Introduction
Research Questions
- What was the program’s design?
- What factors appear to have impeded or facilitated implementation of Goal4 It!TM as designed?
- What were the participants’ experiences with coaching and what services did they receive?
This report summarizes the design and implementation of Goal4 It!TM, a coaching model designed by Mathematica in partnership with researchers and human services practitioners. The Jefferson County, Colorado, Department of Human Services implemented Goal4 It! TM as an alternative to the traditional case management provided by Colorado Works, its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Colorado Works staff provided either traditional case management or Goal4 It! TM coaching to TANF participants.
Goal4 It! TM is a participant-centered framework for working with participants to (1) set goals, (2) break their goals down into manageable steps, (3) develop specific plans to achieve the steps, and (4) regularly review their goal progress. Coaches do not tell the participants what to do, but instead work in partnership with the participants to set and achieve their goals. Through this process, participants practice their self-regulation skills with the objective of improving their employment and self-sufficiency outcomes.
Goal4 It! TM is one of four coaching interventions included in the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations. The evaluation assesses the implementation of the four coaching interventions and their impacts on study participants’ self-regulation skills, employment, earnings, self-sufficiency, and other measures of personal and family well-being.
Purpose
This report describes Goal4 It!TM’s design and goals, the Colorado Works traditional case management and Goal4 It!TM processes, the focal population and study participants, and the implementation of Goal4 It! TM. The findings are of interest to practitioners and policymakers considering implementing or supporting coaching interventions and will provide important context for understanding and interpreting the findings from the Goal4 It!TM impact study. The findings will also support future replication of employment coaching interventions.
Key Findings and Highlights
Overall, Goal4 It!TM was implemented as designed. Other key findings from the implementation study are:
- Goal4 It! TM staff largely delivered collaborative and nondirective coaching (that is, they did not tell participants what to do), including at times when participants were not making progress toward their goals.
- Goal4 It! TM staff used the process and tools associated with the intervention and reported they were valuable.
- Participants mostly described positive experiences with Goal4 It! TM and referred to their Goal4 It! TM staff in positive terms.
- Goal setting and action step development occurred during most contacts and more frequently under Goal4 It! TM than traditional case management.
- Significantly more Goal4 It! TM participants discussed employment-related topics during coaching sessions than did traditional case management participants, and significantly fewer discussed topics related to basic needs and family and children services.
- Goal4 It! TM staff met with participants more frequently and for more total time than did traditional case management staff; however, program engagement for both groups dropped sharply after the first month and then continued to decline.
- TANF requirements and short periods of engagement with the program influenced coaching.
Methods
The data sources for this report are in-person interviews with Goal4 It! TM and traditional case management staff and Colorado Works supervisors; observations of Goal4 It! TM and traditional case management sessions during site visits; a survey administered to Goal4 It! TM and traditional case management staff and to supervisors; Goal4 It! TM and traditional case management participant demographic, economic, and educational information collected in a baseline survey when participants enrolled in the study; in-depth, in-person interviews with a sample of Goal4 It! TM participants; video recordings of Goal4 It! TM sessions; Goal 4 It! TM and traditional case management participant service receipt data from the study tracking system; and discussions with Goal4 It! TM staff and Colorado Works supervisors as part of evaluation technical assistance.
Citation
Karen Gardiner, Correne Saunders, Sheena McConnell, Kristen Joyce, and Rachel Cook (2022). “Goal4 It! TM: Implementation Findings from the Evaluation of Employment Coaching.” OPRE Report #2022-305. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.