff for assistance.
In addition to the intensive in-home counseling, all participants are required to complete a 16-week curriculum cycle. The participants attends group sessions based on the curriculum once per week. The topics discussed during the sessions include self-esteem building, fathering skills, health and nutrition, and male/female relationship building. All interested fathers can participate in the group sessions, whether or not they are formal protégés of the program. Not all interested fathers are able to find a funding source in order to obtain the in-home counseling services of the Outreach Specialist. In order for these individuals to receive the in-home counseling component, the program has established a modest self-pay arrangement, with rates based on the level of the father's income. Relatively few protégés, however, are funded in this manner.
IRFFR places a strong emphasis on staff role modeling. Staff are required to model a "risk free lifestyle" (no drugs or alcohol) as a condition of employment. IRFFR also seeks to hire married couples to serve as Managing Partners (program administrators) and Outreach Specialists. It is believed that program participants will emulate the married couple's behavior once they see a successful marriage modeled.
Recruitment
The IRFFR staff recruit fathers through outreach efforts designed so that program staff meet young fathers where they frequently gather in the community, including recreational centers, basketball courts, and playgrounds. Additionally, fathers are recruited through presentations at schools and churches, weekly group sessions held at the program site, and contract referrals from juvenile court, the County Child and Family Services, and Healthy Start. Most participants are referred to the program from the County (50-55%) and from Healthy Start (30-35%). A large number of the fathers are self-referrals, hearing about the program through "word of mouth."
Enrollment and Participation
The IRFFR program is open entry/open exit. The participant decides on his own whether he wants to participate. To be formally admitted however, the father has to qualify under one of the available IRFFR funding sources (Healthy Start or Child and Family Services). Even individuals who refer themselves to the program must be linked to a funding source in order to become a formal participant in the program. Once eligibility for a funding source is determined, the participant is assigned an Outreach Specialist who schedules a home visit with the participant. At this point, the participant becomes a protégé, the name used for formal participants in the program. Formal intake is done during the initial home visit. IRFFR typically serves approximately 100 protégés (one-third of whom are women) at any given time, and approximately 300 protégés per year.
Completion
There is no specified completion date. A father may continue to receive the case management services for as long as funding is available. If funding is not available, he may still participate in the group sessions.
IRFFR places greatest emphasis on changing the attitude of the father. Staff believe that once this is achieved, positive behavioral outcomes will occur including increased father involvement with his children, paternity establishment, and improved interaction with the mother of his children. In addition, IRFFR staff indicate that once a father has completed the program, he will demonstrate the following:
The IRFFR program maintains a number of forms and written notes on protégés in case files. With regard to protégés, a short (one page) intake form is completed, usually during the initial in-home visit. This form captures some basic demographic data about the individual -- age, ethnicity, marital status, last grade completed, employment status, legal concerns, and several other items -- as well additional data about other family members (e.g., name, whether paternity has been established, relation, date of birth, and address/telephone number). Other forms focus primarily on establishing participant goals and action steps needed to achieve the goals, and monitoring progress toward the goals. These forms include mostly handwritten notes. The number of contacts and hours of counseling is maintained for each participant, on a daily and monthly basis. Finally, outreach specialists maintain narrative notes within case files that document discussions with each protégé. These case notes are revealing of both the wide variety of problems encountered by participants and the courses of action mapped out in response to addressing each problem.
The IRFFR program is currently planning a new data system that would enable each outreach specialist to maintain data and case notes on a laptop PC. At the time of our visit, design work had not yet begun on the new system and no target date had yet been established for implementation of the new system. The only automated information maintained by the program is a spreadsheet which includes the following data items: name, address, zip code, telephone number, highest grade completed, date of birth, sex, income, funding source, whether paternity has been established, expiration date for funding, and the name of the outreach specialist.
Difficult to Measure Outcomes: Because the program focuses on attitude change it may be difficult to measure program outcomes. IRFFR staff were hesitant to describe any concrete program outcomes other than attitudinal change. They believe, however, that the attitude change leads to other positive consequences, such as greater child involvement, child support, paternity establishment, and employment. While the direct effect of the program, attitude change, may be difficult to measure, many of the proposed consequences of attitude change can be measured.
