The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison will host a webinar on November 20, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to cover the latest research on the dynamics of noncustodial fatherhood involvement and co-parenting. The webinar will also offer strategies for providers to support families more holistically by valuing and engaging mothers and fathers and promoting co-parenting relationships. Speakers include researchers from the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Men’s Health Unit at the City of Milwaukee Health Department who will cover statewide and national trends and programs.

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.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report reviews how fatherhood programs serving previously incarcerated low-income fathers can incorporate a trauma-informed system of care into their program design. Trauma-specific services are important for fathers as they reconnect with their families upon release, since their past experience with trauma may challenge them. The report also examines the approaches that fatherhood programs use to identify and assess fathers who could benefit from a trauma-informed system of care, as well as available resources for implementing trauma-informed approaches.