What happens when human services shift from “managing” cases to partnering with families as experts in their own lives? This report, authored by Innovative Research Insights, traces a decade of experimentation and evaluation behind Family-Centered Coaching (FCC), an approach that reframes practice around relationships, dignity, and shared power. Originating in philanthropic investments and refined through national pilots with The Prosperity Agenda, FCC has been implemented by hundreds of organizations across workforce, housing, and early childhood systems.
Methodologically, the document is a synthesis of mixed-methods studies, from rapid-cycle pilots to randomized evaluations, spanning financial capability, TANF employment services, and racial-equity initiatives. The through-line is clear: when staff adopt a coaching mindset, families name goals that matter to them, and institutions redesign routines to honor those goals, progress becomes more durable and more equitable. Findings are consistent: coaching improves staff experience (less burnout, more empathy), strengthens participant self-efficacy, and yields measurable gains in goal progression.
In Washington State, early financial-coaching work addressed gaps in provider capability and shifted practice toward empowerment. In Michigan’s MI-GPS study, goal-oriented coaching increased one-on-one skill building and reduced feelings of hopelessness; while near-term earnings effects were neutral, the evaluation underscores how institutional constraints (e.g., federal work-participation metrics) can dampen the impact of participant-driven models—an important reminder that program innovation and policy rules must be aligned.
Equally important is FCC’s integration of trauma-informed practice and racial equity. Participatory design in New Orleans and culturally responsive evaluation in Mississippi demonstrate how communities can set definitions of success, surface structural barriers (benefits cliffs, exclusionary labor practices), and co-create solutions, such as community-school hubs, that embed coaching where families already gather. Training investments matter, too: when organizations build learning journeys and communities of practice, coaches report substantial shifts in beliefs (“every family is creative, capable, and resourceful”) and behaviors (participants leading conversations, supervisors reinforcing reflective practice).
The recommendations are pragmatic and systemic: normalize coaching mindsets across roles; pair coaching with inclusive financial education and career pathways; adopt participatory and equitable evaluation approaches; and revise performance regimes that privilege short-term compliance over long-term capability. If your agency is rethinking how to advance mobility with, not just for, families, this report offers a roadmap grounded in evidence and lived experience.
Read the full report (linked), share it with your team, and join the learning community shaping the next iteration of FCC.
Innovative Research Insights 