Learn, Do, Reflect: A Summary of Findings from the Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs Study

Federally funded Responsible Fatherhood programs work with fathers to promote healthy relationships and marriages, strengthen parenting practices, and help fathers attain economic stability. For programs to improve fathers’ outcomes, they need to be able to recruit fathers, engage them in services, and keep them actively participating in program activities. However, social service programs often struggle to engage participants in their services. The Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs (SIRF) study was aimed at addressing this difficulty with fatherhood programs. This brief summarizes how cycles of 10 fatherhood programs participating in SIRF were designed and implemented, and provides an overview of the study’s overall findings.