NFPN's Position Paper on Fatherhood in the Child Welfare System was commissioned by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice. The paper explores the research on fatherhood in the child welfare system, the impact of ASFA on fatherhood, best practices, and recommendations as to how the child welfare system can join the fatherhood movement. The paper concludes that there are currently no models, training curricula, training protocols, or technical assistance for engaging and involving fathers in their children's lives in the child welfare system. (Author abstract)
The ACF West-Central Hub Family Stabilization Workshop, held September 26 and 27, 2001, in Denver, had three primary themes: Responsible Fatherhood, Faith-based and Community Initiatives, and Marriage and Family Stabilization. This report summarizes the key findings of the workshop. (Author abstract)
This paper explores the participation of fathers in child protection services in the United Kingdom. It discusses statistics on the demographics of fathers in the United Kingdom, findings from a study on child rearing and child abuse, and the lack of information on fathers in families where there are child protection concerns. Reasons why fathers are not engaged with child protection work are explored, and statistics on men as perpetrators are provided. The characteristics of non-resident fathers are also examined. The paper closes by emphasizing the need for change in the approach to fathers…
Developed by the National Center on Fathers and Families with input from researchers and practitioners, the Fathering Indicators Framework assesses changes in fathers' behaviors and the impact of paternal behavior on the child and the family. The instrument was intended to provide a structure for measuring the characteristics of father involvement and to promote the collection of data necessary for assessing the level and effect of fathers' participation in the lives of their children. The resulting product lists indicators and data sources for six areas: father presence; involvement in…
The increase in the number of children being born to unmarried parents present a number of social policy issues for strengthening the involvement of unwed fathers with their children. This working paper examines trends in out-of-wedlock childbearing, the influence of fathers in child development, and how social policies such as welfare, child support, and fathering programs affect unwed fathers and their family involvement. The authors discuss a number of studies that have found paternal involvement to be associated with better emotional, behavioral, and developmental outcomes in children, as…
The degree of paternal economic and emotional investment in children and families has a major impact on child outcomes, however trends away from two-parent families indicate the need for social policy changes to further encourage active involvement by fathers, married or otherwise. The authors consider a number of economic factors that may contribute to the drift away from two-parent families in this review of the economic literature on welfare reform, child support enforcement, and labor markets, and their possible influence on paternal disengagement through divorce, separation and birth to…
This prospective study of a birth cohort was conducted to identify the factors that predict the age at which young men make the transition to fatherhood and whether those characteristics predict how long young men live with their children. The research also examined the link between individual differences in the amount of time fathers spend living with their children and fathers' psychosocial characteristics in young adulthood. Data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study in New Zealand were analyzed for the project. Findings revealed that by age 26, 19 percent of the…
One hundred child welfare professionals, family service workers, court officials, and fatherhood program employees participated in group discussions held throughout the United States about the engagement of fathers in services. The National Family Preservation Network sponsored the events to determine the extent of agency attention to the needs of fathers and to identify ways to support father involvement in family life. The questions focused on the skills necessary to engage fathers in programs, types of services provided to fathers, barriers to father-child relationships, the impact of…
For the roughly 3.3 million low-income fathers in America who are without custody of their children, love for their offspring can be overshadowed by the guilt and anger of not being able to provide them with adequate financial support. Limited education and work experience may make finding a legitimate, living-wage job difficult, and chronic unemployment or participation in underground or illegal activities may become a way of life. A prior criminal record, substance abuse or a strained relationship with the child's mother can further contribute to the economic and emotional distress of both…
This analysis, based on data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, examines new parents attitudes towards child support enforcement and fathers' rights and obligations. Additionally, it looks at whether couples agree or disagree on these issues, and whether their disagreements are likely to lead to conflict with possible negative repercussions for their children. (Author abstract modified)
