Description

AVANCE-Houston's FRAMEWorks (Family, Relationship, and Marriage Education Works) Project seeks to promote healthy family relationships and economic stability by providing the Survival Skills for Healthy Families (SSHF) curriculum to cohorts of low-income adults. Developed by Family Wellness Associates, SSHF is an evidence-based curriculum delivered through a series of workshops that focus on communication skills, conflict resolution, knowledge of the benefits of marriage, stress and anger management, parenting skills, financial literacy, job and career advancement, and relationship skills to improve family and economic stability. In the past, AVANCE has offered two curriculum delivery models: recurring weekly workshops (standard schedule format) and intensive weekend retreats (compressed schedule format). Each model meets the needs of the target population in different ways, and participants consider factors such as childcare, work/school schedules, weekend availability, and geographic location when choosing their preferred model.

Though each service delivery model has potential advantages, research does not indicate which program model is better for improving outcomes overall, or for which type of participant. The recurring, weekly workshop classes allow for participants to practice what they have learned between sessions but could be less effective if participants drop out of the program before completing the curriculum. Weekend retreats reduce the risk of program attrition but could be less effective if participants do not retain the information or practice learned skills over time. Which type of model is more effective also likely depends on the interaction between the participant (e.g., learning style, existing commitments) and the delivery format.

AVANCE-Houston seeks to understand whether a standard or compressed schedule format for SSHF curriculum delivered as a primary service in the A-HFP better meets the needs of low-income adults to improve skill retention and, ultimately, to promote better outcomes for healthy family relationships and economic stability. Primary outcome measures will indicate whether behavior improved for healthy family relationships (parent and partner) and financial readiness. Secondary outcome measures will indicate whether improvements were made for the attitudes and expectations that facilitate and reflect behavior for healthy family relationships and economic stability.