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ParentingFIRENCT05311592

Supporting Responsible Fatherhood Program (Fatherhood FIRE)

A study testing HERO Dads Program in people with Parenting and Family Relations, run by Montefiore Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Montefiore Medical Center (in partnership with BronxWorks) is implementing a large-scope program to promote responsible fatherhood in the Bronx among low-income adult (18 years or older) fathers with non-custodial children (under the age of 24). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
HERO Dads Program
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
496 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Apr 2021to 10 Jun 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Non-custodial fathers who are 18 years or older
  • Have non-custodial children (biological, foster, adopted) under the age of 24
  • Income below 200% poverty line

Who cannot join

  • Active intimate partner violence and increased risk of intimate partner violence

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • Montefiore Medical Center

    The Bronx, New York, 10451

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Montefiore Medical Center Supporting Responsible Fatherhood Program

Montefiore Medical Center (in partnership with BronxWorks) is implementing a large-scope program to promote responsible fatherhood in the Bronx among low-income adult (18 years or older) fathers with non-custodial children (under the age of 24). The program, called HERO Dads (Healthy, Empowered, Resilient, Open Dads), will promote responsible fatherhood by enhancing relationship and anger-management skills and providing marriage education; providing skills-based parenting education, disseminating information about good parenting practices, and encouraging child support payments (in partnership with our local OCSE); and fostering economic stability by providing employment-related supports inclusive of job search, vocational skills training, job referrals, and job retention.

Read the detailed description

The program model is based on the premise that relationship and parenting skills can be taught, and will lead to improvements in relationships (knowledge about relationships, communication skills, stress management, reduction in destructive conflict), parenting (knowledge about child development, engagement with non-custodial children, effective parenting, co-parent communication, child well-being), and economic status (vocational skills, new employment or career advancement, financial literacy, child support). The investigator will provide core relationship and relationship education workshops using an empirically supported curriculum (24/7 Dad) plus employment workshops, numerous supplemental activities to promote responsible fatherhood, individualized vocational case management, and job-driven employment services. In total, the investigator expects to enroll 1,475 non-custodial fathers in the program and provide an average of 34 hours of total programming per participant (including 24 hours of core workshops), which the investigator believes is a sufficient dosage to detect impacts.

Being tested
HERO Dads Program

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • HERO Dads ProgramBehavioural

    The HERO Dads Program is a 4-week series of workshops for non-custodial fathers that focuses on improving parenting, offering job support, and financial counseling.

Study groups in NCT05311592
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
In PersonExperimentalParticipants will receive all services in person, including participating in the initial intake process, and attending all workshops.
Receives: Behavioral: HERO Dads Program
Virtual (Zoom)ExperimentalParticipants will complete their intake process in person, but will complete all workshops virtually through Zoom.
Receives: Behavioral: HERO Dads Program

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Fatherhood Involvement

    Fatherhood Involvement will be assessed using the Inventory of Fatherhood Involvement short form (IFI) questionnaire. The IFI is a 26-item self-report instrument that assesses indirect and direct father involvement using a 7- point Likert scale ranging from 0 (very poor) to 6 (excellent). This measure addresses the 3 main domains of father involvement: engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. Overall scores can therefore range from 0 to 156. Higher scores represent increased levels of engagement. Scores will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics. 2-sample t-test will be used to compare the changes in the IFI scores from Baseline to 6-month follow-up between the study arms.

    Measured: Change from Baseline to 6 months after intervention

Secondary outcomes (5)

  1. Emotional Intelligence

    Emotional Intelligence will be assessed using the Assessing Emotions Scale. The Assessing Emotions Scale is a 33-item self-report inventory focusing on typical emotional intelligence. Participants provide responses using a 5-item Likert scale of measurement with values ranging from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 5 ("strongly agree"). Total scale scores are calculated by reverse coding items 5, 28, and 33 and then summing the responses across all items. The overall scoring range is 33-166, with higher scores indicating more characteristic emotional intelligence. Scores will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.

    Measured: Baseline

  2. Quality of Co-Parenting Relationships

    Quality of Co-Parenting Relationships will be evaluated using the Parenting Alliance Inventory (PAI). The PAI is a 20 item self-report instrument that assesses the degree to which parents believe that they have a sound working relationship with their child's other parent. Participants provide responses to the PAI using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Strongly Disagree") to 5 ("Strongly Agree"), yielding an overall possible score of 20-100. Higher PAI scores are indicative of a stronger, more positive parenting alliance. Results will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.

    Measured: Baseline

  3. Parent-Child Relationship Quality

    Parent-Child Relationship Quality will be assessed using the Child-Parent Relationship Scale Short Form (CPRS-SF). The CPRS-SF is a 15-item self-report measure that assesses parents' perceptions of their relationship with their child, especially related to closeness and conflict. Items are rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 ("Definitely does not apply") to 5 ("Definitively applies"). Items 2, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 comprise the Conflict subscale and measure the degree to which a parent feels that his or her relationship with a child is characterized by negativity. Items 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15 comprise the Closeness subscale and measure the extent to which a parent feels that the relationship is characterized by warmth, affection, and open communication. Higher scores for each subscale are indicative of more Conflict or Closeness, respectively. A composite score is obtained by summing item responses for each subscale, yielding an overall possible scoring range of 15-75.