Small Sample Size: At any given time, the IRFFR program serves approximately 100 protégés, a third of whom are women. Over a year, the program typically serves about 200 men. These numbers correspond to formal protégés, and not to the number of persons who participate in group sessions but who do not receive the individualized services of the outreach specialists. IRFFR is in the process of developing program sites in other cities across the country. Inclusion of these sites in an impact evaluation would enhance the sample size.
The Men's Services Program operates as part of the Baltimore City Health Start demonstration. The Baltimore City Healthy Start program is one of 15 sites nationally, funded with a five-year federal grant to provide intensive outreach and case management to women in areas at high risk of poor birth outcomes. Baltimore City operates Healthy Start programs at two sites: East Baltimore and West Baltimore. Each site covers five or six census tracts selected to participate based on economic and pregnancy outcome risk factors. The neighborhoods selected represent the poorest areas of Baltimore. The program is now in its sixth year of operation, as federal funding has been continued beyond the initial five-year grant.
The Men's Services Program (MSP) began as a pilot project in 1993 after recognizing the need for services for the men associated with the women and children involved in Healthy Start. MSP is funded almost entirely with Healthy Start funds, but has received small grants from private foundations. There are ten staff (one coordinator and four advocates at each site) dedicated to the MSP.
We interviewed staff at the West Baltimore MSP. The MSP and Healthy Start staff we interviewed include:
Because the goal of the Healthy Start program is to reduce adverse birth outcomes through increased prenatal, post-partum, and pediatric care, the primary aim of the MSP is to develop male parenting skills with the goal of reducing infant mortality and improving the health of children under the age of three. While the focus of the program is fetal and child health, MSP does, however,
attempt to address a variety of needs that low income, primarily non-custodial, fathers have. The program's goal may be more broadly stated as facilitating manhood development and the acquisition of life skills that are essential to effective fatherhood.
MSP participants are African American fathers of children age three and under participating in the Healthy Start program. They are between the ages of 17 and 35, mostly unmarried and unemployed. Over 90 percent of the mothers of their children are AFDC recipients. About sixty percent have a good relationship with the mother. Most of the men who come to the program do so for assistance with obtaining employment and developing parenting skills. The primary issues men have concern employment, substance abuse, custody/visitation, and relationships with their children and childrens' mothers.
MSP offers case management, a men's support group and fatherhood curriculum, parenting skills classes, family planning, GED classes, and a small employment initiative where fathers obtain jobs with private contractors involved in a lead-abatement program. The fatherhood curriculum emphasizes African American history and culture. The program has linkages with other organizations in the community to negotiate child support enforcement or other legal issues and for substance abuse treatment. The program offers transportation to and from program activities.
After an initial intake and assessment, case managers follow-up on fathers on a monthly basis to monitor the progress of fathers in attaining specific objectives developed after initial assessment. Fathers attend a men's group two evenings per week for two hours at a time. One of the sessions is devoted to the fatherhood curriculum developed by the program, and the other session is devoted to participants' specific issues. A hot meal is served at each session. MSP case management and men's group activities are conducted at a satellite site separate from where Healthy Start women's services are provided.
Recruitment
MSP participants are recruited through mothers who participate in Healthy Start. Neighborhood Health Advocates go out into the neighborhoods that comprise the program's target service area and knock on doors to talk to women and identify potential Healthy Start participants. A woman may initially enroll in Healthy Start if she is pregnant or has a child less than six months old. She and the child may then continue to participate until the child is three years old.
Healthy Start women are asked to identify their significant other or father of the child for participation in the MSP. Only about 50 percent of the women contacted are willing or able to provide contact information for a male significant other. This information is referred to MSP staff who then undertake outreach activities to enroll men into the program. Case managers make in-home visits and describe the services offered to men. MSP receives about four or five new referrals each month.
Enrollment
Once men are recruited to participate, they set up an appointment to meet with a MSP case manager for an initial assessment. The initial assessment involves obtaining the father's demographic, health and health care utilization, smoking, drug and alcohol use, education, employment history and employment barriers, family, contraceptive use, parenting/child development knowledge, and child support information. The information obtained is used to develop a plan for the father, called One Man's Plan, which lays out specific goals and objectives and a plan for achieving them based on the father's needs. All men who enroll in the program are associated with a mother in Healthy Start. About 70 percent of those who are referred by women to the program actually enroll.
