Goal4 It!™: Implementation Findings from the Evaluation of Employment Coaching
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Goal4 It!™: Implementation Findings from the Evaluation of Employment Coaching

OPRE Report #2022-305
Published: Dec 30, 2022
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Family Support TANF and Employment Issues Federal Goal4 It
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Authors

Karen Gardiner

Correne Saunders

Sheena McConnell

Kristen Joyce

Rachel Cook

Key Findings

Overall, Goal4 It! TM was implemented as designed. Other key findings from the implementation study are:

  • Goal4 It! TM staff largely delivered collaborative and nondirective coaching (that is, they did not tell participants what to do), including at times when participants were not making progress toward their goals.
  • Goal4 It! TM staff used the process and tools associated with the intervention and reported they were valuable.
  • Participants mostly described positive experiences with Goal4 It! TM and referred to their Goal4 It! TM staff in positive terms.
  • Goal setting and action step development occurred during most contacts and more frequently under Goal4 It! TM than traditional case management.
  • Significantly more Goal4 It! TM participants discussed employment-related topics during coaching sessions than did traditional case management participants, and significantly fewer discussed topics related to basic needs and family and children services.
  • Goal4 It! TM staff met with participants more frequently and for more total time than did traditional case management staff; however, program engagement for both groups dropped sharply after the first month and then continued to decline.
  • TANF requirements and short periods of engagement with the program influenced coaching.

This report describes Goal4 It! TM’s design and goals, the Colorado Works traditional case management and Goal4 It! TM processes, the focal population and study participants, and the implementation of Goal4 It! TM. The findings are of interest to practitioners and policymakers considering implementing or supporting coaching interventions and will provide important context for understanding and interpreting the findings from the Goal4 It! TM impact study. The findings will also support future replication of employment coaching interventions.

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