EXCERPTS FROM

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

MANUAL

EXCERPTS FROM

SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION MANUAL

Following are excerpts from the SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION MANUAL, Lessons Learned from Eight Years of Office of Community Services Demonstration Partnership Programs. The excerpts featured here are those which were felt to be most relevant to programs aimed at strengthening the role, resources, and capabilities of young, low-income fathers.

This Manual was developed through a process that involved, first, information gained from the 1994 Demonstration Partnership Program Reporting Out Conference, where project directors and evaluators discussed lessons learned from their recently concluded projects. Second, Evaluation Monographs summarizing the findings of previously funded Demonstration Partnership Projects were carefully reviewed for lessons learned. Third, from this, draft lessons learned and draft "logic models" were developed and circulated to teams of three to five Project Directors and Project Evaluators. The teams were then convened in separate 2-day cluster conferences during which the draft lessons learned were discussed and revised, and specific examples gathered for inclusion in the Manual.

The result is a collection of valuable insights to the design and implementation of successful programs, many of them learned from the experience of the projects featured in the previous pages of this monograph.

MINORITY MALE PROJECT LESSONS LEARNED

A. INTRODUCTION AND LOGIC MODEL

A1. Introduction151Self-sufficiency projects that target minority males face a tremendous challenge. In general, services to males who seek public assistance are limited. Services that target the specific problems of minority males are almost non-existent. The lack of services is complicated by the fact that low-income minority males often lack a strong education, are more likely to have had adverse contact with the criminal justice system, and have a mixed work history. All of these factors accumulate to make it very difficult for low-income and unemployed minority males who are at risk of welfare dependency to find work at wage levels that support self-sufficiency. Racial and ethnic discrimination continue to play a critical role by placing subtle barriers in front of minority males who are attempting to achieve self-sufficiency.

Another complicating factor is that while the problems and needs of minority males are increasingly being described, few programmatic solutions have been put forth. A considerable amount of programmatic experimentation still needs to be done. Agencies that wish to serve minority males or establish minority male programs find that they have to start from scratch. There are few antecedents or examples to draw upon.

Programs that wish to serve minority males usually require access to many and complex services in a world where few such services exist. Therefore, in addition to building a conceptual framework, minority male projects find that they often have to develop partnerships with groups that do not normally venture into the world of service provision to low-income populations or only have limited experience with minority males. Inventing or brokering new systems of service provision can be resource intensive.

A number of DPP grants have either directly or indirectly targeted minority males. Based on a review of these projects, two types of minority male self-sufficiency projects have been identified. One targets low-income minority males not in school; the other targets minority males who are in school and are at risk of dropping out. These models do not exhaust all types of projects that target minority males. They do, however, describe the programs that have been tried to date within the DPP framework.

A2. Minority male logic models151A logic model for each of the two types of minority male projects has been developed to facilitate an understanding of the principal components of the minority male projects that have been tried within DPP. While these logic models are based on actual programs, each model is a composite of individual program types and should be seen as an ideal-typical design rather than a direct representation of any single program. As is the case with any abstract social or program model, the two logic designs tend to oversimplify the programs, and do not fully capture all of the complex linkages and interactions between program elements. Finally, the logic models do not address management issues. They are focused on client interventions. Including partnership and project management elements within the model would make the logic models far too complex, and would distract from a clear understanding of the intervention components.

[SEE MINORITY MALE LOGIC MODELS, EXHIBITS V-1 & V-2, ON FOLLOWING PAGES][NOTE: NOT INCLUDED IN INTERNET VERSION].