Participation
Men participate by attending the weekly men's group sessions, meeting with their case manager to discuss monthly progress, and by participating in the other services to which they have been referred (parenting classes, employment, GED classes, substance abuse treatment, etc.). Currently, there are 200 men enrolled in the program (100 at each site), however, only a subset of them (maybe 50 percent) are active participants.
Completion
There is no defined completion date or duration for participation in the program. The program is currently trying to develop phases of participation: initial participation and an alumni group to act as mentors and facilitators. There are some participants who have been in the program for over two years.
MSP staff cited a number of specific outcomes that the program tries to achieve:
The MSP collects extensive information on fathers on the initial assessment form (described above), however, the information is not maintained electronically. The Healthy Start program does have the MIS capability to maintain such data. It collects and reports extensive information on mothers and children as part of a formal evaluation of the national demonstration. The system could easily be adapted to collect information on fathers. Currently, no follow-up information is collected on fathers, however, the program is considering doing a study to examine the impact of the program on employment and incarceration among participants. Such a study would require the collection of follow-up information on participants.
Small Sample Size: The primary obstacle to conducting an impact evaluation of the MSP is the program's small sample size. The two sites combined have served, to varying degrees, only 200 men over the last three years. However, if similar programs were adopted by other Healthy Start sites, sample sizes would likely become adequate.
Difficult to Identify a Comparison/Control Group: Currently, the program is not experiencing excess demand for its services. This, combined with the small number of participants precludes an experimental design. Finding a comparable comparison group may be difficult. For the Healthy Start evaluation, women residing in an adjacent geographic area were chosen as a comparison group, based on having similar risk factors to the program area. Since initiation of the project, however, the characteristics of the comparison group have changed (based on analysis of recent census data).
The Male Involvement Project (MIP) is operated through the St. Bernadine's Head Start program, located in Baltimore, MD. MIP began in 1982 and currently receives funding from a number of sources including the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Rauch Foundation, the Families and Work Institute, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Governor's Office on Alcohol and Substance Abuse. The program is located on the premises of St. Bernadine's church in central Baltimore.
The St. Bernadine's staff we interviewed include:
In addition to the St. Bernadine's staff, we interviewed two fathers who currently participate in the program.
The primary goals of MIP are: (1) to link one male with each child participating in the Head Start program; and (2) to assist men in dealing with their needs so they may develop the capacity to care for children. The program does not necessarily focus on fathers. They hope to link a caring male role model (whether it be a father, friend, or other family member) with each child in their program.
Participants in the MIP are generally low-income, African American males between the ages of 19 and 35. Most have completed high school or have some skills training. About 70 percent have established paternity. Most participants (75%) have a child attending the St. Bernadine's Head Start program.
The primary services offered by the MIP include:
Recruitment
Men are recruited through two primary means: (1) contact through mothers of children participating in the Head Start program, and (2) advertisement and word of mouth in the community. When children are enrolled in the Head Start program, the mother is asked to identify the father or other significant male that may be contacted to participate in the Male Involvement Program. The men are then mailed a brochure describing MIP and requesting a mail-in response if they are interested in participating. In addition, the MIP outreach specialist contacts these potential participants and attempts to enroll them in the program. Contact may be made through an in-home visit.
Men are also recruited through the advertisement of the Men's Support Group in the community. Flyers and word-of-mouth are the primary means for drawing individuals into the group.
Pre-Screening and Enrollment
No formal pre-screening of participants is conducted. Participants, along with the outreach specialist or program director, complete an intake form that provides basic information about the participant, including: name, address, phone, age, information on children, education, current employment status, marital status, guardianship status, whether or not there is communication with the mother, availability to participate in the program, and the services in which they are interested. For the current program year, a new client needs assessment form has been added that will solicit information on the participant's present family situation, substance abuse, employment history, barriers to employment, and personal goals.
Participation
Anyone who participates in the Men's Group is considered a participant. The Men's Group is the basic service through which individuals become involved in the program and may receive referrals to other types of services (listed above) and may be recruited to participate the Employment Development Project. To date, there have been very few participants in the Economic Development Project. Only two fathers have completed the security training component. Currently, about 7 to 10 fathers participate in the weekly Men's Support Group. Program staff indicated that they served (had one or more involvements with the program) about 125 individuals. Over the last three years, however, only about 50 men have been regular participants (primarily in the Men's Support Group).
