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Journal Article The current study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; Snow et al., 2007) to explore determinants of resident father involvement. Families (N = 2,900) were measured at 3 time points (9 months, 2 years, and 4 years of age). Father, mother, and child factors were examined in relation to father caregiving and play. Latent change score models indicated that fathers engaged in more caregiving and play behaviors and increased at a faster rate when they more strongly identified with their role as a father. Fathers engaged in more caregiving when mothers…
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Journal Article This review provides a discussion on how divorced fathers have been conceptualized in both quantitative and qualitative research beginning in the 1970s and moving through the present day. Next, it provides a theoretical lens with which to discuss divorced fathers. Finally, it discusses current interventions focused on divorced fathers with an explanation on increasing the likelihood divorced fathers attend such interventions. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Inventory of Father Involvement–Short Form (IFI-SF) with respect to its factor structure, reliability, and preliminary concurrent and discriminant validity (Study 1), and to confirm the factor structure in a different sample (Study 2). In Study 1, 380 men (M = 42.2, SD = 6.8) completed the IFI-SF translated version, and a subgroup of 92 men also completed the Portuguese versions of the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form, the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire–Short Form, and the…
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Journal Article Recession-related increases in men's child care are well documented, but supporting evidence describes the last several decades of the 20th century. Changes in family life and in the association between families' economic conditions and the macro economy provide reason to question the continued existence of a “recession effect.” This article evaluates the frequency of married and cohabiting fathers' engagement in the day-to-day tasks of child care during the so-called Great Recession, using data from male respondents to the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth. Results indicated an…
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Journal Article This study extended work on the consequences of incarceration for families by linking parents’ incarcerations to their material support of children entering adulthood. It examined two categories of support, parental transfers of cash and shared housing, that are known deficits among young children of incarcerated parents and that play important roles in young adult attainment and well-being. Propensity score analyses of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N [Wave3] = 14,023; N [Wave4] = 14,361) revealed that previously incarcerated mothers were less likely to give…
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Over 80% of men have become fathers by their early forties (CDC, 2015), but the path to fatherhood varies considerably across social and demographic characteristics. In this Family Profile, we use nationally representative data from the National Survey of Families and Households (1987-1988) and the National Survey of Family Growth (2002, 2006-2013) to examine the average age at fatherhood among aged 40-45. We begin by examining trends over the past 25 years in age at first birth among both fathers and mothers. We then move to investigate the fathers' age when his first child was born across…
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Intended for social workers in Australia, this brief reviews the legal obligations of social workers to report suspected child abuse. Information is presented on the legal and ethical obligations of social workers to report suspected child abuse, general ethical guidelines when responding to the needs of vulnerable children and/or families, mandatory reporting of domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory, and legislative changes in Victoria that have added “Failure to Disclose” as an offense against adults who fail to disclose child sexual abuse to the policy and “Failure to…
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Training Materials Real Life Heroes® (RLH) is a treatment program that supports the development of safety and attachment needed for reintegration of traumatic memories experienced by children and their caregivers. RLH has been successfully implemented in a wide range of child and family service, educational, and mental health treatment programs for 15 years and was specifically designed for treatment of children and families with Complex Trauma. RLH provides practitioners with easy-to-use tools, including a life storybook and practitioner’s manual (RLH Toolkit) with multi-sensory creative arts activities and…
Brief
This brief is a resource for human service professionals on child safety and risk assessments in AI/AN communities. It is informed by the work of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) with tribal child welfare professionals and by concerns in the field about the effectiveness of standard assessments in tribal communities. A majority of the tribal organizations that received ACF grants in 2011 to coordinate Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child welfare services (9 of 14 grantees) used safety and risk assessments in their practice (Ahonen et al., 2016).…
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Journal Article This article reports the findings of a narrative study of 23 foster fathers involved with an independent foster care agency. These narratives reveal a more complex contribution to the lives of fostered children than is currently attributed to men in the professional literature. Foster fathers are shown to perform traditionally masculine roles by being a supporting carer or disciplinarian, as well as some unexpected and less traditional ones. Through their stories, the men show motivation, emotionality and heroism as they construct versions of masculinity based on caring for children. The…
