Promoting Safety Together: Domestic Violence and Healthy Marriage Programs

Since 2002 the Administration has provided substantial funding for healthy marriage and relationship programs, research and demonstrations. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2006 provided $150 million a year for five years to fund healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs. This series of three policy seminars aims to share some of the lessons learned thus far. It is being held in cooperation with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Child Trends, Center for Law and Social Policy and the National Conference of State Legislatures and with financial support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs that receive grants from the Administration for Children and Families are required to consult with domestic violence experts in developing their programs and activities. At this seminar on July 18^th the first panel of speakers reviewed the reasons for this requirement, described how it is being implemented across a diverse sample of programs, and provided an effective model for creating bridges between domestic violence and healthy marriage and relationship programs. The second panel addressed emerging curricula and approaches to helping individual women and men avoid abusive relationships.

Panelists included national domestic violence experts, program administrators, a relationship educator, and a program participant. Excerpts from Something My Father Would Do, a DVD of interviews with three men about their experience of growing up with abusive fathers will also be shown.

Panelists took questions from the audience.