Participants may also receive an in-home case management visit from the outreach specialist or program director. This is usually only done initially to enroll men in the program, but may also be done periodically if it is believed that the participant needs occasional follow-up.
Completion
There is no defined program completion date. With the exception of the employment programs, men may continue to participate in all activities for as long as they want. The employment training programs are for a defined duration (eight weeks for the security training and 90 hours for Early Childhood Education certification).
MIP staff indicated that the most important outcomes the program works to achieve are:
Staff indicated that, to date, paternity and child support have not been issues specifically addressed by the program.
MIP collects a variety of information on the initial intake forms including: age, education, place of residence, marital status, number of children and their ages, guardianship status, and whether or not there is communication with the mother; and current employment status.
Beginning this year, the program will collect additional information on the participant's present family situation, substance abuse, employment history, barriers to employment, and personal goals. MIP also keeps rosters of who participates in all activities sponsored by the program. All information is maintained in paper files.
Small sample: Probably the greatest obstacle to conducting a formal evaluation of MIP is the small number of individuals served by the program. MIP staff indicated that last year, 125 men had some involvement with the program. Very few, however, had ongoing involvement. Only about 50 men over the past three years have been regularly involved in the Men's Support Group, the primary service offered by the program. Only two men have completed the security training component of the program.
Defining service components and open-ended completion: Men may receive a variety of services through the program, either directly or through referrals. The Men's Support Group is the primary service offered to fathers. Most services, however, seem to be geared toward the Head Start mothers rather than specifically to fathers. Men may participate at any time for any length, with some returning only periodically. This lack of a defined service delivery would complicate efforts to define who is actually receiving program services.
Limited and informal tracking of participants: Currently, attendance rosters are kept for the weekly Men's Support Group. Files on fathers are not currently kept separately. Because of program funding, the information on fathers is included in an associated child's file in the Head Start program.
The Father Resource Program (FRP) is operated through Wishard Memorial Hospital, located in Indianapolis, IN. The program has been operating since November, 1993 and currently receives funding from a number of sources including: The Lily Endowment (40%), Wishard Memorial Hospital (25%), The Indianapolis Foundation (15%), US Dept. of Health and Human Services (15%), Wishard Memorial Foundation (5%), and block grant funding from the Governor's office, Division of Children and Family Services (5%). The annual budget for the program is approximately $300,000. The program is located on the premises of Wishard Memorial Hospital in downtown Indianapolis.
The FRP staff we interviewed include:
In addition to the FRP staff, we interviewed Candace Curry from the Prosecutor's Office, and attorney Paul Malone who are also involved with the FRP program.
The primary goals of FRP are: (1) to develop the capacity of young fathers to become responsible and involved parents, wage-earners, and providers of child support; and (2) assist fathers with developing the skills and behaviors necessary to cooperate in the care of their children, regardless of the character of the relationship with the mother. The overall goals may be restated as follows:
A primary goal of the program is to place fathers in jobs upon completion of the program's six-week curriculum.
Participants in the program must be between the ages of 18 and 25 and the father of a child 3 years old or less, or an expecting father. The program serves primarily African American males (98%). About 80 percent have no high school diploma, 90 percent are unemployed, and about 65 percent have not established paternity upon entering the program. Initially, the program served individuals residing in the 20 square mile Blackburn area if the mother used Wishard Memorial Hospital. Currently, the program serves individuals from all of Marion County.
The fathers participate in six weeks of classroom instruction and discussion, and job counseling readiness, and placement activities. There are generally 8-10 participants in a class. At the end of the six-week curriculum, it is expected that the father will be placed in a job.
The six-week curriculum has several components:
Participants in the six-week curriculum are paid a stipend, ranging from $75 to $115 per week, which is based on their performance. Performance criteria include: attendance, punctuality, attitude/conduct, appearance, and academic performance on assignments and exams. Participants may be fined from $0.50 to $6.00 per incident, depending on the infraction and may be dismissed from the program due to poor performance. Participants may also receive performance bonuses for good attendance, doing well on exams, and for serving as a class officer. Performance and stipends are determined weekly.