    Measured: Baseline

  4. Skills/Knowledge Assessment (Skills/Knowledge Acquisition)

    The Skills/Knowledge Assessment is an outcome measure that will be developed by program staff together with the local evaluator. This 14-item measure is a multiple-choice assessment using scenarios describing parent-child and co-parenting interactions to determine whether fathers have learned skills and techniques taught at workshops. This measure will be calculated by obtaining the percentage of correctly scored items. Higher scores indicate greater skill acquisition. Two versions of this assessment will be created to prevent practice effects. Given that this is a homegrown measure, to validate this measure the investigators will correlate the skill assessment scores with the Assessing Emotions Scale and assess whether relationship skill scores differ by key demographic and social economic factors. Results will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.

    Measured: Change from Baseline to 6 months after intervention

  5. Childhood Trauma

    Childhood Trauma will be assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF). The CTQ-SF is a 25-item measure of childhood trauma covering 5 trauma types: Emotional/Physical/Sexual Abuse, Emotional Neglect and Physical Neglect along with a separate Minimization/Denial scale. Participants respond to each item using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Never true") to 5 ("Very often true"), yielding an overall possible score of 25-125 such that higher scores are indicative of increased childhood trauma. Seven of the items must be reverse-coded (i.e., 1=5, 2=4, 3=3, 4=2, 5=1) before summing. Results will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.

    Measured: Baseline

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted5 Apr 2022
  2. Study start1 Apr 2021
  3. Primary completion10 Jun 2025
  4. Study completion10 Jun 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
The investigator will run workshops virtually, through Zoom, and in person. Participants will be randomized either to the virtual condition, or to the in person condition. Update: Effective 1/1/2025 randomization ceased and from that date onward data participants were able to choose which arm they partook in.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
496 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05311592
Sponsor's protocol ID
2021-12757
Acronym
FIRE
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
28 Mar 2022
Last updated
12 Jan 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Hawkins, A. (2019) Are federally-supported relationship education programs for lower-income individuals and couples working? A review of evaluation research. American Enterprise Institute.

  • Haskins, R. & Sawhill, I. (2003) Work and marriage: The way to end poverty and welfare. The Brookings Institution Policy Brief: Welfare Reform and Beyond #28, 1-8.

  • Acs, G. & Nelson, S. (2004) What do 'I do's do? Potential benefits of marriage for cohabiting couples with children." Assessing the New Federalism Policy Brief B-59. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.

  • Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Newton TL. Marriage and health: his and hers. Psychol Bull. 2001 Jul;127(4):472-503. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.127.4.472.

    PubMed 11439708

  • Bramlett MD, Mosher WD. Cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and remarriage in the United States. Vital Health Stat 23. 2002 Jul;(22):1-93.

    PubMed 12183886

  • McLanahan, S., Garfinkel, I., Reichman, N. et al. (2003) The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study: Baseline National Report. Princeton, NJ: Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University.

  • Carlson MJ, McLanahan SS, Brooks-Gunn J. Coparenting and nonresident fathers' involvement with young children after a nonmarital birth. Demography. 2008 May;45(2):461-88. doi: 10.1353/dem.0.0007.

    PubMed 18613490

  • Carlson MJ, VanOrman AG, Turner KJ. Fathers' Investments of Money and Time Across Residential Contexts. J Marriage Fam. 2017 Feb;79(1):10-23. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12324. Epub 2016 Jun 27.

    PubMed 29681652

  • Amato, P. R. (2000). Consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58, 356 365.

  • Amato PR. Children of divorce in the 1990s: an update of the Amato and Keith (1991) meta-analysis. J Fam Psychol. 2001 Sep;15(3):355-70. doi: 10.1037//0893-3200.15.3.355.

    PubMed 11584788

  • Amato PR, Booth A. The legacy of parents' marital discord: consequences for children's marital quality. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2001 Oct;81(4):627-38.

    PubMed 11642350

  • Whisman, M. A., & Uebelacker, L. A. (2003). Comorbidity of relationship distress and mental and physical health problems. In D. K. Snyder & M. A. Whisman (Eds.), Treating difficult couples (pp. 3-26). New York, NY: Guilford.

  • Institute for American Values (2002). Why marriage matters: Twenty-one conclusions from the social sciences.

  • Yoder, J., Brisson, D. & Lopez, A. (2016) Moving beyond fatherhood involvement: The association between father-child relationship quality and youth delinquency trajectories. Family Relations, 65: 462-476.

  • Cabrera, N. & Tamis-LeMonda, C. (Eds.) (2013) Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (2nd Ed). New York, NY: Routledge

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing HERO Dads Program in people with Parenting and Family Relations, run by Montefiore Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Fatherhood Involvement (time frame: Change from Baseline to 6 months after intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05311592, which also lists 34 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Jan 2026.

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