Guidebook to the
Responsible Fatherhood Project
Participant Management Information System
Introduction
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) contracted with The
Lewin Group to assist eight DHHS-sponsored Responsible Fatherhood Projects
with the development of management information systems tailored to the operations
of each site. This technical assistance project was designed to assist
each site with the development of data forms and a working automated data
system to track participant characteristics, services received, outcomes,
and costs. The automated system — referred to in this project
as the Responsible Fatherhood Management Information System
(RFMIS) — was designed to operate on Microsoft Access 97.
The system was designed so that sites could tailor system components to local
program operations and so that sites could adapt the system over time to
meet future program needs (i.e., add new fields, change form views, and create
new report formats in the future).
The data system that is the focus of this manual was developed based on an
assessment of needs and capacities of local program sites involved in the
DHHS-sponsored demonstration effort. Among the data collection activities
involved in developing the system and this guidebook were the following:
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Telephone and in-person interviews with DHHS’ Administration on Children
and Families (ACF) Responsible Fatherhood Projects located in eight
states: Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, California, Wisconsin,
Missouri, Maryland, and Washington;
-
Telephone and in-person interviews with local and national evaluators of
Responsible Fatherhood Projects;
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Two conferences that brought together representatives of Responsible Fatherhood
Projects, local evaluators of Responsible Fatherhood Projects, the national
evaluation contractors (Policy Studies, Inc. and the Center for Policy Research),
the management information system contractor for the Responsible Fatherhood
initiative (The Lewin Group), the management information system contractor
for the Ford Foundation’s Fragile Family Initiative (Metis Associates,
Inc.), and representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services’
Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE/DHHS) and the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE/DHHS);
-
Review of the management information system and forms developed for the
Parents’ Fair Share demonstration (including a site visit to a
Parents’ Fair Share project); and
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Review of existing materials and documents on tracking participant
characteristics, participant outcomes, program services, and program costs
in Responsible Fatherhood Projects.
The purpose of this guidebook is to provide each of
the eight Responsible Fatherhood Project sites (and other interested responsible
fatherhood initiatives) with written documentation on how to complete the
RFMIS data forms and operate the automated system. Sections 1-3 of
this guidebook are primarily intended for Responsible Fatherhood Project
staff who are responsible for interviewing participants and completing
forms. These sections include the following:
The next sections of the guidebook are aimed primarily at project staff
responsible for managing and operating the RFMIS. It includes instructions
on how to install enter new data records, find and edit existing data records,
and generate reports. These sections include the following:
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SECTION 4: GUIDE TO USING THE RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. The RFMIS was developed to operate
on Microsoft Access 97. This section provides an overview of how to get started
using the data system. It provides step-by-step instructions for getting
into and exiting the system, entering data, locating records, and backing
up data files. Users may also want to refer to the Microsoft Access 97 manual
for more detailed instruction on how to operate the software (especially
with respect to creating and generating new report formats).
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SECTION 5: SAMPLE DATA ENTRY
SCREENS. This section provides a set of completed sample data entry
screens. [in PDF format, nice for printing]
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SECTION 6: LIST OF RFMIS DATA
FIELDS. This section identifies the data field names for each data
item on the RFMIS data forms. [in PDF format, nice for printing]
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SECTION 7: GUIDE TO GENERATING SAMPLE REPORTS AND
DESIGNING NEW REPORTS. This section provides instructions for
generating a series of sample reports on participant characteristics, services
received, and outcomes. Microsoft Access 97 has a highly flexible reporting
capability that will enable sites to develop their own reports and print
out data on any data item in the data system. This section includes
instructions on (a) how to print out pre-formatted reports, (b) some basic
guidance on how to create new reports, and (c) examples of reports printed
out using sample data.
The Lewin Group is available to provide technical assistance on using the
RFMIS and tailoring the data system to the operations of each site.
Should you have any questions concerning the data forms, system installation,
system design or system operations, please contact:
John Trutko, Consultant to The Lewin Group
Capital Research Corporation
1910 N. Stafford Street
Arlington, VA 22207
Telephone: (703) 522-6270
Fax: (703) 522-0885
E-mail: jtrutko@aol.com
Erica Chan
The Lewin Group
3130 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 800
Falls Church, VA 22042
Telephone: (703) 269-5784
Fax: (703) 269-5503
E-mail: echan@lewin.com
Where to?
Main Page and Table of Contents
Introduction
Instructions for Completing Participant Data Forms
Blank Participant Data Forms
Example of a Completed Set of Participant
Data Entry Forms
Guide to Using the Responsible Fatherhood Management
Information System
Sample Data Entry Screens
RFMIS Data Fields
Guide to Generating Sample Reports and Designing New
Reports
Home Pages:
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
(ASPE)
Child Support Enforcement
(OCSE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)
Revised 5/26/00