Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as “deadbeat dads.” Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical…
Research suggests that early, more intense engagement in pareting for men has positive long-term effect for both father and child. While many other developed countries have paid leave for mothers and fathers, the United States is an outlier, offering no national policy on paid leave for mothers and fathers. The authors surveyed more than 1,000 fathers employed at 286 different organizations, as well as 30 companies for their benchmarking study. The report covers fathers’ attitudes about paternity and parental leave; benchmarking of company paternity leave policies; global approaches and…
The following working paper, authored by FRPN project team members Jay Fagan, Ph.D., and Rebecca Kaufman, M.S.W., reviews and synthesizes attempts that have been made by researchers, policymakers and practitioners to identify outcomes for responsible fathering and to develop measures of those outcomes. The focus of this paper is on two dimensions of fatherhood, fathers’ involvement and engagement with children and fathers’ co-parenting relationships with the child’s mother, and how the outcomes and measures associated with fatherhood programs should be rooted in established theory.
Report, Other
This is the third annual review of child neglect in the United Kingdom undertaken by Action for Children and the University of Sterling. It emphasizes the views of children and parents about seeking and receiving support. For the review, key developments in policy and available relevant statistics from across the UK were collated. Forty children and youth and 38 parents with experience of receiving support took part in discussion groups or interviews in five areas of the UK about the nature of neglect and help-seeking. In addition, a survey was conducted of 1,970 adults and 1,582 children…
Other, Brief
This inaugural publication of the Family Policy Institute of Oklahoma provides a brief assessment of the status of Oklahoma's children using five different indicators representing serious challenges to their well-being: child safety, child poverty, educational success, teen births, and youth substance abuse. Findings indicate: there were over 11,000 cases of child abuse and neglect confirmed in 2013 in Oklahoma; 1 in 4 Oklahoma children lived in poverty in 2011; Oklahoma's high school graduation rate is been 72-78%; Oklahoma ranks 2nd for teen births in the United States at 47.3%; and…
This chapter provides an overview of the findings about everyday living and child welfare service involvement from 18 life stories collected from fathers involved with one Children's Aid Society in southern Ontario. Results indicate fathers appreciated understanding and supportive service providers, useful assistance, and connecting to useful resources.
Other
This annotated bibliography focuses on quantitative research on the consequences of paternal and maternal incarceration for children that attempts to control for selection using standard statistical techniques, uses broadly representative data, and differentiates consequences of paternal incarceration from consequences of maternal incarceration. Although the bibliography focuses primarily on research in the United States, a small number of studies using data from European countries are also included. The first section includes descriptive work showing how common paternal and maternal…
Other
This slide presentation was presented at a symposium held on June 17, 2014, in Washington, DC, to discuss the emerging science demonstrating the impact of toxic stress on the lifelong health of a child. The symposium was also designed to create consensus on a broad, implementable vision to strengthen federal policies and funding to address toxic stress and early childhood adversity. This presentation focuses on using advances in advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and epigenetics to catalyze the design and testing of new strategies across multiple sectors to strengthen the…
This report discusses the challenges faced by low-income families and highlights the two-generation approach that aims to create opportunities for families by simultaneously equipping parents and kids with the tools they need to thrive while removing the obstacles in their way. The three components of the two-generation strategy are explained and include: provide parents with multiple pathways to get family-supporting jobs and achieve financial stability; ensure access to high-quality early childhood education and enriching elementary school experiences; and equip parents to better support…
Other
Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. It is a repeated behavior and can be physical, verbal, or relational. Preventing and stopping bullying involves a commitment to creating a safe environment where children can thrive, socially and academically, without being afraid. APA recommends that teachers, parents and students take the recommended actions to address bullying. (Author abstract modified)