B. Minority Male Project Design Lessons

B1. Verify assumptions about minority males, and adjust programs to reflect this reality151Some projects that were designed to serve minority males assumed that clients lacked realistic job-seeking and employment skills. In fact, many clients, while they had not held "regular jobs" for a long period of time, had previous work experience as semi-skilled or unskilled laborers in the underground or "cash" economy (i.e., they worked but were not officially employed). Project activities and evaluations should be designed to reflect the real characteristics of the clients served, replacing objectives that assume lack of job-seeking and survival skills with objectives that reflect the realities of client experience. It is difficult to negotiate change once a project starts off with faulty assumptions. Agencies must focus on how their project design serves people rather than adjusting people to fit their design or model. Minority male charettes and focus groups are excellent qualitative methods for acquiring information and verifying assumptions.

B2. Develop realistic plans151The original project design or methodology often differed from what was ultimately implemented because of an inability to deliver needed services to an unrealistically large number of clients, or because of interagency coordination problems. Public assistance programs generally offer few services to males, much less minority males, and hence have few trained personnel who have the necessary skills or knowledge to provide efficacious help. In circumstances where project clientele have had a previous history of involvement with the criminal justice system, it may be particularly difficult to find partners or personnel who can provide effective and relevant sources. The project may have to create or broker a service system from scratch. Those few minority male projects that have been able to develop program continuity were those that were able to draw on non-traditional social service providers. For example, one program was able to convince a law firm to provide pro bono services to assist clients with civil and criminal matters. The same project was able to convince a U.S. Senator to hire one of its graduates. One key to a successful innovative project that serves minority males is to have a flexible pool of money available that allows for change throughout the project without penalty and that permits the project to purchase emergency support services in a pinch for clients.

B3. Develop an empowerment strategy and curriculum that strengthens self-esteem and self-efficacy151Minority males, particularly African American males, frequently encounter direct and indirect expressions of racism. This is particularly true for low-income minority males who do not have the financial resources to purchase expensive and conservative clothing for job interviews, etc. It is important to equip minority males with the tools to defend themselves against the constant corrosive effects of discrimination. A strong course that instills ethnic pride and provides the participant with skills to cope with prejudice has been found to be a powerful tool by a number of the DPP minority male programs.

B4. Offer a career path151Many jobs made available for clients have been low-wage, no-benefit positions in the service industries, i.e., protection/security agencies, fast food chains, small construction companies, and other general service jobs. Wage levels for these jobs do not provide sufficient income to support an individual and his dependents. Minority males cannot afford to stay in these low-wage jobs and they don146t. These jobs do not compensate as much as the underground economy, and require much more accountability. Projects cannot recruit and keep clients with the message "come with us so you cannot make it, but do so the right way." The message should be centered on getting clients onto a career path, or at a minimum, a job with realistic opportunities for upward mobility.

B5. Plan options for meeting transportation needs151Most clients live far away from where jobs are available, and public transportation may not be available, may be too expensive, or may be too slow. The transportation needs of clients must be taken into account.

B6. Arrange for a project job developer151The importance of a job search/job developer component in self-sufficiency projects should not be underestimated. Employment in low skilled, minimum wage jobs should be viewed as an initial step in the self-sufficiency process and not an end in itself. Clients should be encouraged to take advantage of project opportunities and then consider other options that reflect upward mobility.

C. MINORITY MALE PROJECT START-UP LESSONS

C1. Show respect to clients151Projects must be based on respect; an agency should be more than just an office. Clients should be greeted with a warm welcome, a smile, and a handshake. No paper work should be encountered or required until the client146s second or third visit. This allows for mutual assessment to take place, and it presents a less bureaucratic image. Other deterrents to program participation must also be avoided (e.g., lengthy sit and wait time, insufficient explanation of the services available, no child care, and long waits for appointments). It should be remembered that minority males expect to be treated with disrespect. Minority male programs have to overcome the inherent tendency by prospective clients to judge the program on the basis of past experiences and expectations.

C2. Establish responsiveness to clients146 needs early in the program151Identifying and providing access to services such as health care, treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, legal assistance, family counseling, housing, child care, and transportation is a must for project success. The responsiveness of a project to a client146s needs is often used by the client to judge a program146s legitimacy or validity. An agency146s track record with its clients determines its future opportunities with the minority male population.

