Brief
A father can acknowledge paternity by signing a written admission or voluntary acknowledgment of paternity. All states have programs that give unmarried parents the opportunity to acknowledge the father’s paternity of the newborn at the hospital. States must also help parents acknowledge paternity up until the child’s eighteenth birthday through vital records offices or other offices designated by the state. This resource walks through questions and answers that help guide fathers and father figures as they work to establish paternity.
Over the years, the Center for Family Policy and Practice has consistently reached out to and worked with domestic violence advocates and listened to low-income women of color who are victims and survivors. Their knowledge and experience have helped guide and inform our work since the agency was founded in 1995.
Our work focuses on low-income communities and individuals who experience poverty as a chronic condition in their lives. This paper addresses the complex needs that domestic violence victims who live in impoverished communities often face, not the economic deprivation that…
This report documents key socio-economic impacts families of incarcerated persons. This resource also follows research on the socio-economic status of those who are incarcerated. The goal of the report is to continue to contribute to growing research and resources that benefit those experiencing incarceration and their families as well as organizations that work with them.
Webinar
This webinar provided ideas and resources to help responsible fatherhood practitioners understand and meet the needs of non-custodial fathers and their families. It featured an overview of federal, state and local policies, partnerships and initiatives; explained how fatherhood practitioners can partner with local child support offices; and generally explored strategies to help non-custodial fathers and their families. (Author abstract)
Other
Little Children, Big Challenges provides resources for families with young children (ages 3-8) as they encounter the difficult changes and transitions that come with a parent's incarceration.
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Journal Article This study was designed to examine connections among father beliefs, perceptions, context, and involvement, and school-aged children's attachment and school outcomes in the U.S. and Taiwan (n = 274 father-child dyads). Fathers completed questionnaires regarding their family demographics, education-related beliefs, perceptions, and involvement, and children's school achievement. Children completed a pictorial measure of attachment and standardized socio-emotional assessments. Father involvement was related to father beliefs and perceptions and to children's attachment-related secure…
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Journal Article Parental substance abuse undermines caregiving competency and increases the likelihood of abuse and neglect of children. Both research and clinical interventions focus disproportionally on maternal substance abuse, whereas the role of fathers with addictions is largely ignored. The study used a qualitative design to investigate fatherhood from the perspective of men with a substance addiction. Eight fathers in residential rehabilitation treatment programs participated in focus group discussions. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to identify three figures of fatherhood…
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Journal Article This study examined factors that contributed to fathers being perceived as good or poor sexuality educators by their daughters. The data from 10 female participant interviews were analyzed (five fathers were rated as quality educators and five as poor educators). Good Paternal Educators were perceived as being emotionally close to their daughter, displayed attentiveness to her comfort level during sexual conversations, were open and honest when discussing sexual topics, monitored her behaviors with a level of trust, and were direct communicators. Conversely, Poor Paternal Educators were…
This scan was requested by the Healthy Child Development Section of the Public Health Agency of Canada in response to anecdotal comments made at meetings and in communities which suggested that there is a growing grassroots effort across the country to create and implement strategies that support Aboriginal fathers? involvement with their children. The results of 2 months of intensive search did not suggest a landscape richly populated with Aboriginal father support programs. There are large gaps, and the distribution of programs appears to be uneven, with British Columbia, Saskatchewan and…
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Fatherhood programs provide services that support fathers in their roles as major influences in their children's lives. These programs are helping fathers create loving, nurturing relationships with their children and be actively involved in their lives. This toolkit draws on lessons learned and resources used by fatherhood programs in diverse locales throughout the nation. (Author abstract)
Note: Associated materials available at http://www.fatherhood.gov/toolkit
