The Potential of Home Visitor Services to Strengthen Welfare-to-Work Programs for Teenage Parents on Cash Assistance

Examines the effectiveness of paraprofessional home visitor services in strengthening outcomes for teenage parents receiving cash assistance through AFDC and participating in welfare-to-work programs. The study was based on a demonstration in three cities intended to reduce long-term welfare dependence among teenage parents, partly by helping them to delay additional pregnancies. The demonstration also sought to strengthen mothers' parenting skills and behaviors. Overall, paraprofessional home visitor services provided only modest enhancements in the outcomes of welfare-to-work programs. However, there were some significant impacts on reported rates of condom use and use of passive forms of contraception, suggesting that there might be future benefits for participants in terms of longer spacing between births.