D. MINORITY MALE PROJECT OPERATIONS LESSONS

D1. Target activities or services to meet minority male needs and interests151Emphasis on "preachy" seminars that encourage acceptance of middle-class values and the work ethic should be refocused toward the job-related needs of clients. The primary concern of most minority males entering self-sufficiency projects is a job. Once they hold a job that provides some level of income, minority males can focus on further education or training. Programs that offer immediate access to jobs are more likely to recruit and retain clients in their program.

D2. Take a "job-first" approach151Most minority male clients want two things when they come into a project, "a GED and a job." These should be the first steps in the self-sufficiency process. Projects must offer an approach in which additional education and training are offered after the immediate employment and income needs of clients are met. The next step is to get them to understand that the GED and/or a minimum wage job is the first rung on the self-sufficiency ladder; the next rung might be technical school, community college, or a 4-year college. The trick is to keep clients motivated once they begin nearing a decent wage, so that they will continue to take advantage of opportunities that offer possibilities for upward mobility. Meeting the job service needs of clients promotes confidence in the legitimacy or validity of a project and its staff. Client networks then begin to be an agency146s source of future project participants.

D3. Build on client strengths and interests151Projects should start by identifying work used to earn income in the cash economy. Minority males have excellent survival skills; projects must try to move these skills into the mainstream economy. This can be accomplished by starting with clients146 strengths and their vision of what they want to do (do not make assumptions about the client146s strengths and needs), then work with the client to find a job based on their background, potential, and ability. Project staff should work with clients as long as they are actively looking for employment, working on acquiring an education, or developing a business.

D4. Understand, respect, and where possible include the family151Consistent participation in family and community life is an important step in moving participants from dependency to self-sufficiency. Projects that recognize the critical importance of families in enhancing client interest and cooperation make it a point to encourage family contact and include family members and significant others in all phases of project operations. Getting and keeping jobs that support families is the common objective that builds trusting relationships between staff, clients, and their families.

Encouraging minority males to take active roles in parenting their children, or to re-establish contact with their children and their mothers, should be a major objective of all self-sufficiency projects. This can be problematic. Some minority males feel that they must go back to their families as "Santa Claus," bearing gifts. Hence, many simply avoid contact. There is also the difficulty of women as barriers151barring contact or demanding money. In some cases the mother may not want the father in the picture because there may be another male in her life. However, minority males should be encouraged to keep in contact with their significant others and their children as the situation dictates. Males generally, and minority males particularly, are expected to be socially responsible and effectively perform the role of prime socioeconomic providers for their families. Getting a "steady, decent paying" job goes a long way toward enhancing a client146s self-confidence and self-respect.

The minority male projects will need to weigh the problems of child support enforcement carefully. As public pressure increases to locate absent fathers and enforce child support rules, recruitment to government supported jobs programs could become difficult. Low-income individuals are more likely to be in arrears on their child support payments than middle and high income individuals. Individuals in arrears may be fearful of presenting themselves to a government supported program.

D5. Include a peer support component151One of the unanticipated outcomes of several projects was the benefits of peer counseling among and between participants. The experience enabled clients to support each other, empowering them in the helping relationship and creating a sense of belonging that enhanced cooperation and interest in the projects.

D6. Consider the costs and benefits of a role model mentoring component151In general, projects have tended to overemphasize the importance of role models and mentoring in bringing about behavioral and attitudinal changes in program participants. This attachment to role models as the catalyst for positive change is based on an over-individualized view of the factors that move minority males toward self-sufficiency. Such a view obscures the impact that structural variables (i.e., state of local economy; residential and social isolation) have on progress toward self-sufficiency.

