The project is an outgrowth of the Common Ground Dialog Group to facilitate the partnership between the Center for Impact Research (CIR) and the National Partnership for Community Leadership (NPCL). The Ford Foundation funded the project in 1998, to facilitate collaboration between two fatherhood development programs, which service both males and females, and domestic/family violence service providers. The two Strengthening Fragile Families Initiative (SFFI) sites selected were the Children UpFront program of Goodwill Industries in Racine and Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Center for Fathers, Families and Workforce Development (CFWD) in Baltimore, Maryland.

In phase I and II of the project, the partnership identified areas for cross-exchange of information, and community-based domestic/family violence service providers and resources, planned strategies for prevention/intervention for screening and referrals, drafted guiding principles for the project, and began the training of program staff. The next phase of the project will provide education awareness for program participants, ongoing training for staff on family violence issues, implementation of screening and referral procedures for program participants, who require the assistance of community-based batterer treatment and victim assistance services. Opportunities will be made available for domestic/family violence service providers to make referrals to the two SFFI sites.