Supporting Responsible Fatherhood Program (Fatherhood FIRE)

NCT ID: NCT05311592

Last Updated: 2026-01-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 496 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-04-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-06-10

Brief Summary

Montefiore Medical Center (in partnership with BronxWorks) is implementing a large-scope program to promote responsible fatherhood in the Bronx among low-income adult (18 years or older) fathers with non-custodial children (under the age of 24). The program, called HERO Dads (Healthy, Empowered, Resilient, Open Dads), will promote responsible fatherhood by enhancing relationship and anger-management skills and providing marriage education; providing skills-based parenting education, disseminating information about good parenting practices, and encouraging child support payments (in partnership with our local OCSE); and fostering economic stability by providing employment-related supports inclusive of job search, vocational skills training, job referrals, and job retention.

Detailed Description

The program model is based on the premise that relationship and parenting skills can be taught, and will lead to improvements in relationships (knowledge about relationships, communication skills, stress management, reduction in destructive conflict), parenting (knowledge about child development, engagement with non-custodial children, effective parenting, co-parent communication, child well-being), and economic status (vocational skills, new employment or career advancement, financial literacy, child support). The investigator will provide core relationship and relationship education workshops using an empirically supported curriculum (24/7 Dad) plus employment workshops, numerous supplemental activities to promote responsible fatherhood, individualized vocational case management, and job-driven employment services. In total, the investigator expects to enroll 1,475 non-custodial fathers in the program and provide an average of 34 hours of total programming per participant (including 24 hours of core workshops), which the investigator believes is a sufficient dosage to detect impacts.

Conditions

Parenting; Family Relations; Father-Child Relations

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

In Person

Participants will receive all services in person, including participating in the initial intake process, and attending all workshops.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

HERO Dads Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The HERO Dads Program is a 4-week series of workshops for non-custodial fathers that focuses on improving parenting, offering job support, and financial counseling.

Virtual (Zoom)

Participants will complete their intake process in person, but will complete all workshops virtually through Zoom.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

HERO Dads Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The HERO Dads Program is a 4-week series of workshops for non-custodial fathers that focuses on improving parenting, offering job support, and financial counseling.

Interventions

HERO Dads Program

The HERO Dads Program is a 4-week series of workshops for non-custodial fathers that focuses on improving parenting, offering job support, and financial counseling.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Non-custodial fathers who are 18 years or older
• Have non-custodial children (biological, foster, adopted) under the age of 24
• Income below 200% poverty line

Exclusion Criteria

• Active intimate partner violence and increased risk of intimate partner violence

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Children's Bureau - Administration for Children and Families

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

BronxWorks

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Montefiore Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Scott Wetzler, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Montefiore Medical Center

Locations

Montefiore Medical Center

The Bronx, New York, United States

Countries

United States

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Provided Documents

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Related Links

http://www.mdrc.org/publications/393/workpaper.html

Married and poor: Basic characteristics of economically disadvantaged married couples in the US. Working Paper SHM-01, Supporting Healthy Marriage Project, New York: MDRC

https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/innovative_parenting_b3_findings_dec_2019_0.pdf

Implementing an innovative parenting program for fathers: Findings from the B3 study OPRE Report 2019-111.

Other Identifiers

2021-12757

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id