Greater emphasis must be placed on documenting the influence of role models and mentors in helping project participants to achieve self-sufficiency. Great care must be taken in the selection and training of role models and mentors. Direct monitoring and record keeping of the activities between program participants and their mentors must be undertaken. In addition, finding and monitoring appropriate male role models in the local community is time-consuming and requires careful planning. Role models do not have to be celebrities; on the contrary, they only need to be "somewhat successful guys" (by society146s standards) who are able to connect to and understand the reality of the situation that the clients are caught up in. Finally, they should be good listeners and should not feel that they must "fix it all."

The important thing is that a relationship is established with clients, which provides visible proof that an alternative path to self-sufficiency has potential positive outcomes.

Programs that are interested in developing mentoring or role model components should consider developing partnerships with local Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs. These programs have well developed recruitment and training programs in place.

E. MINORITY MALE PROJECT EVALUATION LESSONS

E1. Evaluate outcomes151Academic gains, employment status, and family functioning must be evaluated over the course of project participation and 12 to 24 months after project completion. Clients require follow-up to ensure that progress toward self-sufficiency is continuous and not episodic. In addition, it is important to document the assumed consequences of becoming self-sufficient (such as enhanced self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem, and attachment to family and community) over time.

E2. Use comparison rather than control groups151Realizing that random selection of clients is not feasible and that attrition of subjects in control groups is a major problem, projects should make every effort to compare the experiences of participants with appropriate comparison groups. These groups should get an alternative treatment (not no treatment at all). One option is to use the Year One control or comparison group as the experimental group in Year Two.

E3. Provide a long-term commitment151Projects tended to run for too short a time for the desired outcome (i.e., active parenting role, attachment to labor market, or rise in achievement and grades) to actually occur. Projects should provide a long-term commitment to participants and should allow for flexibility in participation and enough time to address complex problems in a meaningful way.

F. CONCLUSION

Minority male programs present a number of complex challenges. Few precedents exist from which well-defined program and design lessons can be drawn. More importantly, resources are scarce. The focus of most public assistance programs on women, infants, and children has left few resources available for males, much less minority males. The lack of resources has resulted in a dearth of social service personnel who have experience with and are trained to cope with the multiple and complex issues that face low-income, minority males who are seeking to become self-sufficient. Even a cursory examination of the facts demonstrates the need for the services. Minority males are significantly more likely to be unemployed, hold lower wage jobs, or be in prison.

The few DPP programs that have focused on minority males have demonstrated that with some thought, those needs can be met. Each DPP project encountered a number of difficulties in locating and organizing the necessary resources at the start of the project. It appears to be important to spend time during the beginning of the project tracking down resources and laying the groundwork for a strong referral network. Health, housing, and legal services can be particularly important. Transitional jobs, if available, are also very important to locate. All of the programs noted that if they could get a person a job right away, they were more likely to be able to get that individual to complete the rest of the program.

Programs should also begin to develop strategies to sustain the program over time. This is a difficult task. As noted, there are few funds available to serve minority males. The program will have to develop and persistently pursue such a strategy early in life. The program should develop very close ties with the evaluator as evaluation of minority male programs is critical. There is a genuine need to know what works to improve the likelihood of minority males achieving self-sufficiency. In addition, the demonstration of program efficacy can increase the likelihood of obtaining continued funding. Finally, care should be taken not to assume that because popular mythology indicates a course of action, it is the best approach. For example, it is sometimes said that minority women should not be case managers for minority males. One program found the opposite to be true. The greatest success was achieved when the case managers were minority females.

YOUTH-AT-RISK PROJECT LESSONS LEARNED

TEEN PARENT PROGRAMS

Logic model for a "teen parent" program151Exhibit VI-2 is a logic model for a "teen parent" self-sufficiency project. These programs are based on many assumptions about factors that put teen parents at risk of welfare dependency. These risk factors are addressed through a very broad range of services, each leading to different outcomes. For the most part, program services are intended for teen mothers. These programs strive to provide services that will stabilize the family environment, prevent the teen mother from additional pregnancies, help her to obtain a high school diploma or GED, and eventually get her employed. In working with teen parents, programs must provide for some very basic needs before they can begin to address the educational and employment needs of these youth. Even after a teen mother enters an education or employment training program, continued case management and support services must be provided if she is to complete the program and move toward self-sufficiency.