Participants attend classes Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 3:30 p.m. Those enrolled in GED coursework attend GED classes daily from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. In addition, there are 6 to 8 hours of family night activities during the six week period.
At the end of the six weeks, students who have successfully graduated from the program receive at $100 graduation stipend and are placed in a job. If they retain their job for 3 months, they are paid a $50 bonus, for 6 months, a $100 bonus, and for 1 year, a $150 bonus (for the same job) or $100 (for a different job).
Recruitment
When the program began, fathers were recruited primarily through a social worker employed by the hospital who identified potential participants through patients in the maternity ward. The social worker is no longer at the hospital and since her leaving, the program has not received many referrals from hospital staff. In general, nurses and other hospital staff do not seem interested in referring fathers to the program, even though program staff have made attempts to inform them about their services.
Currently, recruiting efforts have focused on the community at large and have involved radio ads; flyers posted in laundromats, car washes, restaurants, and churches; posters with a mail-in contact card placed in pool rooms, clinics, and other public places; and referrals from former program participants. Former students receive a recruitment bonus of $15 for referring someone who subsequently enrolls in the program. They receive an additional $25 if that individual completes the program or an additional $50 if he successfully completes the program (distinction discussed below).
Pre-Screening and Enrollment
Individuals interested in participating must undergo a rather intensive pre-screening application process. The pre-screen involves several interviews with FRP staff to inform the applicant about what the program involves, to determine how serious the applicant is about participating, and to assess the applicant's ability to participate and potential for successful completion of the program curriculum.
Interested applicants are interviewed on at least three occasions. During the first or second interview, the applicant's reading and writing skills are assessed. After the third interview, the applicant completes a detailed application form. A final interview is conducted with all program staff to clarify the applicant's criminal/drug history, the program intent, and other details on the application form.
About 50 individuals typically go through the pre-screening process. Of these, approximately half are accepted to the program. The FRP outreach coordinator cited reasons why applicants come to the program including: there are those who simply want the stipend, those who have nothing better to do, those who are just curious, those who think they want to change yet do not know what is involved, and those who truly desire to change and are willing to work for it. The arduous pre-screening process is intended to weed out those who are not truly serious about wanting to change. Less motivated applicants typically screen themselves out of the program once they learn exactly what it entails.
Following acceptance into the program, participants attend a week long orientation prior to officially beginning the program. The stipend begins during this week. During this orientation, students are advised of the performance criteria and given 40 to 50 pages of reading materials that will be discussed during the first official week of the program.
Participation
During the first week of the program, participants officially become a "student". The first week is considered a probationary period in which students may be dismissed if they do not pass a weekly exam covering the reading materials, or for poor attendance, poor attitude or generally poor performance. Students are also administered a drug test during the first week. After the first week, the class size has generally dwindled to approximately 8 to 10 students. As discussed above, the students participate in a six-week curriculum where weeks 1 through 4 focus on responsible fathering, and weeks 5 and 6 focus on job readiness and placement. Participants go through the program in a cohort and group dynamics play an important role. Students are encouraged to take leadership roles in their class by running for one of three class offices in weekly elections.
Completion
There are three levels of program completion:
Students who successfully complete the program are "guaranteed" a job upon graduation. In the past, positions were typically found at Wishard Hospital. Currently, however, the program has an employment developer on staff who is attempting to make contacts with local employers who would be willing to hire FRP graduates. This has resulted in more placements outside of Wishard Hospital.
For those who only complete the program, FRP staff work hard to find a job, but placement is not guaranteed. The final "participated" category is currently being phased out. FRP now attempts to dismiss individuals from the program early on who are not willing to meet the standards for completion. Of the 8 to 10 who begin the program, about 6 to 8 graduate (complete or successfully complete).
FRP staff cited a number of specific measurable outcomes that the program works to achieve:
FRP collects a variety of information on the initial application forms including:
In addition, weekly performance review and stipend information is also reported. The program maintains some of the demographic information and information on many of the outcomes described in the previous section on an electronic database. At this time, information is only maintained for students who actually enroll in the program. Plans are in progress to maintain information on individuals who apply but do not formally enroll in the program. FRP periodically summarizes information on program participation, attrition, and specific outcomes.
