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MU Researchers Hope to Strengthen Families with New Grant

University of Missouri

University of Missouri researchers hope to strengthen families in Missouri through a five year project. This project is funded by a $9.6 million grant. A team of human development and family researchers received the grant money from the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.

All participants, whether married, coupled or single, will complete a relationship education class. The couples or individuals will  work with a case manager and choose additional classes based on their needs. 

Project Director David Schramm said the goal of the project is to help strengthen individuals in couples and family relationships. This could include strengthening marriages or relationships, as well as the relationships between parents and children.

The project has been called a “wrap around” service. This means the treatment will not only examine and advise on the marital problems in the family, but also look at other factors that may affect the relationship such as financial or anger management issues.

“We will be offering parenting education, family finance education, education related to their personal well-being," Schramm said. "Helping things go right with stresses and anger and emotions, and job skills training." 

The program is going to be driven by data collection from the couples. Each couple using the services will be given an iPad and at the end of each class, they will fill out a survey that will then be analyzed. This data will then be picked through by Schramm and his colleagues so that they can give tips to improve and reinforce their training.

“The healthy marriage funds have been around since the end of the Bush era, and we have received a smaller project that funded some programing a few years ago but we missed out on the last round,” said Schramm.  “And so we were very fortunate, we went to work as a team, preparing and planning the application and we’re just thrilled to have it received and to be able to help so many families.”

The program will be offered in 21 Missouri counties. Schramm said he hopes the project can help 2,000 Missourians starting in July 2016.