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The Promising Practices Network (PPN) is dedicated to providing quality evidence-based information about what works to improve the lives of children, youth, and families.
The PPN site features summaries of programs and practices that are proven to improve outcomes for children. All of the information on the site has been screened for scientific rigor, relevance, and clarity.
Learn more about how we screen the programs on this site.
April 2008 What's New
Ten Key Findings from Responsible Fatherhood Initiatives
In response to growing interest in programs that foster responsible fatherhood, a new study by the Urban Institute reports on ten key findings from early responsible fatherhood initiatives and examines lessons learned. The major demonstration programs that are discussed focus on developing services to help low-income fathers find employment and better-paying jobs, pay child support consistently, and to help non-custodial parents become more involved in their children's lives. Key findings discussed in the report include challenges related to program enrollment, difficulty improving fathers' employment outcomes, and varying degrees of collaboration between fatherhood programs and child support enforcement agencies. Additional findings highlight a variety of issues, including evidence that child support orders are often above what fathers can reasonably afford to pay and that being a good father is important to program participants.
Read the research brief at urban.org
The Mental Health of Adolescents: A National Profile, 2008
Mental health problems in adolescence are increasingly recognized as important contributors to physical health, social relationships, and risk-taking behaviors in youth and later adulthood. Since many mental health problems diagnosed in adulthood actually begin in adolescence, accurate information is needed to assess and improve the mental health of America's youth and lay a foundation for healthy adulthood. A new research brief from the National Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC) reviews and summarizes existing national data about adolescent mental health status and discusses limitations of current data that impact policy and resource allocation decisions. The report describes the most common disorders among adolescents, including depression, anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and substance use disorder. Findings show that approximately 20% of adolescents experience significant symptoms of emotional distress and nearly 10% are emotionally impaired. Although adolescents receive help from a variety of sources, considerable unmet need remains for mental health services for America's youth.
Read the research brief at nahic.ucsf.edu
Ask the Experts: Child Policy Experts Answer Your Questions about Baby Videos and Television
PPN is pleased to announce the launch of our new Ask the Experts feature. This new feature allows you to ask three leading child policy experts your questions on the topic of videos and television programming for children under two years old. Answers to selected questions will be posted on this site. Watch for an announcement in an upcoming PPN newsletter. More ask the expert topics are planned in the future, so be sure to check back for more. We are very excited about your participation, so please submit your question today!
Learn more and submit your question
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
The Promising Practices Network recognizes National Child Abuse Prevention Month and is committed to providing quality evidence-based information related to this important issue. See PPN's topic pages on Child Abuse and Neglect in our Programs that Work and Research in Brief sections for more information about this problem and strategies to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect.
See PPN Programs that Work and Research in Brief on child abuse and neglect
PPN Newsletter
The PPN email newsletter features regular content updates to the PPN website, such as new programs and research briefs that have been added.
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