FRP is currently developing a follow-up database that will track outcomes for participants in the areas of paternity establishment, child support, arrears, visitation, employment, job duration, wages, educational attainment, and criminal activity. Follow-up information will be collected on former participants every six months.
No Excess Demand: FRP does not have a regular source of referrals and has not experienced an excess demand for their services. They have been able to accommodate all individuals who enroll and probably have the capacity to serve a greater number of individuals than are currently served. As discussed above, they have many individuals who initially are interested in the program, however much fewer actually enroll after learning what the program entails.
In the past, FRP staff have focused their efforts on curriculum development, currently they are focusing on ways to recruit participants. The lack of excess demand may create problems if a random assignment evaluation approach is adopted, however, their current recruitment strategies and experimentation with alternative strategies offers promise for a quasi-experimental evaluation approach.
Large, Ill-Defined Service Area: The program currently draws participants from a very large target area. The use of radio ads as a major source of outreach has increased the target area of the program substantially. This poses a problem if a non-experimental evaluation approach is adopted as it may be very difficult to identify a control group.
Small Sample Size: Class sizes are quite small (8 to 10) and the number of students who complete the program is even smaller (6 to 8 per six-week interval). Since the program began two and a half years ago, it has only served about 85 individuals. This implies that a relatively long period of observation may be necessary in order to obtain a sufficient sample size to conduct an evaluation.
Follow-up: Currently, the program has been able to maintain follow-up contact with about 25 to 50 percent of those who completed the program. In addition, the presence of the job retention bonuses may create a selection bias in the follow-up process, i.e. those with positive outcomes (those who retain jobs and seek the bonus) are more likely to maintain contact with the program.
Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin operates several programs serving fathers in Racine County that fall under an umbrella program entitled "Children Upfront". The two primary programs serving fathers under Children Upfront include (1) Children First and (2) the Young Fathers Program. Children First, begun in 1990, is a program conducted in cooperation with the Racine County Human Services Department and the county Child Support Enforcement Agency. The Young Fathers program, begun in 1991, was part of the six-city Public/Private Ventures nationwide demonstration project. The Young Fathers program has become part of Wisconsin's Children First program. The Goodwill programs receive most of their funding from the State of Wisconsin and Racine County, and a small amount from private donations. The programs are located in downtown Racine, WI.
The Goodwill Industries staff we interviewed during the site visit include:
In addition to the Goodwill Industries staff, we interviewed Christopher Lindroth, an attorney with the Racine County Child Support Enforcement Agency responsible for making referrals to the Goodwill programs.
The main goals of the Goodwill fatherhood program are (1) to identify fathers who are non-custodial and reconnect them to their children; and (2) to facilitate the father's ability to be a provider for his children. A primary goal of the program is to engage the father in job seeking and employment activities and to ultimately increase the level and consistency of child support provided by the father.
Between 1990 and 1995, the Goodwill programs served about 2600 fathers. The average age of participants is 29 years, with 40 percent being between the ages of 16 and 25. Two-thirds of all participants have never been married. The average level of education is 11 years. The program serves primarily African American (58 percent) and white (26 percent) fathers. Ten percent of those who participate have been recently released from a correctional facility.
Relative to all participants, the 40 percent of fathers age 25 and under are more likely to be African American (68 percent), to have been released from corrections (15 percent), and to have never been married (80 percent).
The program serves fathers residing primarily in the five census tracts that comprise the inner city of Racine.
The Goodwill programs offer a variety of services, depending on the father's needs. There is not a structured curriculum for all fathers. A case manager identifies the needs of the particular father and develops a plan with him. The plan may include parenting and father responsibility courses, job readiness training, job search assistance, GED courses, referral to drug or alcohol treatment, and support group meetings.
E. Recruitment/Enrollment/Participation/Completion
Recruitment
The Goodwill programs conduct few outreach and recruiting activities in the community. Most program participants (85 percent) are referred to the program via the court system. Individuals referred by the courts are those in violation of child support agreements or are referred as a result of paternity suits brought by the county on behalf of a welfare mother. These individuals are required to report to the program within 48 hours of receiving the court order. The program does receive some referrals from the health department, schools, and other community-based programs. The program is just beginning to receive referrals from other participants in the program. Participants in the Young Fathers program are more likely to come from these sources as only about 50 percent are court ordered to the program.