Case management services, including home and school visits, are provided to give youth access to other needed services and to coordinate those services. Given each teen146s unique situation and needs, case management services are highly individualized and intensive. Home and school visits help increase the contact with the youth and allow the case manager to gain a more complete understanding of the youth146s needs, as well as monitor her progress in the program. Case management is expected to result in an immediate increase in the use of supportive services such as AFDC, Medicaid, the WIC program, and Head Start. Use of supportive services should eventually contribute to a more stable family environment, help prevent additional pregnancies, and lead to the completion of the mother146s education and her employment.

[SEE TEEN PARENT LOGIC MODEL, EXHIBIT VI-2, ON FOLLOWING PAGE][NOTE: EXHIBIT NOT INCLUDED IN INTERNET VERSION]

As part of case management, medical service referrals are made for the youth and her baby for services such as prenatal care, well-baby clinic, infectious disease screening, and early childhood developmental testing. Medical services are expected to improve the health of the mother and her baby, which in turn is expected to contribute to the stability of the family. Program planners also assume that teen parents usually want to be good parents, but they lack good role models and parenting skills. A parenting training curriculum should be part of the program to improve the parenting skills of the teens. Better parenting skills are expected to contribute to a stable family environment for youth. It is believed that teen fathers need to be involved with their children and the mothers of those children when the children are not given away for adoption. Teen dad programs have been used to increase the father146s involvement in providing emotional and financial support, as well as improve his parenting skills. Increased involvement of the teen father is expected to strengthen the stability of the family environment. Likewise, it is assumed that the family of the teen parent needs to be encouraged to provide a supportive environment for the youth. Programs may offer some form of family involvement service to increase the family support and provide a more stable family environment.

Counseling services are also provided to youth. It is assumed that many teen parents have been victims of child abuse and neglect and that they lack functional support systems. These counseling services may be provided by the case managers or through another service provider. Included in these services are mental and emotional health assessments, as well as individual and group counseling. These services are expected to result in improved emotional and mental health, such as decreased depression and increased self-esteem, which are then expected to contribute to improved family stability. Teen parents presumably lack basic life skills. Therefore, these programs are likely to offer a life skills training curriculum that may include training in housekeeping, money management, checkbook maintenance, problem solving, and consumer education. This training is intended to give youth improved skills in each area, which will also contribute to a more stable family environment.

Teen parents are likely to continue their sexual activity and are at risk for repeated pregnancies. Programs serving these youth often address this issue by providing a relationship and sexuality curriculum and family planning services. These program components are intended to increase youths146 knowledge about relationships, sex, and their bodies, and to encourage youth to use birth control if they are sexually active. Adoption counseling may also be provided to help any teen mothers with children for whom they cannot care. It is hoped that all of these services will prevent additional pregnancies, thus allowing the mother to complete her education and become employed. Some teen parents need independent housing. They may, for example, be living with their own parents, and the new baby puts a strain on the existing housing arrangement. Programs may include housing assistance services to provide the teen or her family with housing referrals, vouchers, or rent subsidies. These services are intended to improve the living situation by obtaining affordable, safe, and secure housing. Improved housing, when it is needed, is expected to help the youth complete her educational and employment training programs.

Once a teenager has a baby, she is assumed to be at risk of not completing her education. Specially designed educational services are provided by these programs to help the young mother obtain a high school diploma or GED. These services include, but are not limited to, academic counseling, educational program locators, tutoring services, literacy training, high school diploma curricula, and GED courses. Immediate educational outcomes include enrollment in an education program, increased school attendance, and increased GPA. These outcomes lead to high school or GED completion, which in turn is expected to result in employment.

