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Journal Article Thirty birth fathers in Scotland were interviewed about their perceptions of fatherhood, adoption, and post-adoption contact. Half of the men were present at the birth of their child. Twelve of the men reported that the decision to relinquish the child was made under pressure from parents and six of the birth fathers were not consulted. Eighteen of the men indicated that they had been opposed to placing the child for adoption. Twenty-three of the men experienced grief, loss, powerlessness, and other emotional distress after the adoption of their child. Motivations for post-adoption contact…
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Journal Article The last few decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of children raised in homes where the biological father is not present. Many of these children, mired in secrecy, guilt, and family conflict, are left with unanswered questions and self-doubts about this absence. Depression and behavioral problems often result. This article reviews the clinical literature around relevant issues such as father hunger, developmental deficits, and the varying effects on the child depending on age, sex, and the degree of the father's absence. Several case examples are offered to illustrate these…
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Journal Article This article analyzes the rights of legal absentee fathers to be notified of foster care proceedings. It reviews New York state laws regarding child protection and custody and the removal of children from a home in cases of child abuse and neglect. The article also assesses the implications of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for family law, and highlights Supreme Court decisions about the rights of individuals in foster care cases. The discussion asserts that statutory and case law do not support the right of a legal absentee father to continual notice about legal…
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Journal Article The Family Support Act of 1988 and the 1996 welfare reform act recognized the need to help low-income fathers stay involved with their families, financially as well as emotionally. The laws required states to offer AFDC assistance to two parent families in which the primary wage earner was not employed. They also encouraged states to establish education, employment, and training assistance to noncustodial fathers of low income children so that they could obtain the level of employment needed to fulfill child support obligations. Reform policies have also tried to amend state practices…
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Journal Article Foster fathers play an important part in the development of their foster child by counteracting the child's previous negative experiences with men and by sharing parenting responsibilities with their wives. Discussions held during focusgroups and workshops with foster fathers revealed that men see themselves as a respite provider for the foster mother, as a mediator between their wife and the social worker, as a protector for their partner, as a source of discipline, as a role model, and as an activity leader for the family. However, the men were somewhat reserved in their relationships with…
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Journal Article Administrative data was used to compare pre-reform and post- reform cohorts of teenage parents regarding the impact of reform on welfare enrollments, case closures, child maltreatment, and subsequent births. The relationship between mandated living arrangements to outcomes was also examined. Cohort differences were observed in enrollments and reasons for closure, but not in maltreatment or birth rates. Living arrangements were found to be associated with case closure. 12 references and 2 tables. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article The California Supreme Court has held that in order for an absent father to exert his rights in foster care proceedings he must demonstrate a prior relationship and commitment to his children. It has also ruled that failure to notify an absent or putative father of pending adoption proceedings does not violate his due process right, even if the state knows his whereabouts. If fathers want to protect their parental rights, they must assume parental responsibilities. The California statute requires that every effort be made to identify the father of a child. Once a father is notified, he has 30…
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Journal Article Many fathers are prohibited from seeking custody changes because of the legal costs involved. Parents with joint legal custody often have difficulties arranging visitation with their children. Some parents are difficult and frequently cancel, reschedule, or in other ways thwart regular father-child visits. If a parent becomes frustrated and the issue is not resolved, they may seek joint or sole physical custody. However in order to modify a joint custody agreement, a father must demonstrate such a change is in his child's best interest. The author presents a scenario of a father whose efforts…
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Journal Article Throughout the 1990s, scholars interested in fatherhood have generated a voluminous, rich, and diverse body of work. We selectively review this literature with an eye toward prominent theoretical, methodological, and substantive issues. This burgeoning literature, complemented by social policy makers' heightened interest in fathers and families, focuses on fatherhood in at least 4 key ways. First, theorists have studied fatherhood as a cultural representation that is expressed through different sociocultural processes and embedded in a larger ecological context. Second, researchers have…
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Journal Article Until the early 1980s, the needs of young fathers went largely unnoticed by policy makers and social service providers. Many programs for adolescent fathers originally started in order to benefit teenage mothers and their children (Leitch et al., 1993). It was later recognized that young fathers also need assistance to successfully become productive and responsible adults (Robinson, 1988; Leitch et al., 1993; Kiselica, 1995). Program designs have been based on a set of implicit assumptions: 1) if programs are offered, young fathers will enroll; 2) the services will meet the needs of…