Pre-Screening and Enrollment
There is little or no pre-screening of potential participants done either by the court system in referring persons to the program, or by Goodwill staff in accepting persons into the program. The court system views the program as a means to document "reasonable effort to find employment" in building cases against child support offenders. It is a jail alternative for child support enforcement purposes. As such, it is used for as many persons as possible. The courts refer from 55 to 60 fathers to the program each month.
Participation
Court ordered participants must schedule an initial appointment with a program case manager within 48 hours of court order. The father is sent an intake form to complete before his appointment. The form is intended to identify the fathers needs from the program, which are discussed at the first scheduled appointment. If a father fails to show up for his initial appointment, his failure to comply can result in incarceration.
When the father meets with the case manager, the case manager works up an employment development plan (EDP). Court ordered participants are required to engage in 32 hours of program/work/education/job search activities each week. Fathers working fewer than 32 hours per week are required to continue participation in the programs scheduled on his EDP.
Completion
Court ordered fathers are no longer required to participate in the program once they are able to pay child support for three consecutive months. Fathers may continue to participate if they choose. It is also common for fathers to be referred back to the program periodically on both a voluntary and involuntary basis. There is no set completion date for participants. Only a rather small proportion (about 30 percent) actually complete the 26-week parenting curriculum offered by the program. Employment and incarceration are the main reasons why participants do not complete the curriculum. According to program staff, about 30 percent of participants become employed right away (within 3 to 4 weeks) and therefore must report to the program for only the requisite three consecutive months; about 50 percent need some extra help and therefore participate somewhat longer than three months; and about 20 percent are hard core cases that never end up paying child support.
Goodwill staff cited a number of specific outcomes that the program tries to achieve:
Goodwill industries collects a variety of information on the initial intake forms including:
The program also tracks the fathers' work, job search, and training activities while in the program. All information is maintained in paper files.
Program Used as a Deterrent: Participation in the program, at least for most participants, is not voluntary. The program itself is used as a "punishment" for not paying child support. As such, it may be more difficult to evaluate in the manner used for traditional interventions. Many participants choose to leave the program very quickly by obtaining employment and paying child support. Because of this, the "most successful" participants will be those who get the least services from the program. The program could be evaluated relative to a situation where jail was the only alternative. A comparison community would have to be selected for the control group in this situation because in Racine, all eligible persons are required to participate in the program and the courts expressed an unwillingness to participate in a randomized experiment. Participants who are not court-ordered to the program do not represent a large enough group to make up the entire evaluation sample (they represent only 15 percent of all participants).
Open-Ended Completion and Non-Uniform Services: Participants in the program receive very different services and participate for different periods of time. The types of services received, to a large degree, center around employment. Fathers who work 32 hours or more do not need to participate in program-sponsored activities. In general, employment hours replace program-sponsored activities. As discussed above, those who are most successful receive the fewest services from the program. An evaluation could be conducted, however, that addresses the effectiveness of specific program components. For example, the father responsibility/parenting skills components as separate from the employment and job skills components (an evaluation of the employment services is currently being conducted by the state). Unless there is a careful design and cooperation from the court system in the way they make referrals, there is the potential for spillover effects -- persons receiving only the employment services may come in contact with the program or participants in the program.
No Excess Demand: As discussed above, the court system refers as many persons as they can to the program. There appears to be no excess demand for the program, making random assignment difficult. Program staff did indicate, however, that there is excess demand for their services outside of their usual referral source (the courts). Were they able to obtain funding to conduct outreach and to provide services to these additional participants, they would have no problem recruiting volunteers for a randomized experiment. The effects of the program estimated in such an experiment might, however, be very different from the effects on fathers who are under court order to participate.
2. The site visit was conducted October 29, 1996 by Burt Barnow of Johns Hopkins University, Jeff Johnson of Management Plus, and Gina Livermore of The Lewin Group.
3. The site visit was conducted October 4, 1996 by Jeff Johnson of Management Plus, Gina Livermore of The Lewin Group, and John Trutko of James Bell Associates.
4. The site visit was conducted June 17, 1996 by Gina Livermore of The Lewin Group and Jeff Johnson of Management Plus.
5. The site visit was conducted September 10, 1996 by David Stapleton and Gina Livermore of The Lewin Group.