Support services are needed by the teen parents if they are to stay in school and in their employment training. Critical support services include child care while the mother is in classes and training, transportation to and from school, employment training, other service providers, and emergency food and essentials on an as-needed basis. Often, teen parents lack work and job skills necessary to find and obtain steady employment. An employment training curriculum is an important component of these programs. This training may be offered to the teen mother as well as the teen father. Common features of this training include pre-employment services to assess aptitude and training needs and employment behavior (such as timeliness, appropriate work appearance, etc.), training in specific job skills (e.g., computers, bookkeeping, auto mechanics, medical laboratory), and job placement services to help teens locate and apply for job openings. Immediate outcomes of employment training include increased job readiness, job skills, and job interviewing skills. These outcomes are expected to result in employment at a hourly rate that will allow youth to become self-sufficient.

LESSONS FROM TEEN PARENT PROGRAMS

Offer a wide range of services151Programs serving pregnant teens face unique challenges. To be effective, these programs must provide or arrange for a wide spectrum of services. All program participants should receive prenatal care to minimize infant morbidity and the number of low birth weight babies. Teen mothers who have unhealthy infants are usually unable to fully participate in the program. Few teenage mothers or fathers have strong parenting skills. Programs that work with teen parents must develop and implement effective "courses" in parenting that assist new parents to understand the physical and emotional needs of their newborns.

Because teen mothers have often been the victims of physical and sexual abuse and violence, they may exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may need supportive services and counseling. Many of these young women lack basic life skills, such as housekeeping and money management. They need help in these areas, especially if they are living independently from family or relatives. Affordable, safe, and secure housing is needed by some of these teens if they are to remain in an educational and employment training program. A formal program linkage with the local housing authority is helpful in addressing the housing needs of older program participants. Also, youth served by these programs often have emergency financial needs such as housing, food, utilities, transportation, textbooks, tuition, child care, diapers, baby formula, and household items.

Understand unconventional teen values151For some teens, being pregnant is highly desirable. It may be a safe time for them when they do not have to worry about violence and being assaulted. Boyfriends and family may be more protective than usual and may give the teen additional attention. Becoming pregnant also makes the teen eligible for medical care, welfare support, Food Stamps, and other desired services. Also, pregnancy may be perceived as a step toward emancipation and out of a violent family situation. Becoming a mother may be a rite of passage between child and adult status within the youth146s community. Alternatives offered to these teens must be powerful.

Address retention issues151Retaining teen parents in these programs is difficult. These youth require highly individualized assistance. Intensive contact in both the home and school seems to help maintain teen parents in the program. Child care is a major service need if these youth are to remain in school and employment training. Usually, these youth continue to be sexually active and are at risk of additional pregnancies, which almost always result in dropping out of the program. Family planning services must be provided to help retain these young women. The use of rewards seems important to teen parents and encourages their participation and retention in the program. Ceremonies and celebrations that involve both mother and child, as well as gifts of baby items, are effective incentives.

Offer intensive case management151A critical program component that contributes to participant progress is intensive case management. One of the most important aspects of these programs is the one-to-one relationship between the case manager and the young woman. Case managers must be proactive in establishing a close relationship with the client so that needs can be identified as they occur. Small caseloads are necessary. Biweekly or monthly meetings of program case managers and representatives from partnership agencies help ensure that teen parents get services necessary to retain them in the program.

Address the involvement of teen fathers151Although the relationship between teen mothers and the fathers of their children may not be strong or long term, it is important to include the teen fathers in these programs. The involvement of the father can provide emotional and social support to the teen mother, nurture bonding between the father and child, contribute to improved parenting, and result in the financial support of the child by the father.

Plan for appropriate time frames151There may be an optimal length of project participation of 12 to 18 months of intensive case management, followed by 6 to 12 months of maintenance and problem solving. During the first 6 months of program participation, enrollment in educational programs is the highest, employment levels increase the greatest between 6 and 12 months, and use of birth control is highest and pregnancy rates are lowest during the first 12 months.