The promotion of "Healthy Marriage Program" (HMI) can be traced back to 1996, when the US Congress realized the influence of marriage on children and society: "Marriage is the foundation of a successful society; Marriage is a basic part of a successful society that advocates attaching importance to children's rights and interests. After that, the federal government began to plan and promote it in 2003. In order to encourage States to attach importance to strengthening healthy marriage, the deficit reduction bill of 2005 even legislated to allocate $654.38+0.5 billion each year as the need to promote healthy marriage plans. The purpose of its promotion is to help couples choose their marriage path and acquire the necessary ability and knowledge to organize and maintain a healthy family through marriage education-related services (publications). USA.gov，20 13)。
In addition, as the research indicates that children from stable parents' families grow better than those from single-parent families, section115 of the Social Security Law also authorizes the Minister of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to use the child support fund to improve children's welfare and related projects. In order to achieve the goal of strengthening the child support implementation program, one of them is to teach couples communication and emotional management skills to help children grow up in healthy and supportive families (publication. USA.gov，20 13)。
"Healthy Marriage Project" (HMI) mainly stipulates that funds must be used to subsidize public and private institutions in states and tribal areas to implement competitive research or activity plans that can encourage healthy marriage and advocate participation in family responsibilities. Activities that States, institutions and communities can apply for include:
1. Healthy Marriage Campaign;
2. High school education courses such as marriage values, relationship skills and family finance;
3. Marriage and relationship skills courses, including parental ability, financial management, conflict resolution, employment and vocational ability improvement;
4. Provide premarital education and marriage skills training for engaged unmarried couples or individuals planning to get married;
5. Planning marriage counseling projects, taking married model couples as examples to help communities or families improve their relationships;
6. Plan to reduce divorce and teach appropriate marriage skills;
7. Plan and deal with relevant plans to avoid rigid marriage relationship, or adopt the comprehensive marriage relationship promotion plan planned by the above activities.
In addition, in order to promote fatherhood education, the plan stipulates that no more than $50 million can be used for fatherhood advocacy activities, including consultation, counseling, marriage education, strengthening relationship skills, parenting, and cultivating stable economic ability. Therefore, at present, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) is dealing with healthy marriage plans and responsible fatherhood plans.
In order to respond to and cooperate with the implementation of the "Responsible Father" program, another office of the National Children's Fund, the "Start Office", also continues to attach importance to the role of fathers. It regards the father as an important mentor and friend to help children develop a sound childhood and educate and learn, and advocates that both the father and parents in the family have made great contributions to the family and the community. Therefore, the Office of Preliminary Planning (OHS) has also formulated "Starting Father's Participation", which mainly provides activities and ways that fathers can participate in and help children from birth to five years old, including relevant instructions and action guides for children's plans. And promote the "Parent, Family and Community Participation (PFCE) Framework" (PFCE) to provide comprehensive information and activities for reference.
At present, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) sponsors 12 1 organizations in 47 states in the United States, establishes a nationwide service network, provides comprehensive education services on healthy sex and family and marriage relations, strengthens employment and vocational ability activities, and lays a solid foundation for couples to establish stable economic ability (OFA, 20 13).
The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) is one of the research centers funded by this program, which mainly promotes the Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) program and provides high-quality, balanced and real-time healthy marriage information and resources for families, couples and people from all walks of life.
Author: Zhang Jialin, Education Office of the United States Representative Office.
References:
National Healthy Marriage Resource Center. (20 13). What is the marriage and relationship education program? Retrieve from status)