This Resource Guide was written to support service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. The guide includes information about protective factors that help reduce the risk of child maltreatment, strategies for changing how communities support families, and evidence-informed practices. It also offers suggestions for enhancing protective factors in families, tools to build awareness and develop community partnerships, information about child abuse and neglect, a directory of national organizations that…
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Aiming to disprove the stereotype that paints all teen fathers as uncaring and irresponsible, this book provides young dads with parenting advice geared especially to them. The guide reveals that the reality can be quite different for many young fathers if they have a chance to parent their child and if appropriate support services are offered. These useful tips for young dads--including taking as much responsibility as they can, knowing their rights, and ultimately finding joy in their parenting role--help shape teens who are far less likely to run from their responsibilities. In this…
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"What works" in fatherhood programs? As the responsible fatherhood field continues to grow, an increasing number of programs have been put into place to improve fathers' involvement with children and families. While several studies have examined the effects of programs on outcomes for fathers and their families, results of these studies vary, as does the quality and rigor of research methods. Only rigorous evaluations of programs can provide evidence of whether or not programs have the desired effect. Fortunately, the existence of several rigorous evaluations of recent fatherhood and…
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In this policy brief, the authors highlight findings from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, conducted through Columbia University's School of Social Work. The study explores the extent to which children of incarcerated parents are at a greater risk for material hardship, family instability, and developmental challenges. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article This study provides systematic information about the prevalence of early male fertility and the relationship between family background characteristics and early parenthood across three widely used data sources: the 1979 and 1997 National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth and the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. We provide descriptive statistics on early fertility by age, sex, race, cohort, and data set. Because each data set includes birth cohorts with varying early fertility rates, prevalence estimates for early male fertility are relatively similar across data sets. Associations between…
Using a sample of 2,552 fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, the authors examined whether relationships were associated with fathering a subsequent birth (with the same partner or another partner). Findings from multinomial logistic regressions indicate that fathers reporting higher relationship satisfaction and positive co-parenting had greater odds of a subsequent birth with the same mother. Conflict with the mother decreased the odds of a subsequent birth with the same mother. Unmarried men and men in unstable relationships had increased odds of another child with…
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This brief describes the Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage, and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Re-Entering Fathers and their Partners (MFS-IP) and provides an overview of the implementation and impact evaluation of this initiative. (Author abstract)
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A list of 24 activities that dads and daughters can do together.
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In recent years, research has well documented the silencing of girls' voices in our culture during the pivotal adolescent years. Girls are typically loud, opinionated, and physically confident until age 12 or so; then many girls begin silencing their own voices. The sassy, tree-climbing 10-year-old who expects justice from the world for everyone, including herself, often turns into a soft-spoken, passive 13-year-old who may still demand justice from the world - but, strangely, not for herself. This fact sheet discusses tips on how fathers and stepfathers can counter negative cultural…
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It is widely accepted that, over recent decades, fathers' roles have changed to include more care of infants and young children. It is now normal, for example, for fathers to attend the birth of their first child, and in many areas antenatal classes include special topics or discussions for fathers. More fathers are also noticeably pushing strollers, dropping off toddlers at child care and volunteering for literacy tutoring in schools.It is not surprising then to find that health, education and welfare services are looking for ways to recruit and involve fathers, alongside mothers and other…
