The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) seeks public comment on potential changes to performance measures for the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) program. Developed in 2014, the program’s current metrics include reporting that reflects program applicant characteristics, program operations, participant outcomes (based on an entrance survey and an existing survey), a quarterly performance report, and a semi-annual performance report within the nFORM (Management Information) system.

OPRE seeks input on the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, relevance and appropriateness of the performance measures for HMRF program populations, how well the measures are aligned with program goals and theories of changes, whether quarterly reports capture program performance accurately, and ways to minimize performance data collection burdens. Public comments are to be submitted to nformfeedback@acf.hhs.gov by Friday, December 6, 2019.

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is accepting proposals for individual presentations, full conference sessions, and roundtables for the Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) to be held in Washington, D.C. on May 27-29, 2020. Panels will cover the following topics: TANF Programs, Policies, and Populations; Employment and Mobility in the Labor Market; Youth Well-Being and the Transition to Adulthood; Strengthening Families, Fatherhood, Marriages, and Relationships; Evaluating Social Programs, Building Evidence, and Using Data; and Approaches to Alleviate Poverty and Expand Opportunity. Presentations will cover both basic and applied research targeted to a broad audience of researchers, practitioners, state and local administrators, and policymakers. The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended to September 6, 2019.

This blogpost, authored by the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, highlights the agency’s work in promoting and supporting healthy marriages through 45 grantee organizations. The blogpost also identifies how another 40 grantees provide educational activities to address responsible fatherhood and introduces the agency’s new Responsible Fatherhood public service videos and a recent report, Fatherhood: Ongoing Research and Program Evaluation Efforts in the Administration for Children and Families. The National Fatherhood Clearinghouse is also identified as a resource for educational tools and information.